Thu Jan 09 17:50:00 UTC 2025: ## Trade Unions Demand Sweeping Budget Changes in Pre-Budget Meeting

**New Delhi, [Date of Publication]** – India’s trade unions presented a strong set of demands to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ahead of the upcoming 2025-26 budget presentation on February 1st. Key demands include a five-fold increase in the minimum Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) pension to ₹5,000 per month, and the immediate formation of the 8th Pay Commission to revise government employee salaries.

The unions, including representatives from the TUCC, BMS, and CITU, also called for significant tax reforms. This includes raising the income tax exemption limit to ₹10 lakh per annum, exempting pension income from tax, and imposing a 2% additional tax on the super-rich to fund social security initiatives. Furthermore, they advocated for a social security scheme for gig workers, restoration of the old pension scheme (OPS) for government employees, and an end to the privatization and corporatization of public sector undertakings (PSUs).

Specific demands also targeted agricultural workers, pushing for the extension of social security benefits and the implementation of a minimum wage. The drastic increase in the minimum EPFO pension was highlighted as a crucial first step, with suggestions to eventually link it to the Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA).

Concerns were raised regarding the significant decline in the number of permanent employees in Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), dropping from over 21 lakh in the 1980s to under 8 lakh in 2023-24. The unions emphasized the need for the government to address these concerns in the upcoming budget.

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