Two-Hour Walk-Out Strike Preceding Lunch Recess on 12th September 2023

FEDERATION OF LIC CLASS I OFFICERS' ASSOCIATIONS

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INSURANCE FIELD WORKERS OF INDIA

ALL INDIA INSURANCE EMPLOYEES' ASSOCIATION

To, All LIC Employees and Officers

Date: 25.08.2023

Two-Hour Walk-Out Strike Preceding Lunch Recess on 12th September 2023 Demanding

• Immediate Notification of LIC Board Recommendation on Payment of Family Pension at a uniform rate of 30 per cent
• Enhancement of Management's Contribution to NPS from 10 to 14 per cent
• Immediate Commencement of Wage Negotiations for Revision of Wages due from 01 Aug. 2022
• Adequate Recruitment in all Cadres
• Against the Unilateral Attitude of the Management on Issues related to Employees and Officers

Our repeated representations to the LIC management and the Government for immediate resolution of long pending demands of the employees and officers have gone unheeded till now. Meanwhile, issues and problems of the workforce have been piling up. Tragically enough, the attempts of the management to resolve some long pending issues often compound the problems rather than obviating the difficulties.

There has been an excruciatingly long delay in the notification of the LIC Board's recommendation on payment of family pension at a uniform rate of 30 per cent. It has been almost four years since the LIC sent its recommendation to the government on the issue of improvements in family pensions. Many pensioners have passed away, leaving their families in the lurch. For the last four years, the constant refrain of the management has been that LIC has given all clarifications sought by the Ministry. The delay is particularly perplexing because the same improvement in pension has already been extended to employees and officers of public sector banks and the RBI. Of late, the same benefit was extended to RRBs also. We fail to understand why there is so much delay in extending the benefit to LIC.

Recently, while responding to the no-confidence debate in the Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister said that LIC proved all doomsayers wrong and continued to register colossal progress. There is absolutely no doubt that LIC today is a world-class financial institution. It has earned the confidence and admiration of the insuring public through dedicated services. The Government and the management are aware that in the making of this institution, generations of employees since 1956 have made contributions through their sweat and toil. The hard work of all sections of employees and the agency force made the Rs 5 crore investments grow to a fantastic Rs.582242 crore as of 31 March 2023. Unfortunately, this contribution is not recognised, and the genuine demands of the employees and officers gather dust in the government files. Despite several representations to the Prime Minister and the finance minister, the government remains unmoved, and there is no headway on the issue. The delay in giving clearance to the board-recommended improvements also raises fundamental questions about the functional autonomy of the management of a systemically important institution like the LIC.

We have also been demanding, without any prejudice to our demand of scrapping the NPS, the enhancement of management's contribution under the Defined Contribution Pension Scheme (DCPS) from the existing 10% of pay plus dearness allowance to 14% thereof as applies to central government employees under the National Pension System (NPS). Even though the DCPS beneficiaries of LIC have now been made a part of the institutional architecture of the NPS, the management's contribution to the fund continues to be at the old rate of 10% despite our repeated follow-ups. The resolution of the issue cannot brook any further delay.

Recently, the Central government has given one time option to all central government employees appointed against a post or vacancy advertised/notified prior to the date of notification of NPS (22.12.2003) to be covered under the old pension scheme. In LIC also, quite a few employees have joined the institution after the date of notification of DCPS i.e. 01.04. 2010, against posts/vacancies notified/advertised prior to this date. In the interest of justice and fair play, similar one time option should also be extended to these employees in LIC.

All the unions in LIC submitted their Charter of Demands in August 2022 for revision of wages effective 01.08.2022. Even after a lapse of one full year, negotiations are yet to commence. When public sector banks are going to have the second round of discussions in the last week of this month, there is no reason why LIC should not start the talks in earnest to settle the issue early.

There is an acute shortage of manpower in all cadres. The crisis is particularly acute in Class III and IV cadres. Out of the 8,000 Class III vacancies notified in 2020, more than 2700 could not be filled for various reasons. With many exits due in all cadres in the next couple of years, the importance of recruitment must be considered.

For the first time in the history of LIC, officers have been denied their choice to forgo promotion due to unfavourable postings, and many were even threatened and forcefully relieved. Some were compelled to take VRS as they could not cope with their health and family situations. Is this the reward LIC management is contemplating for its officers for more than three decades of dedicated service? Officers both in administration and marketing are asked to open office on Saturdays and Sundays, and the five­day week has become a joke for them. The LIC management should refrain from such practices.

There are some issues of the Development Officers that have been crying for a resolution since long. Issues like adding the ADO period for determining the quantum of pension, making FCA to Development Officers cost free and giving it in the form of fuel coupon and provision of cost-free tax-free marketing expenses for Development Officers merit immediate consideration.

Of late, an unfortunate approach of unilateralism has crept into the functioning of the management. There is no meaningful discussion with the employees' unions on the wide-ranging changes that are taking place in LIC in terms of business models and the application of higher technology. Some weird and illogical ruses are being deployed to curtail the hard-earned benefits of the workforce. The arbitrary withdrawal of the ACLs by giving an utterly untenable explanation of public holidays and the recent curtailment of CLs to twelve days are classic examples of the new-found unilateralism in the management's approach. Sadly enough, rather than harnessing the goodwill of the employees while extending a new benefit, such actions only do the opposite. Unfortunately, the commitment of the employees and officers to protecting and strengthening LIC in the changed situation without resorting to any agitation is being construed as our weakness. The management should know that the institution's progress critically hinges on the support and allegiance of the workforce, not on the holier-than-thou attitude being displayed of late.

In the circumstances, it has become necessary to lodge a strong protest on the issues cited above. We, therefore, call upon all LIC employees and Officers to join a Two-Hour Walk-Out Strike preceding lunch recess on 12th September 2023 (Tuesday). In preparation for the Strike action, we also request that gate meetings and lunch hour demonstrations be held on 30th August 2023, 8th September 2023 and 11th September 2023, where the issues can be explained to the employees and officers.

With Greetings,

Comradely Yours

S. Rajkumar

General Secretary Federation of LIC Class I Officers' Associations

Vivek Singh

Secretary General

NFIFWI

Shreekant Mishra General Secretary AIIEA

Rajesh Kumar General Secretary AILICEF