Federation of Retired SAIL Employees: Customary New Year Greetings

Dear SAIL Retiree,

I wish you all a very very Happy and Healthier New Year 2017.Though almost each cultural entity in India has its own New Year yet it is customary to follow the Gregorian calendar and greet people mostly at this time of the year without restriction. I am not sure on what strength we, esp the SAIL Retirees/ ex-officio the Senior Citizens, with all that is deaf and dumb around us, can wish for a better Year ahead. We started 2014, 15 and 16 all on a similar Note and ended up with a similar Note- no body in the Govt and nobody in SAIL listening to us and to our woes. Yet we follow the custom and go ahead. Hats off to you all for the courage and keeping high hopes on yourself, your ex-colleagues and friends and external support that may or may not come.

Based on our Sept 2015 decision we stopped approaching the Govt and the Peoples Representative in a hope that newly appointed SAIL Chairman who belonged to SAIL from the beginning of his career to now will surely give us a sympathetic ear.

2016 started with a small hope given by Sri Shitanshu Prasad, the then EDP, Corp Office who offered and met us informally in MTI Ranchi on 2nd Feb. As expected he took note of our problems, assured us that he would revert back after getting the green signal from DP and Chairman. For our bad luck he vanished. We did not hear him after that. I understand that he is no more in Delhi Office now. It was followed by our April 2016 decision to follow up unit-wise Action Plans in June and August. They were conducted successfully and can be seen in the links http://tinyurl.com/FORSE616 & http://tinyurl.com/FORSE816

Then came a tele-call from Sri P.K. Jha of SAIL Chairman's Sectt on 29th June and we got elated with a feeling that now we shall be surely heard. Six months over and the promise by Sri Jha to revert back got to the winds. Our request to SAIL Chairman to spare some time for us during his visits to Plants/ Units or MTI Ranchi has been thoroughly overlooked during all his visits. May look at our communications in http://tinyurl.com/FORSE2SAIL

In view of the hopeless progress made we decided in Sept meeting at Bokaro to pursue with the Govt and the Peoples representatives and also take up the 3rd phase of our Action Plans which is as follows:

1. Nov. 07-15, 2017: Each Unit to go for Aggressive campaigning and publicity of our demands and issues through various Media.

2. Oct-Nov, 2016: Communication through MPs/ Ministers by each Unit to SAIL Chairman and Steel Minister on regular basis.

3. 9th January: Each Unit to hold protest meetings on that day.

4. Feb 05-10, 2017 : 3-day Dharna, Demonstration and Relay Hunger Strike in front of SAIL Corporate Office, New Delhi

As per decision of the Bokaro Meeting an attempt to draw kind attention of the Prime Minister was also made through a letter dated 25th Oct 2016 to help SAIL Retirees and Senior Citizens in the following way. The detailed letter can be seen in http://tinyurl.com/FORSE2PM

“Sir, in view of your recent speech in favour of Senior Citizens/ Elders esp those belonging to higher age groups we felt encouraged once again to reiterate our demand from the Govt. (i) 11% interest on deposits, esp. meant for Sr. Citizens who are without pension, (ii) with provision for tax free exemption for income up to Rs. 6 lakhs, (iii) regular revision against the price rise of essential commodities as done for Govt pensioners.”

Wiser people in the Govt forwarded the letter to SAIL for action who did not find the letter not addressed to them and in stead of returning it to the forwarding office replied in one sentence that there is no proposal of this type. So much for the efficient functioning of the Govt. and SAIL.

In the meantime a letter was also written by us to Justice Sri Satish Chandra (Retd) , Chairman, 3rd Pay Revision Committee for CPSU employees. It can be seen in http://sailex.blogspot.in/2016/10/letter-to-chairman-3rd-prc.html

I understand from informal communications that the TPC has submitted its recommendation but without hearing us.

All said and done, PM dropped a bomb-shell on our expectations through his Address to the Nation on 31st Dec 2016 by offering a new Scheme of 8% return on deposits of Rs.7.5 lakhs for 10 years. I hope we understand it better and the existing SCSS Scheme with 9.3 % return on deposits got curtailed to ever changing return on deposits and now to 8 % with ever rising cost of living.

Following our decision at Bokaro meeting, cutting across party lines we got some support from current MPs who wrote to Hon'ble Steel Minister and SAIL Chairman to recognise FORSE, arrange a meeting with us listen to our woes and resolve the issues. http://sailex.blogspot.in/2016/12/letter-from-mps-to-sail-chairman.html &

http://sailex.blogspot.in/2016/12/letter-from-mps-to-steel-minister.html

We expect some more MPs to write soon for us.

However, preparation to organise the last part of FORSE’s 3rd phase Action Plan, a Dharna / Demonstration in front of SAIL Office, Delhi for 3 days on Feb 07-09, 2017 is in full swing. I invite you all to join in some way or the other. Pl note that neither FORSE has resources nor most of the Associations can sustain the heavy expenses from its own accounts.

I request you to please contribute to it by participating in it - by attending the Delhi programme, arranging stay for a few persons for 3 days in your house or your relatives house, if possible, or by letting us know a cheap transit accommodation and by contributing financially. Pl remember it is just a month left now.

Let's take positive memory of yesteryear and welcome 2017 with same zeal, certitude and energy. Wishing good health and prosperous days ahead. Wishing you and your family once again a Happy 2017.

Note: I am forwarding this Greeting to many of the current employees of SAIL who can see and guage how they will be looked after by SAIL & the Govt. after superannuation.