FORSE/ SS/ 0217
Feb 28, 2017
To
Dr. Aruna Sharma, IAS
Secretary, Ministry of Steel,
291, Udyog Bhawan,
New Delhi -110011.
Sub: Request to help SAIL retirees
Ref: Our letter FORSE/ SS/0117 dated Feb 13, 2017
Madam,
We would like to draw your kind attention to the fact that a good 19
days have passed by since we met you in your chamber and we are yet to see a
positive response from SAIL to recognise FORSE and find solution to our long
overdue grievances/ issues as listed in http://tinyurl.com/FORSE-Agenda As we wrote in our previous letter Retirees / Senior Citizens (who
are in 70s & 80s) do not have much time to
live on and wait for implementation of Government OMs issued in 2008/9 wrt
pension/ financial assistance and improved Healthcare services for SAIL
Retirees or internal policy formulation and implementation by SAIL with respect
to the issues mentioned above in an open-ended manner. Such a situation calls
for developing some mechanism for regular formal interaction between SAIL and
FORSE representatives and resolution of the issues strictly in a time bound
manner.
1. To recognize FORSE as a representative Body
of Retirees of SAIL
and to organize SAIL- FORSE meetings at least twice
in a year or earlier if the situation so warrants and formally involve FORSE representatives
for swift and appropriate policy making decisions including pension, gratuity,
mediclaim, etc. (ONGC follows this practice
of regular meetings with their retirees’ representatives). For a better and
efficient working SAIL must provide an office space for FORSE in Kolkata and
the Plants / Units in their locations preferably for free.
2. On the issue of pension we
would like to submit that SAIL and many other PSUs did not have a Pension
Scheme. However, after due consideration to various representations by SCOPE as
also to the recommendation of 2nd PRC
DPE issued different OMs for (a) those retired on or before 31st Dec 2006 (Pre-2007 retirees) and (b) the ones retired on or after
01st January 2007 (post-2006 retirees).
(a) For Pre-2007 retirees: After considering a lot of
representations,discussion points and appeals, the
DPE issued an OM in July 2009 asking Maharatna PSUs incl. SAIL to create a
corpus from 1.5 % of their Profit Before Tax (PBT) for
post- retirement benefits for this group. SCOPE reiterated and recommended
(vide letter dt. 21.02.2011) to prepare a post retirement benefit schemes for
pre-2007 retirees which may include financial benefits like Pension, monthly
income and fixed emergency support like ex-gratia payment etc. in addition to
Health care facilities. SAIL refused to follow the DPE OMs in this regard for all
the wrong reasons. Our innumerable request to SAIL for a meeting as well as for
preparing a Scheme under OMs ended in silence on the other side for over seven
years. A formal response by SAIL dated 09th March 2012 to an
RTI application is attached herewith for your kind and quick reference. As it
can be seen in point 1 and 3 SAIL has provided with reply without logic and
reason as to why they could not formulate and implement a Scheme with a corpus
with 1.5% PBT. The reply is not wrt the target group of retirees to whom the
referred OMs specifically refer and they have given data for all retirees.
Whatever they have described as “being extended” are only statutory facilities
and was and is a part of service condition of the SAIL employees, like those of
other Maharatna PSUs as well, for long. SAIL has kept mum all through on the
issue as to why DPE issued the OMs if SAIL Retirees did not need financial and
healthcare support.
This set of retirees (who
are in 70s & 80s)
about 22000 in numbers exist today in real miserable condition and some
of them in much worse condition than those in BPL category and who are yet in
suspense for over 7 years on formulation and implementation of the Pension and
other benefit schemes when SAIL maintains total silence all through. The
retirement benefits received by them were very meagre. For instance maximum
gratuity was only Rs. 0.5 lakhs till 1993, Rs.1.0 Lakhs till 1997 & Rs. 3.5
lakhs till 2007. All these Retirees live shoulder-to-shoulder with post-2007
retirees trying to make both ends meet with amounts received long time
back.
(b) For post-2006 retirees: On the issue of Pension
for the employees retired on or after 01st Jan 2007 we are
informally given to understand that Pension Scheme has been approved by SAIL
BOD on 09th Feb 2017. However, it differentiates between Executives
and non-Executives wrt dates of implementation and quantum of pension. In all
fairness FORSE representatives must be included to participate in its
implementation.
3. Healthcare / Mediclaim Schemes: SAIL Mediclaim Policy taken through Insurance Co and operated
through a TPA has miserably failed to satisfy the Retirees needs, the reason
being that out of the three essential components for medical cure - Doctor’s knowledge
& wisdom, patient’s metabolism & physiology and financial support -
SAIL personnel deal only with the financial support aspect of the issue, that
too, only in a partial way with large number of cappings. Since SAIL personnel,
entrusted with the job of fixing the Scheme, the Insurance Co. and the TPA,
have no experience of the quality of medical attention required they fail to
impress upon the concerned Insurance Company and the TPA to improve their
performance. Adding to this the
financial contribution made to the tune of about 30% on an average by the Retirees to SAIL Mediclaim Scheme
and the amount being spent by SAIL and the Retirees not reaching and
benefitting fully the target group SAIL Management
must compulsorily involve and include FORSE representatives in finalisation and
operation of the Scheme. In view of this SAIL should be persuaded
I. To increase OPD
coverage of Rs.20,000/-per annum jointly
in respect of retired employee and spouse on floater basis.
II. To raise
the upper limit to Rs. 4 lacs for Cashless
treatment/ IPD reimbursement for each member under floating (combining) facilities
and withdrawal of all capping.
III. To finalise a long term contract for 5 years with Insurance
Company and the TPA so that the hassle of inviting tenders, finalizing etc
every year (which leads to uncalled for delay and inefficient operation) can be
avoided.
IV. To pay total subscription for renewal of mediclaim
membership, to make permanent I-card by
SAIL, to complete negotiations and settling of terms and conditions with
Insurance Co. and the TPA by March in the pre-fixed year and to issue Guidebook
etc by mid-April.
V. Renewal of lapsed/ discontinued mediclaim: Anytime
and every time with a nominal charge.
4. Creation of an exclusive Corporate level Nodal Office
for handling Retirees welfare/ issues: As per the existing arrangement SAIL
personnel are assigned the job of looking after Retirees issues/ grievances/
problems and planning and execution of welfare schemes on part time basis which
is quite insufficient and ends up with highly inefficient performance and
output. It leads to cropping up of more and more problems by the day. Since
almost 90 % of the policy making and execution related to Retirees welfare and
grievances need handling and resolution at the Corporate level a full-fledged Nodal
office with full timers should be created at the SAIL Corporate level.
With this in view we request you once again to kindly impress
upon SAIL Management to recognise FORSE and
invite its representatives for a formal discussion to find solution to the long
overdue major issues explained above.
With warm regards,
Yours faithfully,
For & on behalf of Federation
of Retired SAIL Employees
(V.N.Sharma)
Chairman
Encl: SAIL response to RTI can be seen in https://saileea.blogspot.in/2017/01/financials-of-sail-upto-2014-15.html
.......................End....................
FORSE/ SS/0117
Feb 13, 2017
To
Dr. Aruna Sharma, IAS
Secretary, Ministry of Steel,
291, Udyog Bhawan,
New Delhi-110011.
Sub: Request to help SAIL retirees
Ref: Our meeting with you in your chamber on 09th Feb 2017
Madam,
We express our deep gratitude and thanks for sparing your valuable time for us on 09th February (A.N.) 2017 to find solution to our long overdue grievances/ issues like recognition to FORSE, pension/financial assistance and improved Healthcare services for SAIL Retirees.
In conclusion a major issue – an urgent meeting with SAIL Chairman to discuss and resolve the grievances/ demands of the SAIL retirees- was felt necessary as the need of the hour. As it stands Retirees / Senior Citizens do not have much time to live on and wait for implementation of Government OMs or internal policy formulation and implementation by SAIL with respect to the issues mentioned above in an open ended manner.
In view of your assurance this is to request you to kindly help us get recognition and invitation for an urgent meeting with SAIL Chairman followed by regular six-monthly meetings with him to resolve the issues. It may please be noted that we have already requested SAIL Chairman this morning to arrange for a meeting with us at an early date as per his convenience. We expect that your efforts will bear fruit for the benefit of SAIL retirees.
We hope and believe that your help and support will be available to us in future also especially when some complex issue requires clarification/ intervention of the Government.
With warm regards,
Yours faithfully,
For & on behalf of Federation of Retired SAIL Employees
(V.N.Sharma)
Chairman
With warm regards,
--
For & on behalf of Federation of Retired SAIL Employees (Regd)
Dr.V.N.Sharma, Chairman
Ph: 9431102680; 9470117056; 9831322560,
