BSNL/MTNL PENSIONERS, FIND YOUR FRIENDS:
PENSIONERS, IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR AFFILIATION, SHOULD THINK WHO IS RIGHT AND WHO IS PROTECTING THE INTEREST OF PENSIONERS.
Driven by the past experience in 2007 for pension revision, we wanted a permanent solution and hence demanded 7th CPC fitment factor for pension revision for BSNL IDA pensioners. Our stand was consistent on this issue. Similarly, other pensioners’ organizations have every right to place their demand as per their understanding. Many of the constituents of CBMPA except AIBSNLPWA demanded pension revision @ 15% (3rd PRC recommendation for pay revision for the executives) earlier, but later understood the concept behind the demand of 7th CPC fitment factor. They understood the reality because they are committed to the interests of pensioners only. Now, there is complete unanimity among all the eight constituents of CBMPA on this demand. We are jointly and collectively moving on this issue.
Since we wanted to widen the unity further we appealed to other 3 pensioners’ organizations. AIBSNLREAdid not respond and kept silent.
AIBDPA sys they did not et our email. We did not get any nondelivery report even after ten days. But they saw our proposal. Good. They wrote in their website on 7/8/2019 about the issue.
In the 2nd para they said “We have put forward the demand of pension revision with 15% fitment from 01/01/2017, delinking pay revision………we got our pension revision from 01/01/2007 on IDA scales with 30% fitment, recommended by the 2nd PRC for the pay revision of executives in CPSU. Thus, a precedence is created for future pension revision with the criteria of maximum fitment recommended by the PRC”.
If you quote the precedence, then you have to wait for pay revision and you cannot demand delinking pay revision. Para 2 of DoT OM dated 15/3/2011 (order for pension revision from 1/1/2007) states “The matter regarding revision of pension in respect of BSNL IDA pensioners who retired during the period from 1/10/2000 to 31/12/2006 pursuant to wage revision in BSNL w.e.f. 1/1/2007 had been under consideration of the Government of India.
In para 4 they said “A conversion formula is also formulated to regulate the pension on CDA scales from 01/01/2016 with future dearness allowance on central DR.It will be suicidal to raise such a demand, detrimental to the interests of the pensioners”.
We have not demanded pension on CDA scales from 01/01/2016.They are consciously confusing the pensioners. Our formula is only to convert the existing IDA basic pension as on 01/01/2016 to be brought on par with CDA pension and not CDA scales. Both are different.They have also not explained how our proposal is suicidal and detrimental to the interests of pensioners.
In para 6 they said “Another argument for demanding CDA pension revision is stated to be that there may not be any PRC in future”
We did not say that there may not be any PRC in future.We only said that almost all the absorbed officials would have retired before 2027 and hence by 2027, pay revision or otherwise in BSNL/MTNL would be irrelevant and naturally pension revision cannot be linked to that. So, it is nothing but twisting the facts. They can confuse some of their own members,not others.
In para 7 they said “It should be remembered that the involvement and the struggles by the serving unions is very crucial in the settlement of such a basic demand of pension revision. The continuous struggles including the three days strike by AUAB has compelled the government to delink pension revision from wage revision”.
The fact of the matter is that the government has not yet decided to delink pension revision from wage revision. AUAB had a meeting with the then Minister Sri Manoj Sinha on 3-12-2018. In that meeting officers in DoT reported that they had already referred the matter to DoP&PW seeking permission for delinking. Minister directed the officers to expedite the matter.
The file is still shuttling between DoT & DoP&PW on this question of ‘delinking’, which department is to take a call on this issue is still undecided.