Kerala NGO Union Protests Employee Transfers Amid Flooding and Relief Operations

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala NGO Union staged a protest march and dharna in front of the Secretariat, raising several demands, including the immediate withdrawal of what it termed arbitrary transfers of government employees while the state is grappling with severe rain-related disasters. Addressing the protest, Kerala NGO Union General Secretary M.V. Sashidharan alleged that the UDF government has been carrying out large-scale transfers of employees since May 4 under the guise of a change in administration. He said the transfers were disrupting relief operations that require close coordination among the Revenue Department and various other government departments. According to him, the time required for transferred employees to join new offices and the need for newly posted officials to familiarise themselves with unfamiliar areas are adversely affecting disaster relief efforts. Sashidharan demanded that the government immediately halt what he described as vindictive transfers and take steps to ensure that relief and rehabilitation work is carried out effectively. The protest also raised several other demands, including the restoration of the old pension scheme by repealing the PFRDA Act, implementation of the 12th Pay Revision, release of pending dearness allowance and earned leave surrender benefits, rectification of shortcomings in the Medisep health insurance scheme, withdrawal of the labour codes, cancellation of what the union called unjust employee transfers, and measures to resist communalism.