R.S.SUBRAMANIAN,CLEVELAND,OHIO,USA.

HISTORICALLY SALARY REVISION FOR LIC AND BANK STAFF

IS BEING DONE AT INDUSTRY LEVEL ONCE IN FIVE YEARS. LIC 

AND BANK EMPLOYEES HAVE GIVEN THEIR CHARTER OF DEMANDS 

FOR THE CURRENT REVISION DUE FROM 01-08-2012 AND 

01-11-2012 RESPECTIVELY.

EVEN THOUGH ONE AND A HALF YEARS HAVE PASSED, NO SIGNIFICANT MOVE HAS TAKEN PLACE SO FAR IN BOTH THE INDUSTRIES. SALARY REVISION FOR CENTRAL GOVT. EMPLOYEES WILL BE EFFECTED BASED ON PAY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS ONCE IN TEN YEARS AND THEIR PRESENT SALARY IS AS PER SIXTH PCRs. BEFORE 1979, LIC AND BANK STAFF SALARY WAS HIGHER THAN THAT OF CENTRAL GOVT. EMPLOYEES. TO HAVE A PARITY WITH GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, PILLAI COMMITTEE WAS FORMED IN 1979 AND AS PER THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS THE PAY SCALES OF LIC AND BANK STAFFS WERE RATIONALISED AND MADE AT PAR WITH PAY SCALES OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES. SUCH PARITY WAS DISTORTED TO THE DISADVANTAGE OF LIC AND BANK STAFF BY IMPLEMENTING FOURTH, FIFTH AND SIXTH PCRs., AT MUCH HIGHER LEVELS AND THE SALARY DIFFERENCE AT ALL LEVELS IS ALARMINGLY HIGH.

RECENTLY AIBOC HAS RELEASED A PRESS RELEASE IN THE CAPTIONED SUBJECT AND INBEF IN THEIR LETTER DT. 21-02-2014 HAS GIVEN THE DETAILS OF DIFFERENCE IN SALARY BETWEEN BANK AND GOVT. EMPLOYEES, WHICH IS GIVEN BELOW. THE SALARY SCALE OF LIC AND BANK STAFFS IS ALMOST SIMILAR, WHICH YOU MAY BE AWARE.

THE EXPECTED INCREASE FOR BOTH LIC AND BANK EMPLOYEES FOR THE CURRENT CHARTER MAY BE UPTO TWENTY PERCENT OF THE TOTAL PAY, WHEREAS THE INCREASE MAY BE MORE THAN TWENTY PERCENT FOR CENTRAL GOVT. EMPLOYEES IN THE SEVENTH PCRs. AFTER THIS,THE ABOVE DIFFERENCE MAY BE STILL HIGHER. 

NOW LET US COME TO THE PENSIONERS SIDE. 

ALREADY GOVT. REGULAR PENSION IS FAR HIGHER THAN LIC AND BANKS RP. GOVT. FAMILY PENSION IS HIGHER THAN LIC AND BANKS RP. AFTER THE SEVENTH PCR, THERE WILL BE REVISION IN THE PENSION OF THE CENTRAL GOVT. PENSIONERS AND THE DIFFERENCE WILL BE STILL MORE HIGH THAN THE PRESENT. THE DIFFERENCE MAY BE SOMEWHAT REDUCED ONLY IF WE GET PENSION UPDATION TO LIC AND BANK PENSIONERS. IN OUR INDUSTRY, BOARD RESOLUTION DT. 24-11-2001 HAS TO BE IMPLEMENTED FULLY AS PER THE JAIPUR HC JUDGEMENT. THE LEGAL PROCESS IS AGAIN INITIATED, IT SEEMS, AFTER THE ORDER OF THE JAIPUR HC IN THE CONTEMPT PETITION. DEFINITELY VICTORY WILL BE OURS BUT IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME AND WE HAVE TO WAIT PATIENTLY. THE POSITION IN THE MATTER OF BANK PENSIONERS IN RESPECT OF HUNDRED PERCENT NEUTRALIZATION OF DR AND PENSION UPDATION IS GIVEN BELOW FOR INFORMATION OF OUR PENSIONERS.

PENSION REVISION IN RESERVE BANK OF INDIA - THE BANK HAD NOTIONALLY REVISED THE PAY OF THOSE WHO RETIRED BETWEEN 01-01-1986 TO 31-10-1987 AT THE INITIAL STAGE ITSELF. AFTER WAGE SETTLEMENT OF 1992 & 1997,THE BANK,(SECOND TIME )UPDATED PENSION OF PRE NOVEMBER 1997 RETIREES IN 2003 WITH EFFECT FROM NOVEMBER 2002. BUT AFTER GOVT. ADVISED THAT RBI HAS NO POWERS TO REVISE PENSION TO ITS EMPLOYEES IN 2007-2008, AND BECAUSE OF CONTINUOUS PRESSURE FROM GOVT., THE RBI WITHDREW ITS CIRCULAR DT.01-09-2003 GRANTING UPDATION TO PRE NOVEMBER 1997 RETIREES, IN 2008. IN 2009 A WRIT WAS FILED IN MUMBAI HC BY THREE RETIREES OF RBI AND THE COURT HAS STAYED THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BANKS CIRCULAR DT.10-10-2008 WITHDRAWING THE UPDATION ALREADY GRANTED TO PRE NOVEMBER 1997 RETIREES AS PER INTERIM ORDER DT.27-04-2009. AFTER LAST HEARING ON 29-10-2012, NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN EITHER BY THE GOVT. OR BY THE RBI AND THE CASE IS LYING IN BOMBAY HC IN SUSPENDED ANIMATION. PRE NOVEMBER 1997 PENSIONERS ARE CONTINUOUSLY GETTING AS PER CIRCULAR DT.01-09-2003. BUT THE ENHANCEMENT OF PENSION DUE TO WAGE REVISION IN 2002 & 2007 HAS NOT BEEN GIVEN TO THEM AND THE RETIREES AFTER 01-11-1997 HAVE BEEN TOTALLY DEPRIVED OF ANY INCREASE IN PENSION. 

EIGTH BIPARTITE SETTLEMENT WAS SINGED IN MAY 2005 FOR THE PERIOD FROM 01-11-2002 To 31-10-2007 WHICH PROVIDED 100% DA TO STAFF IN SERVICE AND 100% DR TO RETIREES AFTER 01-11-2002 WITH EFFECT FROM 01-02-2005. THE RETIREES PRIOR TO 01-11-2002 CONTINUE TO GET DR ON TAPERING BASIS (FIRST SLAB WITH 100% AND THE FOURTH LAST SLAB WITH 25% ONLY). A WRIT PETITION WAS  FILED IN MADRAS HC BY RETIREES OF CANARA BANK, BANK OF BARODA AND INDIAN OVERSEAS BANK. ON 14-12-2012 SINGLE JUDGE FROM MADRAS HC PASSED AN ORDER THAT PETITIONERS WHO ARE RETIREES PRIOR TO 01-11-2002 ARE ELIGIBLE FOR 100% NEUTRALIZATION IN DR AS THE SIMILAR BENEFIT IS GRANTED TO RETIREES AFTER 01-11-2002. CANARA BANK AND IOB HAD GONE IN APPEAL AGAINST ABOVE DECISION BEFORE DIVISION BENCH OF MADRAS HC ON 17-06-2013 AND THE DECISION WAS AWARDED IN FAVOUR OF THESE BANKS. PETITIONERS SRI A.B. KASTURI RANGAN AND OTHERS HAVE FILED SLP IN 2013 WHICH STANDS ADMITTED IN SUPREME COURT ON 16-09-2013 (28220/28221 OF 2013).

RETIREES IN STATE BANK OF INDIA BEFORE 01-11-1993 ARE SAID TO HAVE LESSER PENSION THAN THOSE WHO RETIRED AFTER 01-11-1993. A CASE FILED BY PREMAVATHY BAGGE AND OTHERS Vs. SBI/GOI IS PENDING IN DELHI HC WP(C) 1931/2002. WP184/2011 ABOUT REFIXATION OF PENSION STANDS TRANSFERRED TO DELHI HC FROM SC. PETITION IS FILED BY FEDERATION OF SBI RETIREES AND OTHERS AGAINST GOI AND OTHERS AS RESPONDENTS. SC HAS GIVEN A OPINION ON 27-02-2013 THAT THE PENSION PAYABLE TO THE EMPLOYEES RETIRED PRIOR TO 01-11-2007 BE EQUIVALENT TO THE PENSION PAYABLE TO RETIREES WHO HAVE RETIRED SUBSEQUENT TO 01-11-2007. NEW CASE NO. IS WP(C) 1875/2013 AND NEXT DATE OF HEARING IS 18-03-2014.

THE GOVT. PENSIONERS ARE BEING PAID DR WITH 100% NEUTRALIZATION W.E.F. 01-01-1996 WHICH PROVIDES CUSHION AGAINST INFLATION. PENSIONERS IN OUR ORGANISATION ARE GETTING DR WITH 100% NEUTRALISATION FROM 01-08-1997. LIC PENSIONERS RETIRED PRIOR TO AUGUST 1997 ARE GETTING DIFFERENT SET OF SLABS FIXED FOR CALCULATION OF DR COMPARED TO THAT WHICH WAS FOLLOWED FOR IN SERVICE EMPLOYEES WITH THE RESULT THAT THE PENSIONERS ARE GETTING ONLY 50% OF DR THAT THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN OTHERWISE ENTITLED TO. 

THE ABOVE CLEARLY SHOWS THAT THE CENTRAL GOVT. PENSIONERS ARE ALWAYS PLACED IN AN ELEVATED POSITION, ENJOYING PENSION REVISION ON EVERY PAY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS APART FROM ELIGIBLE FOR AN INCREASED % OF PENSION AT THE AGE OF 80, 85, 90, 95 & 100 YEARS TO THE TUNE OF 30, 40, 50, 60 & 100% RESPECTIVELY. THESE BENEFITS ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO LIC AND BANK PENSIONERS (RBI PENSIONERES - A SMALL GROUP - ARE GETTING PENSION REVISION,THERE TOO TRUNCATED). ALSO THE CENTRAL GOVT. PENSIONERS ARE GETTING HUNDRED PERCENT DR NEUTRALIZATION FROM 01-01-96.

TO REACH THE LEVEL OF CENTRAL GOVT.PENSIONERS, WE HAVE TO GO A LONG WAY. LIC AND BANK MANAGEMENTS WILL NOT DO ANY FAVOUR FOR US AND THEY ARE ENTIRELY DEPENDING ON THE MOF/GOI FOR OUR GENUINE DEMANDS. AT THE MOST THEY MAY ISSUE ID CARDS AND OTHER SMALL JOBS WITHOUT ANY FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS THAT TOO AFTER MANY ROUNDS OF DISCUSSIONS. WE HAVE TO FIGHT LEGALLY ONLY TO ACHIEVE THESE BENEFITS AND THE COURTS IN INDIA HAVE TO COME TO OUR RESCUE IN ALL OUR PENDING CASES TO HELP THESE ELDERS. OR ELSE WE HAVE TO PLACE OUR DEMANDS TO THE VIPS/DECISION MAKES/TAKERS OF THE GOVT. THEY MAY HELP US AS OUR RA.GA DID FOR THE DEFENCE PENSIONERS IN O.R.O.P. ISSUE.
LET US HOPE THAT THE NEXT GOVT. WILL UNDERSTAND OUR PROBLEMS IN THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE AND SOLVE ALL OUR PENSION RELATED PROBLEMS.

R.S.SUBRAMANIAN,CLEVELAND,OHIO,USA.