Bank News- Letter to FM on pending issues of Bank retirees

FORUM OF RETIRED

BANK EMPLOYEES

 

No. FORUM/Retirees Issues/2015​19.05.2015

 

To,

Shri. Arun Jaitelyji,

Hon. Minister of Finance,

Government of India,

North Blocks, New Delhi

 

Dear Sir,

 

Ref: Pending Issues of Bank Retirees.

 

After signing the agreement on 27.04.2010 extending second option of pension to those who did not opt for pension in 1995, numbers of issues have cropped up and since then we have taken up these issues with various authorities at various levels. We list below few of the pending issues of the retirees.

 

1)

The IBA has denied the second option of pension to the workmen and officers who had resigned from their posts by giving requisite days of notice as per the rules and regulations and those who are compulsorily retired from the service.

2)

The employees who were in the service as on the date of settlement i.e. on 27.04.2010 and had resigned from their posts after that date but before the date of issue of circular by the respective banks after 10.08.2010 are also denied to join the pension scheme.

3)

The normal family pension is being paid at 15% of last pay drawn and the enhanced family pension for a period of 7 years from the date of death of the employee up to completion of 65 years of age of the deceased employee at 30% of last pay. There is a long pending demand for improvement in the family pension at par with Government Family Pensioners.

4)

The retired employees who retired before 01.11.2002 are paid dearness relief on tapered basis whereas the retired employees who retired on or after 01.11.2002 are paid the dearness relief without tapering with 100% neutralization.

5)

Updation of pension is one more grave area for bank retirees. The senior level executives retired during the period of earlier settlements after 01.11.1986, are getting much less pension than the junior level officers, award staff retired during the period of 8th and 9thsettlements. The General Managers retired in 1995 is getting less pension than Scale III officer retired in 2005 or 2008. The same applies in case of Scale III officer retired in 1995 and the Clerk retired in 2005 or 2008.

 

The retired employees and officers from banking industry were upset with this and they preferred representation to individual banks, IBA and Government in the past in their individual capacity as well the retirees organisations also had taken up these issues with all concerned. The Forum of Retired Bank Employees also had taken up these issues time and again with IBA, Government and individual banks. However all our efforts did not bear fruits and we could not get our issues resolved by persuasion.

 

Even we tried to get our issues resolved with the help of UFBU the negotiating body in the past. Some of the issues were moved by inch but no amicable solution was reached. With this negative response from all the concerned the retired employees and their organisations were left no alternative but to seek legal remedy. Numbers of cases were and are filed by the retired employees and officers in various high courts throughout the country.

 

The retired employees got some relief through courts especially those who sought voluntary retirement from banks and on the insistence of Central Government, IBA advised banks to extend second of pension to those officers who were allowed to retire voluntarily.

 

Some 22 officers from Vijaya Bank got relief from Karnataka High Court and they got their second option of pension only after the SLP filed by the Bank was dismissed by Supreme Court. However this decision of Karnataka High Court is not extended to other bank retired employees who sought retirement by tendering resignation letters. The most interesting part in this case is that even other employees and officers of Vijaya Bank are not extended the second option of pension thereby creating artificial classes in retirees.

 

The same is applicable in case of employees and officers who were compulsorily retired despite the fact that Supreme Court had decided the cases in favour of employees.

 

Regarding the employees who were in the service of banks on 27.04.2010 and got relieved from the banks service after that date are forced to file writ petitions in the high court to seek relief.

 

The IBA and banks have, by creating two artificial classes in case of payment of dearness relief on the basis of date of retirement, violated the constitutional provisions under article 14.

 

Now we learn that IBA and Government have told the negotiating unions under UFBU that as the matters are subjudice these cannot be discussed. It is a very strange argument as in the past the IBA and Government had discussed and finalised the issues which were pending in the courts. Here one more aspect has to be considered as the retired employees and their organisations are required to resort to legal actions only due to the apathy towards them by the IBA and Government. These organisations and retired employees could not get representation in the negotiating body and could not raise their grievances. Even such grievances are raised they are neglected. Neither Government nor IBA acknowledges receipt of such communications by the retired employees and their organisations. And now they are told that the matters cannot be discussed and settled as the retired employees and their organisations have approached the courts.

We therefore request you to please look in to these matters and advise the concerned authorities to initiate discussions with the retirees organisations including Forum of Retired Bank Employees on the pending issues of retired bank employees to resolve them. This will save unwarranted litigations and will create healthy atmosphere.

 

Thanking you,

 

Yours faithfully,

 

 

President.