On BSNL MRS

AIBSNLPWA has written a letter to Director (HR) against the proposal to discontinue the Quarterly Medical Allowance to pensioners and to curtail the entitlement under BSNLMRS. click here :

Vijayawada District Executive on 14-03-2018

District Executive Meeting of Krishna ,Vijayawada held on 14-03-2018. Com K.V.Subrahmanyam DGM Retired Vijayawada is elected as District Secretary. Com N.S.Sarma, Out-going District Secretary has tendered his resignation due to his personal reasons. Com NRK Murthy District President presided. Circle President Com M.R.S.Prakasa Rao and Circle Secretary Com V Vara Prasad have attended. Com K K R N Purnachandra Rao and Com Mallisetti Janardhana Rao have also shared the dias.

WE WELCOME THE POSITIVE CHANGE

Representing AIBSNLPWA, Comrades D Gopalakrishnan (Vice President), G Natarajan (GS), P Gangadhara Rao (Dy GS), Anupam Kaul (AGS) and R Changappa ( CS Karnataka) met Shri Ananthkumar, Honourable Minister for Parliamentary Affairs in New Delhi on 7-3-2018. On his directive the leaders then met Smt. Aruna Sundara Rajan IAS, Secretary Telecom in her office same day. DDG (Estt), DDG (PSU), and Director (PSU) were also present during the discussion. After handing over a letter for pension revision with 32% fitment benefit, as recommended by the Seventh Central Pay Commission, our leaders explained the rationale behind the demand and recalled the earlier meeting with her on 8-11-2017. Our leaders clarified certain doubts. The Secretary was able to understand our demand. 

Our leaders have gained an impression that there is a positive change in the attitude of top officers in DOT. Let us hope for the best. 

Cabinet approves two percent Dearness Allowance to Central Government employees

The Union Cabinet has given its approval to release an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners w.e.f. 01.01.2018 representing an increase of 2% over the existing rate of 5% of the Basic Pay/Pension, to compensate for price rise. This will benefit about 48.41 lakh Central Government Employees and 61.17 lakh pensioners. 

The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief would be Rs.6077.72 crore per annum and Rs.7090.68 crore in the financial year 2018-19 (for a period of 14 months from January, 2018 to February, 2019).

Note by Com. DG again:

We once again reiterate that we are not interested in polemics and we are not against the unity of workers and pensioners.Everyone knows that the demands and interest of workers and pensioners are different.The seasoned leader avoided answers to some of our points and the pensioners and leaders who read both the postings would understand them.So, we are not willing to raise any controversy between the organizations.

But, the core issue for DoT absorbed BSNL pensioners is revision of pension from 1/1/2017.Let us concentrate on this issue.The doubts raised by the seasoned leader and our reply:

Doubt - Point 5 – Let us assume that the Govt. accepts pension revision of BSNL retirees on the basis of VII CPC CDA scales instead of III PRC IDA scales. From which date it will be implemented from 2016 or 2017? 

Reply – (i) Pension revision is not on the basis of CDA or IDA scales.It is determined on the basis of existing pension plus DR plus weightage benefit.(ii) Our simple demand is that the pension plus DR plus weightage suggested by 7^th CPC should be given to BSNL IDA pensioners.(iii) Since last pension revision was given in 2007 we demand it from 2017. 

Doubt – Point 6 – Discrimination/Anomaly – 

Reply - It is on the wrong presumption or understanding that we demand CDA pension revision and they demand IDA pension revision and hence there is confusion of discrimination, anomaly etc. However if our demand is conceded and if the pay revision is not commensurate with that pension revision, anomaly may arise but to solve that anomaly we have some ideas. 

Doubt – Point 7 – Again unnecessary doubt - Either our demand is not understood correctly or with a view to confuse the pensioners.

Reply – After the 6^th CPC recommendations, the department had its own confusion about its applicability to BSNL pensioners. There was OM issued by DoP&PW on 19/9/2003 which says notional conversion from IDA to CDA and then implement the recommendation.DoT wanted to implement it and another agency also agreed with that. But DoP&PW which issued that OM differed because of the Apex court judgement, we referred earlier.So, there is no possibility of notional conversion from IDA to CDA as threatened by the seasoned leader. 

Doubt – Point 8 – Now they say that it is only the fitment factor that they have demanded. How is the fitment calculated?It is on the basis of calculating the fitment factor based on the price index for the CDA.

Reply – From the beginning our demand was “Implement Same fitment formula suggested by 7^th CPC” and it is not our latest demand. We are surprised to know that fitment factor is based on price index for the CDA. 7^th CPC has gone into the concept of minimum wage and arrived at a figure.One of its recommendations was multiply the existing pay/pension by 2.57. That was arrived at with pay plus DA/DR plus 32% of basic pay/pension. We are aware the index and methodology of CDA & IDA are different but the fact remains that Central Dearness Allowance is more beneficial than Industrial Dearness Allowance.Because of that factor, FCI/VSNL pensioners wanted pension on IDA and DR on CDA which was rejected by the Supreme Court which said that both can only be on IDA.We are aware about CCS (Pension) Rules 1972 and particularly 37-A.It is a statutory one.Sub-rule 10 speaks about industrial DA only. We want that statutory protection should remain.With the existing frame of mind, bureaucracy on its own may not take a positive decision and we are trying our best to interpret the rules and orders in favour of pensioners. We want other organizations also to join for pushing it fast and if that is not possible let them not play atleast spoiling game.

According to the seasoned leader’s posting on 2/3/2018 their demand is “on the basis of III PRC, pension revision should be ordered with 15% fitment, without waiting for the wage revision…….will not create the large number of serious anomalies”.

i)     No terms of reference for III PRC for pension revision and naturally no recommendation also. The recommendation is for pay revision with 3 fitment formula depending upon the profit of concerned PSU.

ii)      For argument-sake if that demand is conceded by the Govt. will not    create anomaly between pre-2017 retirees and post-2017 retirees?  Because the demand is without waiting for wage revision.

BSNL proposes to stop payment of Quarterly medical allowance with effect from 1-4-2018 in CGHS covered cities and also to reduce yearly eligibility limit for outdoor treatment. BSNL has written a letter to recognised unions/associations. View Letter

DO NOT CONFUSE CPC REVISION FORMULA WITH CDA PAY SCALES

One veteran Telecom Trade union leader has posted a matter in his blog on 26-02-2018.  We are not interested in polemics but we have to put the records straight to avoid any confusion among the pensioners and leaders.

Point 1:  Let us understand that there was no pay revision in 2000. It was only a conversion from CDA pattern to IDA pattern. It was a legal requirement. A three judge division bench of the Apex Court delivered a judgement on 03-05-1990 and based on the judgement. DPE issued OM dated 12-06-1990. Para 3 of that OM states that “All appointments made on or after 01-01-1989 in respect of all categories of employees of PSEs would be deemed to have been governed by the IDA pay scales and IDA. Appropriate pay scales on the IDA patterns for employees appointed on or after 01-01-1989 may be formulated by the PSEs concerned, in consultation with the administrative ministry and referred to DPE for approval. DPE vide its OM dated 10-8-2009 reiterated and emphasized that appointments including promotion on or after 1-1-1989 in CDA scales of pay have to be in IDA scales of pay.

Point 2 : Wage revision for executives in BSNL in 2007 was on the basis of 2nd PRC report and for non-executives, on the basis bilateral agreement signed on 7/5/2010 and order issued on the same date.But pension revision order was issued only on 15/3/2011.Infact DDG (Estt.) wrote a note to DoT finance stating that “revised pay scales are only applicable to those who were still in service as on 1/1/2007.There is no impact on the pensioners who retired before 1/1/2007 on account of revised pay scales.There is no scheme for BSNL with reference to revision of IDA pensioners retired before 1/1/2007”.We have published enough material date-wise in our journals about our efforts to get the pension revision and we need not repeat it here.  

Point 3 : Forum leaders met then Secretary (T) Shri R.K.Garg on 01-05-2015 and discussed 10 items and 78.2 was the 7th item.Break through for annulment of 60:40 did not happen on that day but break through was achieved by us during our discussion on 24/3/2015 and 26/3/2015 (in between on 25/3/2015 there was an internal discussion in DoT).On 26/3/2015 Secretary (T) and Member(F) assured that a revised cabinet note annulling 60:40 would be prepared and circulated within 15 days.Accordingly Establishment section of DoT prepared the revised cabinet note annulling 60:40 on 30/3/2015 and sent to DoT finance.This was possible because of the direct intervention of Shri Ananthkumar, Hon. Minister.It is also a fact that this veteran trade union leader met Secretary (T) Shri R.K.Garg on 26/10/2015 and told that annulment of 60:40 has to be dealt separately and the issue of extending the benefit of 78.2% IDA merger to BSNL pensioners retired before 10/6/2013 has to be delinked from it.We know success has many fathers.

Point 4 : We are aware that Service Unions/Associations sole objective is to protect the interest of serving employees/officers.They do not have time to go into deep study of pensioners’ problems and suggest a proper solution.It is but natural.The same veteranleader gave an item for discussion in the National Council for revision of medical allowance with pension (instead of pay) plus every April DA and the management advised him to withdraw that item because that is against the interest of pensioners (in this write-up of 26/2/2018 he has mentioned medical advance instead of medical allowance).To settle 78.2% IDA merger for pensioners retired after 1/1/2007 one Association’s GS suggested one day salary arrears for those who retired between 1/1/2007 & 9/6/2013 and GS of one Union suggested last one month salary.We did not have such confusions.That is why we suggested that let them concentrate on pay revision seriously.

Point 5 : We are not against struggles and we have conducted several struggles to achieve our demand.We have even supported the recent united strike organized by all the Unions/Associations.

Point 6 : The veteran leader and his association wanted pension revision along with pay revision of BSNL employees.His successor in the union has demanded delinking pension revision from BSNL pay revision. Now Pay revision is not taking place and this leader wants pension revision at 15% of pay plus DA which works out to 32.925% of basic pension (we are demanding 32% of basic pension).From where this 15% theory comes?It is based on 3rd PRC report.That report not only mentions 15% but also 10% & 5%.But it is all for serving employees and not for pensioners.The dictum of Marxism says “Everything will change except the law of change”.We stop with that.We are pretty well aware that today’s pensioners were yesterday’s workers and that today’s workers are tomorrow’s pensioners. 

Keeping in view the interest of yesterday's workers and today’s workers only we have demanded 7th CPC pension revision formula as a permanent solution to pension  revision. First let there be unity among pensioners’ organizations in BSNL.We have made sincere efforts for that from our side but there is no response from that side.Let us unite on common demand of pensioners and move forward.

...............................   D.GOPALAKRISHNAN