STAGE SET FOR A JOINT ACTION BY ALL C.G.EMPLOYEES DEMANDING WITHDRWAL OF PFRDA BILL

MOVEMENT LAUNCHED BY THE CONFEDERATION CULMINATING IN A STRIKE ON 12.12.12 PAVES WAY FOR A UNITED PLATFORM OF ALL C.G.EMPOLOYEES UNDER THE JOINT BANNER OF ALL INDIA RAILWAYMEN FEDERATION - ALL INDIA DEFENCE EMPLOYEES FEDERATION - & CONFEDERATION OF C.G.EMPLOYEES.

NATIONWIDE DEMONSTRATIONS BY THE ENTIRETY OF C.G.EMPLOYEES ON 29th APRIL DEMANDING CONSTITUTION OF 7th PAY COMMISSION IS CALLED UPON BY THE ABOVE ORGANISATIONS.

JOINT CALL ISSUED BY AIRF - AIDEF - CONFEDERATION IS PLACED IN OUR WEBSITE FOR WIDEST CIRCULATION AMONG THE EMPLOYEES TO PREPARE THEM FOR A MASSIVE DEMONSTRATION ON 29.04.2013.

Conf/26/2013 Dated: 24.3.2013 

Dear Comrade,

                We invite your attention to the  efforts undertaken by us after the 12^th December, one day strike action to bring about a united action by the Railway, Defence and other Central Government employees on certain pressing demands.  In this connection you will recall that Com. S.K. Vyas, our President had been writing and following it up with telephonic conversations to bring about such a platform for action. We are happy to inform you that the AIRF and AIDEF has now agreed to bring about a joint platform of action to project two important demands of the CGEs. Viz. the setting up of the 7^th CPC and the withdrawal of the PFRDA Bill. 

                We send herewith the joint Circular letter issued by the three organizations on 23.3.2013 calling upon its units to organize a joint demonstration on 29^th April, 2013 in front of all offices throughout the country.  The affiliates and State Committees are requested to take initiative in organizing the programme with maximum participation of members of the three organizations at a mutually agreed Central place in all Cities/towns and other places.  All Units should be requested to send the telegram to the Prime Minister and a report of the extent of participation sent to the Confederation CHQ by 3^rd May, 2013.  We shall review the participation in the programme at our National Conference at Kolkata. 

                With greetings,

Yours fraternally, 

K.K.N. Kutty

Secretary General.

COPY OF JOINT LETTER   

ALL INDIA RAILWAYMEN FEDERATION

4, State Entry Road,New Delhi-110055.CONFEDERATION OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES AND WORKERS.

Manishinath Bhawan. A2/95 Rajouri Gardn,

New Delhi. 110 027

ALL INDIA DEFENCE EMPLOYEES FEDERATION

S.M. Joshi Bhawan, Dr. B.R.Ambedkar Road, Kirkee, PUNE. 3 

23^rd March.2013

Dear Comrades,

As  you are aware, the Government in reply to a question raised in the Parliament has stated that setting up of the 7^thCentral Pay Commission  for effecting wage revision of central Government employees is not presently under its consideration.  You will recall, that  a similar statement was made by the then Finance Minister, when the demand for setting up the 6^th CPC was raised by the employees.  The Joint movement of the Central Government employees, for which we created the platform of the Steering Committee of the organizations participating in the JCM under the leadership of Late Com. J.P. Chaubey, the then General Secretary of All India Railway men Federation could ensure that the Government rescind its stand then and set up the 6^th CPC.  The real value of wages determined by the 6^th CPC has now been eroded to the extent of above 100% due to the unprecedented inflation in the economy and spiraling rise in the prices of essential commodities.  While the Government permits wage negotiation and revision in the fully owned Public Sector Undertakings every five years, the denial to revise the wages of Central Government employees despite such large scale erosion in the real value of wages is absolutely unjustified.

The Government had been persisting with the enactment of the PRFDA Bill in the Parliament in almost all sessions ever since the UPA II Government took over.  Ironically they could elicit support from the main Opposition Party in the country for this ill advised enactment.  Lakhs of new workers who have joined in various organizations of the Government since2004 are worried of their future, which is forlorn and bleak, in the wake of the denial of an age old social security scheme of Pension.  We have been together opposing this move right from the day, the NDA Government introduced the bill in the Parliament in 2003.  However, our efforts, actions and objections have all been ignored with disdain by the Government. Though they could not muster enough support required to pass the bill in the Parliament, the Union Cabinet has recently taken the decision to allow 49% FDI in the pension fund.

We are to channelize our efforts through a wider platform of Unity. Efforts are on anvil to bring about such a platform.  In the meantime, we have decided to call upon all Units and Branches of AiRF, Confederation and AIDEF to organize Demonstration on 29^th April, 2013. in front of all offices and send the following telegram to the Prime Minister.

WITHDRAW PFRDA BILL AND SET UP THE 7^TH CPC

TO EFFECT WAGE REVISION OF CENTRAL

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.

With greetings,

Yours fraternally,

 Sd/-                                         Sd/-                                                                    Sd/-

SHIVGOPAL MISRA               KKN. KUTTY.                                                    C.   SRiKUMAR.

General Secretary, AIRF     Secretary General. Confederation.      General Secretary.AIDEF.

Retirement Age Enahanced in Kerala State

         

       Govt. of Kerala  enhanced retirement age of their employees, appointed on or after 01.04.2013, to 60 for introducing NPS to state employees.

Comparison Between EPF and NPS returns

Returns on EPFO fund is difficult to compare with return on other Pension Schemes like New Pension Scheme.

With an important message, a written reply was submitted in Lok Sabha 4th March, 2013 by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shri. Kodikunnil Suresh about the returns on NPS as follows...

"The wage ceiling for mandatory provident fund contributions under the Employees’ Provident Fund & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 is Rs. 6,500/-.

Data of workers outside the wage limit is not maintained by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization.

EPF money is invested as per the investment pattern of 2003 notified by Government of India which allows investment in Central Government Securities, State Government Securities, Bonds of Public Sector Undertakings and Private sectors. Returns on EPFO fund is difficult to compare with return on other Pension Schemes like New Pension Scheme.

The declaration of the return of NPS is on the basis of the accounting policy prescribed by NPS which allow the NAV to be declared on the basis of current market value of the investments. While EPFO follows the cost value of the investment for accounting its investment and return is declared on the basis of actual receipt of interest on the investments.

The return on EPFO investments are fixed whereas the return on NPS are not fixed and fluctuates on daily basis depending on the prevailing market conditions".

PFRDA Circular Update

 

 

     PFRDA issued circular on replacing the existing facility on Phased Withdrawal with Deferred Withdrawal. Click HERE to see the full circular.

Status of National Pension System March - 2013

              Status of National Pension System as on March 2013 is given here. Please go through this.

Rollout of New Pension Scheme in SBI challenged

The High Court of Kerala has admitted a writ petition filed by State Banks’ Staff Union (Kerala) to quash implementation of the New Pension Scheme (NPS) in State Bank of India.

The writ also prayed for directions to revert those recruited on or after August 1, 2010, back to existing pension scheme.

HEARING POSTED

Justice P. N. Ravindran has posted the case for further hearing after a month.

The interim order directed that amounts contributed by employees towards the pension fund be kept in a separate account and maintained with the trustee bank.

The case was filed by A. Jayakumar, General Secretary of State Banks’ Staff Union, Kerala Circle.

The petitioner recalled that NPS was implemented as part of the industry-level 9{+t}{+h} bipartite wage settlement.

As per this, Defined Contribution Pension Scheme (DCPS)/NPS would apply to those joining services on or after April 1, 2010.

But this settlement between Indian Banks’ Association and unions of other banks would not apply to SBI, the petitioner contended. This is because the bank was not party to this settlement insofar as pension-related matters were concerned.

But central board of SBI on November 8, 2010, decided that all employees joining in permanent scale on or after August 1, 2010, shall be offered only the benefit of DCPS.

The SBI Act did not empower the central board to amend pension fund rules, and that too with retrospective effect, it was contended.

PARLIAMENT NOD

The SBI Act also makes it clear that any regulation framed in this manner will have to be laid before Parliament.

It will take effect in the existing or modified form as decided by both the Houses of Parliament only.

In the present case, the central board has taken a unilateral decision to modify the pension scheme.

Legal recourse was also being sought on grounds that the pension scheme once framed cannot be modified without issuing notice.