The All India State Government Employees Federation (AISGEF), at a workers’ convention held in Chandigarh on Saturday, announced that it would organise a massive protest rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on December 12 against the government’s indifferent attitude towards the long-pending demands of employees.AISGEF national president Subhash Lamba said the employees’ demands included the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS); payment of interim relief equivalent to 20 per cent of basic pay, subject to a minimum of Rs 5,000 per month; revision of pay every five years instead of every ten years; withdrawal of the mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) requirement; regularisation of contractual and outsourced employees; an end to privatisation; release of 18 months’ pending DA/DR arrears; filling vacant posts through regular recruitment; and withdrawal of all four Labour Codes.A resolution was also unanimously passed condemning the Punjab Government for failing to release Pay Commission arrears and pending DA/DR dues.Lamba also demanded that all EPS-95 contributors be brought under a defined-benefit pension scheme. He further sought a 5 per cent increase in the basic pension upon attaining the ages of 65, 70 and 75 years.Gagandeep Singh Bhullar, president of the Punjab Subordinate Services Federation (Scientific), and N.D. Tiwari, its general secretary, said the Punjab Government was not releasing the pending Pay Commission arrears and DA/DR dues, forcing employees and pensioners to resort to agitation.Rajendra Katoch, president, and Harkesh Chand, general secretary of the Federation of UT Employees and Workers, Chandigarh, said there was tremendous enthusiasm among employees for the protest rally and that a large number of employees from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh would participate.