Dear Editor,
I read the Post of Sri B Ganga Raju on the subject. As usual, he gave his views after taking a quick but close look at the BPS especially the Record Note, signed by all, a totally new practice significant for its potential to play havoc with the interests of Retirees as a whole.
Mr Ganga Raju is very right when he sees (in the recent developments in Banking industry leading to signing of the latest Wage Settlement) a new and alarming trend. Although he left a few questions open, the answers are known to him and all of us. Retirees are in for more and more rude shocks. They are looked at, as an unwanted burden by all Employers and the Government so far. In LIC they have been an unwanted burden for the serving employee Associations, all through. LIC as an Employer, acts as if it does not like the pensioners to 'exist'. In Banks till recently, there was certain 'owning' of the pensioners, especially by the employee Associations and to that extent Banks were obliged not to 'disown' their retirees.
The trend in Banks has undergone a sudden and dangerous change now. Banks have succeeded in convincing their employee Associations 'you are carrying an unproductive load'. 'Sooner you shed the burden, better for you'. I don't fault them. There is a popular saying in Telugu - very difficult to translate but it means something like
'pursuing something other than your own cause,
will hit at the root of your interests'.
LIC Employee Associations are much wiser - they always disowned their former colleagues, much to the comfort of the Management. Bank employee associations also fell in line now. Better late than never. Banks have gone a step further - they have recorded their success trough the 'notorious Note' - the ugly head of the Retirees can not rise in future too. History rewritten.
We need not reconcile and keep quiet. Should not feel helpless too. We strongly believe we have a just case. The employee associations, the managements and the Government are firmly against us. But our only hope is Judiciary. Unfortunately we have a different type of problem. Pensioner groups are a divided house. Subject is too well known to continue now.
LET US LOOK TO WHERE WE ARE NOT UNWANTED.
Thanks and regards,
M Sreenivasa Murty