ALL INDIA INSURANCE PENSIONERS ASSOCIATION
Cir
No : 12/2015 Date : 26th October 2015
To
All Divisional/State units of
AIIPA
Dear Comrades,
Re: Letter to Hon. Shri S K Roy, Chairman, LIC
of India.
We reproduce below our letter dated
26th October 2015 addressed to Shri S K Roy, Chairman, LIC of India.
With
greetings.
Comradely yours.
General
Secretary
Shri.S.K.Roy,
Chairman,
L.I.C. of India,
Mumbai.
Dear Sir,
RESOLUTION OF LIC PENSIONERS’ ISSUES
You
may remember that the demand for ending discrimination between pre-August 1997
Pensioners and post-July 1997 Pensioners in consonance with the LIC Board
Resolution of November 2001 was reiterated during the course of the Meeting,
AIIPA Delegation, had with you ON 13th August,2015 and it was pointed out that
LIC, instead of initiating steps towards ending discrimination, was
perpetuating the differentiation even within the same class of Pensioners.
AIIPA Delegation
argued that, by making a part payment albeit as per their understanding of the
directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, LIC was creating an artificial
division among the pre-August 1997 Pensioners and that such a discrimination
was bad in law. The delegation urged upon, payment in full and to all the
pre-August 1997 pensioners. AIIPA Delegation pointed out that its standpoint
got fortified when LIC decided at the first instance to deposit amounts in Jaipur
& Chandigarh High Courts towards uniform rate of Dearness Relief, effective
August 1997 and again in tandem with this understanding, to credit 20% of the
amount due to the petitioners and members of the petitioner organisation in
Delhi High Court.
When AIIPA urged for
solution, the Chairman expressed his hope for a finality by the next date of
hearing i.e., 23rd September 2015 though AIIPA expressed its reservation in
this regard.
As it has turned out,
the legal proceedings will now resume only on November 18, 2015 and till a
final outcome, the differentiation and discrimination caused by LIC’s
action will get deeply embedded and resultant feeling of hurt will get
aggravated in the minds of pre-August 1997 Pensioners left out. The situation
ought to have been avoided particularly in the Diamond Jubilee Year of LIC as
the pensioners have also contributed, while serving, for the successful growth
and development of the great organisation.
As the morale is
getting low, the ire against LIC is increasing manifold, AIIPA demands of the
Management to concede the demand and pay difference towards Full Neutralisation
in full to those not considered earlier and the balance of 80% to those whose bank
accounts have been credited with certain amounts.
Needless to add, that
only a concerted action will be in fulfilment of the commitment spelt out
in the LIC Board Resolution and one that will mete out justice.
As our Organisation
had, in its earlier communications, said the methodology for payment to all,
effective August 1997, may be decided by the management and that only objective
should be to treat all pre-August 1997 Pensioners alike in the eyes of law and
on moral and ethical grounds.
We may observe that
All India Insurance Employees’ Association (AIIEA), both in the Joint Session
of all unions during recent wage negotiations and in the follow up individual
discussions, had raised this issue. AIIEA had also urged upon the Management to
look beyond the legal frontiers and grant the benefit uniformly to all
concerned at the earliest.
AIIEA had also urged
upon LIC, for conceding other demands of Minimum Pension to Rs.5000, Uniform
Rate of Family Pension etc., as has been conceded in Reserve Bank Of India.
Now that a finality has been reached on wage
question and LIC would be initiating steps for issuance of Notifications, we,
from AIIPA, demand that LIC may go in for Notification on Uniform Rate of
Dearness Relief also even before November 18, 2015.
All India Insurance Pensioners’ Association (AIIPA)
likes to recollect that a Notification, which was likely along with wage
revision Notification in the year 2010, somehow got stalled and now LIC can
arrange for simultaneous Notifications on Wage Structure and Uniform Rate of
Dearness Relief to pre-August 1997 pensioners.
We are sure that your
decision will cover all those pre-August 1997 pensioners, who have since died
without enjoying the benefit upto the date of death and also those spouses of
these, drawing family pension.
As was the earlier
understanding in 2008, LIC may also take steps to hike the Ex-Gratia for
Pre-1986 Retirees and as demanded by AIIEA and AIIPA for increase in Minimum
Pension and Uniform Rate Of Family Pension @ 30% etc.
On 13th August 2015 when
we met you and raised the issue of payment of monthly medical allowance to all
pensioners as in RBI, it was our impression that you wanted the issue to be
considered at the time of wage revision for the in-service employees/officers.
Now that the issue of wage revision for the in-service employees and officers
has been successfully concluded, we do hope this issue of monthly medical
allowance to all pensioners would also receive your active consideration and a
positive decision taken.
Hoping to get your
positive response to our above submissions.
Thanking You,
Yours Sincerely,
(T.K.CHAKRABORTY)
GENERAL SECRETARY