AS WE COULD UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE DECISIONS TAKEN BY GOI/NABARD SO FAR-
ALL RRB EMPLOYEES JOINED IN RRBs SINCE 1976 AND RETIRED AFTER 01.09.1987 TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR PENSION PAYMENTS TO START WITH EFFECT FROM 01.04.2018, PENDING PROCEDURAL FORMALITIES TO BE COMPLETED.
ALL EMPLOYEES IN THE ROLLS OF RRBs AS ON 31.03.2018 ARE COVERED.
NO CONTRIBUTION OF LOAD FROM EMPLOYEES, NO LINK WITH PROFIT OR LOSS OF RRBs, NO INTEREST ON REFUND OF BANKS CONTIBUTION CREDITED TO EMPLOYEE ACCOUNTS.
(We are waiting for the GOI notification to examine the total effect of the decisions for our further actions.)
Friends, AIRRBEA has been once again proved as the true vanguard of the RRB fraternity. We salute the vision and foresight of our mentor - Dilip Mukherjee Dada, who laid the path of our struggles for equity and justice.
AIRRBEA started its journey four decades back in 1978 and has scaled heights in championing the cause of RRB employees.
Our first triumph was Supreme Court directing Government of India to constitute NIT on 01.09.1987 to decide our pay structure. AIRRBEA was alone in the court that day with senior advocates.
Our second and most critical turning point was pronouncement of NIT Award on 30.04.1990, equating our pay scales, allowances and benefits on par with that of sponsor banks.
None other than AIRRBEA members were in the Tribunal as its staff and outside the Tribunal as petitioners that successfully achieved the Award. This Award gave us not only the pay scales but also the self respect /dignity/ identity in the society and boosted our confidence in our path.
Let us recall the continuous follow up made by AIRRBEA in the last three months towards this jubiliant state on Pension. We have written a letter to Joint Secretary, DFS on 17.04.2018 itself that the judgment is going to be pronounced any moment and requested him to advise all RRBs to make provisions in the present balance sheet itself. The next Day of Judgment itself, we have started pursuing the matter and issued a circular on 26.04.2018 with details of orders.
Within hours of reciept of judgment on 30thApril, we have written to Secretary, DFS with copies to all RRB Chairmen to implement the orders without any deviations and pending the scheme requested for payment of interim relief, payment of computer increment and coverage of all employees.
We have met Additional Secretary and other officers of DFS on 5th May with a request for honouring the orders of Supreme Court in its right spirit and at an early date. We pursued with the concerned officers of Law Ministry, Solicitor General for their kind opinion to DFS.
We have been regularly meeting Joint Secretary, Director and other officials of DFS. We have been pursuing with officials of Nabard regularly for expediting orders. We met Sri. Shiv Pratap Shukla, Hon'ble Minister of State for Finance three times and finally met Sri Piyush Goyal on 25thJuly 2018 in Parliament House along with two Hon'ble Members of Parliament, who had assured us to clear the file immediately. We have been sending messages with dates as and when we are meeting the concerned dignitaries and conveying the authentic information to members, which are proved always right. All other organisations were confusing with false and fake messages.
All other organisations were seeking pension to RRB employees on the lines of commercial banks to the extent of 2nd option, which is not relevant for RRBs. One sabotaging orgnaisation filed an affidavit in Supreme Court with number 9/2016 claiming pension from 2016 and offered to share the load in the loss making RRBs to the extent required. They are shamelessly on record surrendering the entire past arrears and looting the retirees in the name of sharing. They are the real enemies of RRB retired brothers and such back stabbers must be socially boycotted from the RRBs. BEWARE OF COVERTS AND RENEGADES. We can confidently fight with Governments and mangaments. But these betrayers are dangerous since they will never hesitate to mortgage the members they represent. KICK THE CHEATERS OUT OF RRBs TO SAFEGUARD OUR FUTURE.
AIRRBEA all along has bravely declared in open meetings that all new employees will be covered in the secured pension and we have pursued accordingly to fetch the dream benefit of Pension to about 40000 young employees in RRBs, beyond the commercial bank’s scheme. The success has no parallel and will be recorded as remarkable achievement in the annals of banking history. HEARTY CONGRATUALTIONS TO OUR DEAR YOUNG COMRADES...
We can proudly declare that it is AIRRBEA alone that was consistently on the demand for full parity in pension as per the Banking industry settlement of 1993. It was AIRRBEA alone that has been rigidly insisting for coverage of all employees retired in RRBs from 01.09.1987 (effective date of NIT) to all those on the rolls at least as on Pension judgment date of 25.04.2018. No other organisation had any guts or any conviction for this challenge. Further, they made a false propaganda that we are luring / misguiding the young employees. They provoked the retired brothers that we are bringing the new employees issue to delay the Pension Parity.
The fact is all other organisations in the RRBs have their bosses in the commercial banks and all of them have signed a settlement that the employees joining in the banks after 01.04.2010 will be covered under New Pension Scheme (NPS) mandatorily. Hence, their progeny in RRBs were propagating that RRB employees also have to be covered under assured pension scheme up to that date only. They argued that demanding beyond that date amounts to disparity.
Friends real threat of disparity was Mahalik Committee in 1996, which recommended delinking us from banking scales and none had courage to oppose it. While all organisations attended before it, only AIRRBEA boycotted the Mahalik Committee and got it quashed in the High Court of Karnataka , thereby retaining the NIT award and paving the way for present achievement of Pension Parity.
The seeds of present victory of Pension were sown by AIRRBEA by filing a Writ in High Court of Karnataka through Wp.No. 20034 /2003 and achieved the judgment on 22.03.2011, laying the foundation for our claim of parity in pension. Basing on these orders Dada could pressurise Sri Pranab Mukherjee, the then Finance Minister to sign the file extending pension parity in principle to RRBs. EXCEPT AIRRBEA, WE CHALLENGE NO BODY HAD IOTA OF ROLE IN THESE ACHIEVEMENTS.
We have deputed our legal team and engaged a Senior Advocate even in Rajasthan High Court, which solely relied on the judgment of Karnataka High Court. We can verify it from the orders of Rajasthan High Court. And finally, Hon'ble Supreme Court simply upheld the Karnataka High Court judgment of 22.03.2011 and in turn upheld the claim of AIRRBEA.
The saga of pension parity firmly proves the AIRRBEA as the only right crusader of entire RRB fraternity.
CELEBRATE DADA'S BIRTH DAY AS JUSTICE DAY
We appeal to all our leaders at Unit Level, State level and Central level to celebrate the coming birth day of our beloved torch bearer – DADA on 7th September 2018 as a JUSTICE DAY, on this jubilant occasion of realising the objects set by him. We have to extensively campaign among all the RRB family members, particularly the young employees on the efforts, sacrifices made by AIRRBEA leadership towards achieving the unimaginable benefit of pension parity in totality.
We have to organise large scale meetings at all Regions, RRB Head Offices and at State capitals to infuse trade union spirits among the young generation. They have to be encouraged to involve in the activities and trained up to shoulder the responsibilities ahead. The youth have to carry forward the flag of AIRRBEA, in the larger interests of RRBs and their employees.
DEVASTATING FLOODS IN KERALA STATE
Kerala state is reeling under severe floods unseen in the last five decades. Whole state is gripped in fear with devastating effect of properties, lively hood and several people lost lives also. It is our utmost duty to extend an helping hand in this time of calamity. We appeal to all our Units / States to generously contribute to affected people, by sending amounts to the account no. 40112101010095 of Kerala Gramin Bank Officers Union, Mallapuram Branch, IFSC - KLGB0040112 , which will be handed over to the needy / CM relief fund by our units at Kerala Gramin Bank.
NABARD SEEKS INFORMATION ON PENSION MATTER FROM ALL RRBS
NABARD letter NO.NB.IDD.RRCBD/655/316(Pension)/2018-19 dated 14.08.2018 on “Discussion on Pension Regulations of Employees of RRBs” , addressed to all RRBs referred the GOI letter dated 07.08.2018, and the meeting held on 13.08.2018, has requested all RRBs to arrange to furnish the information as per annexure by 21.08.2018 positively on top priority basis, copy of which is being sent separately.
With greetings
Comradely yours
S Venkateswar Reddy
(SECRETARY GENERAL-AIRRBEA)