ARISE MEETS MD/CEO !

We both met our MD & CEO as scheduled today (15/12/2020 in the evening). Thanks to all your wishes the meeting with MD & CEO went well. GM (HR) was also present for the discussion with the MD. After greeting the MD  and exchanging pleasantries,  we submitted the  Memorandum for IBA to the MD with request to use his good offices. He was well seized of our issues and was positive.

Next  we submitted the following letter. Every issue was discussed in detail and drew positive response on all issues excepting pension option for resignees and review of past decided cases in the matter of substaff recruitment because of administrative difficulties. We will follow them up  too.

In respect of other issues, we request all our office bearers to collect the list of members in respect of issues like

1) Reg 26 left overs including those recruited as agri or coop or vet clerks and promoted as officers as per then prevailing policy ( recruitment ad  should clearly say so)

2) Reg 26 arrears calculation mistake due to wrong normal maximum age of entry. Such members should clearly specify normal the maximum age of entry as per ad and indicate clearly the additional years they are entitled. So also, members affected because bank calculated service without Reg 26 and notional addition separately depriving the benefit of 6 months fraction may also advice the additional service to be reckoned.  For instance, if service without Reg 26 of 25 years & 4 months is taken as 25 years service and additional  4 years & 3 months is taken as 4 years  total service is 29 years. But if both actual and notional service is added it gives 29 years& 8 months that will be computed as 30 years because the fraction is more than 6 months service.

3) revision of CCA & HRA due to upgradation based on 2011 census ( please give name & Roll Nos of members, Name of upgraded centre, the detail of upgradation from … to grade and enhanced % of HRA &CCA payable from … to date.

4) Members who are eligible to get revised pension on account of adding notional stagnation increment

5) Members whose last drawn salary should be average of the last month salary and not the reduced salary days before retirement for computing gratuity and leave encashment. List of such members may be collected.

6) List of hospitals to be included for cashless treatment.

7) Members whose increment falls due for release the day immediately following retirement of any nature shall be notionally released increment for the purpose of pension. Such cases may be too few.

Office bearers may collect the above details of retirees whether they are our members or not as we have assured the bank to give full list for bank to verify and take a call at one go. Please cooperate and send the list in 10 days to the email of President.

MD citing his experience of retiree association helping banks expected us to do their best to educate and motivate the staff and to render all help the bank needs in various areas. He appreciated our past efforts while in service and after retirement. We assured of our whole hearted support.

The meeting ended in a cordial note. Thanks one and all.

SBC Karunakaran                         KS Rengarajan

Gen secretary                                President

LETTER HANDED OVER TO MD :-

Dear Sir,

                                 Sub: Request for release of entitlements

We are not requesting any new benefits but are only requesting for release of following entitlements as per Service Regulations/Bipartite Settlements, Bank level understandings and orders of High Court/ Supreme Court:

1) Bank may please take up with Insurance company/TPA to include established hospitals (names already given to TPA/Bank) not finding in the network for cashless treatment circulated by TPA.

2) Pending a decision on subsidizing medical insurance cost, please release a lumpsum towards medical expenses which used to be Rs.2000/p.a. fixed more than a decade back.

3) Reg.26 of Pension Regulations for adding notional service is applicable whether one is recruited as an officer or as a clerk first and then promoted as officer, which was the case in our bank till 1972 for agri related specialists. Further the notional service is to be computed with reference to the maximum age of entry at the time of calling for applications and not when the member joined the bank. These are very few cases only.

4) Inasmuch as Andhra Pradesh HC recently ordered to grant pension option to one of our bank retirees, the same may be extended to all similarly placed resignees in the light of National Litigation Policy and MOL, GOI communication No. 3/25/64-I&E(1-5) dated on 8/8/1964.

5) Improvement in the exgratia being paid to those/spouse of those retired before 1/1/86. They are all nonagenarians and very few in number.

6) Refund of simultaneously recovered commutation arrears paid on revising the pension (on merger of DA at 1684 points to those retired between 1/4/98 and 30/4/2005) as ordered by Karnataka High Court and upheld by Supreme Court. Simultaneous recovery is akin to recovering all EMIs  immediately on disbursing a loan. In any event no interest can be levied on simultaneous recovery.

7) Revising pension by releasing notional stagnation increment to all those retired before the date prescribed for monetary benefit during the 10th Bipartite settlement period.

8) Release CCA and HRA as per revised Census 2011 to all the omitted pensioners.

9) Last drawn salary for computing gratuity or leave encashment shall be the last month’s salary and not last day’s salary as month is the unit of wage period for bank employees/officers.

10) When increment/s earning period ends on date of retirement of any nature the increment/s shall be released for computing terminal benefits. (Case law- Madras HC order dated 15/09/2017 favouring employee  in W.P.No.15732/2017 – where SLP (Civil) Diary No. 22283/2018 by the employer was dismissed by SC on 23/07/2018  and Review petition was also dismissed.)

11) While thankful to the bank for dropping disciplinary proceedings against retired officers in the matter of sub-staff recruitment irregularities, the cases of similarly placed officers who were however given penalty may please be appropriately reviewed.

12) Please use your good offices with IBA and DFS/MOF/GOI in support of the pensioners’ issues viz. Pension updation as in RBI, 100% DA neutralization to those retired before 1/11/2002, early implementation of uniform family pension, reckoning special allowance for terminal benefits, and subsidy of IBA Group Medical Insurance

Please consider favourably.

Thanks and regards

Sd.                                                                                                    Sd.

S.B.C.Karunakaran                                                   K.S.Rengarajan

(General Secretary)                                                    (President)