OROP Row: Ex-servicemen may accept government terms: Asian Age News

OROP Row: Ex-servicemen may accept government terms, Final solution you will see in few days,” Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told a television channel.

OROP Row: Ex-servicemen may accept government terms:  Asian Age News

The contentious issue of one rank, one pension controversy may soon be resolved even as the agitating ex-servicemen and the government appeared to have ironed out some major differences on the issue. The defence veterans stated on Wednesday that they may accept revision of pension once in two years instead of one year as demanded by them.



War veteran Maj. Gen. Satbir Singh (Retd) said they have got positive signals from the government for the last few days but stopped short of saying there was a breakthrough.

Maj. Gen. Singh, who has been leading the protest in Jantar Mantar for the last 80 days, said the issue was non-negotiable and both the elements of the OROP concept cannot be interfered. An agreement can be reached once we know what is on the platter (offer by the government), he said, adding effective date of revision must be from April 1, 2014. Independent MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who has been mediating on the issue, said it was time veterans must return home with honour and grace by reaching an early settlement. He urged them to accept the revision of pension every three years.

Meanwhile, not in the best of health yet undeterred, Colonel Pushpendra Singh (Retd) on Wednesday resumed his fast-unto-death demanding prompt implementation of one rank, one pension scheme at Jantar Mantar here hours after he was discharged from the Army hospital. Colonel Singh, one of the ex-servicemen fasting in demand of the immediate implementation of the OROP scheme, was hospitalised Monday last — the ninth day of his fast after his medical report showed increased ketone levels.

Colonel Singh was admitted to the ICU of Army Hospital Research and Referral, from where he was discharged on Wednesday. Hours later, he returned to the protest site to join his fellow ex-servicemen, whose agitation entered the 80th day on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the government today refrained from setting a timeline for resolving the OROP issue but said it is committed to implementing the promise, expressing confidence that a solution “acceptable to all” will be found “very soon”.

“We will deliver OROP sooner than later to the satisfaction of all. We will do what is justifiable, what is convincing. After all, we are doing justice to society as a whole. I am not a jyotishi (astrologer) to tell you the exact date.

Final solution you will see in few days,” Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told a television channel.

Read at Asian Age

List of Authorities empowered to issue caste/community certificates – Dopt Order issued on 3.9.2015

List of Authorities empowered to issue caste/community certificates Information on the complete list — regarding

F. No. 36028/1/2014-Estt.(Res.)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Department of Personnel & Training
Establishment (Reservation-I) Section

North Block, New Delhi
Dated September 3, 2015

To
The Chief Secretaries of all the
State Governments/ Union Territories

Subject: List of Authorities empowered to issue caste/community certificates Information on the complete list — regarding

Madam/ Sir
As you are aware, the Government of India has issued instructions vide Office Memorandum No. 36012/22/93-Estt.(SCT) dated 15.11.1993 and Office Memorandum No. 36012/6/88-Estt.(SCT) dated 24.04.1990 prescribing the following authoritie’s who are competent to issue caste certificates for the members belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) category:

(i) District Magistrate/Additional District Magistrate/Collector Deputy Commissioner/ Additional Deputy Commissioner / 1 st Class Stipendary Magistrate/ Sub Divisional Magistrate/ Taluka Magistrate/Executive Magistrate/Extra Assistant Commissioner,

(ii) Chief Presidency Magistrate/Additional Chief Presidency Magistrate/ Presidency Magistrate,

(iii) Revenue Officer not below the tank of Tehsildar and

(iv) Sub-Divisional Officer of the area where the candidate and/or his family normally resides.

2. It has come to the notice of the Government that in some States, offices/ officers, other than those prescribed above, have been authorized to issue caste/ social status certificates. The complete list of these said new offices/ officers is not available centrally.

3. It is, therefore, requested that the list of officers/offices authorized by the State Government/ Union Territory to issue caste/ social status certificates, alongwith the copies of the relevant Notifications to that effect, may please be provided to this Department at an early date.

Yours faithfully
(G. Srinivasan)
Deputy Secretary to the Government of India
Tele: 2309 3074

Click to view the order
Source: www.persmin.gov.in

Out of 12 Central Trade Unions, Seven Unions went on strike – PIB Report

Out of 12 Central Trade Unions, Seven Unions went on strike – PIB Report

Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of Labour & Employment

02-September-2015 19:09 IST

Normal Life not Affected by Labour Unions’ Strike

Government Committed to Ensure Welfare of Workers

The impact of the strike call given by some of the Central Trade Unions has not been felt much in the most parts of the country as per information received from all over the country.

The situation remained, by and large, normal and peaceful across the country. Most of the employees attended their offices. Trains, buses, auto rickshaws, lorries plied as usual. There has been minimal effect in banking, coal, major ports & defence production units. The essential services functioned more or less normally.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee constituted by the Prime Minister had held several rounds of meetings with the representatives of Central Trade Unions to discuss their demands. The Government is positive on many of their demands without any pressure and expressed its commitment to ensure the welfare of workers.

Out of 12 Central Trade Unions, two Unions did not join the strike, three Unions remained neutral and seven Unions went on strike. It indicates that the workers want to settle their demands through the dialogue and discussion.

The workers are in agreement with the Government and are looking forward to positive steps taken by the Government on nine of their twelve demands which will be met as per their aspirations.

Source: PIB News

CITU Salutes the Working Class of India for the Historic Strike On 2nd September 2015

CITU Salutes the Working Class of India for the Historic Strike On 2nd September 2015

Press Release

2nd September 2015

CITU Salutes the Working Class of India for the Historic Strike On 2nd September 2015

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions congratulates and salutes the working class of India for the unprecedented and historic strike today against the anti worker, anti people and anti national policies of the BJP led NDA government.

Over 15 crores workers employed in almost all the sectors of the country’s economy covering the organised and unorganised sectors, public and private sectors, the central and state government sectors and the scheme workers participated in this strike. Protest demonstrations, rasta roko and rail roko were held across the country in which thousands of workers participated.

Police was used on the workers in several states. The Trinamool government in West Bengal used the brutal force of its police as well as its goons to physically attack the workers on strike. In fact attack by Trinamool goons to foil the strike started at least three days before the strike date and during this period several processions and meetings for strike campaign in different places in the state were attacked, offices were ransacked and many activists were injured. On the day of the strike, police along with Trinamool goons carried on brutal attacks on the strikers and TU activists throughout the state severely injuring many of the activists including senior leaders. Workers and their leaders were arrested in several places in the state. Police resorted to severe lathi charge and arrests in many other states including Assam, Jammu and Kashmir etc. CITU congratulates the workers, particularly in West Bengal for heroically resisting these attacks and participating in the strike in a massive manner.

In many states, including West Bengal, Kerala, Tripura, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, many districts of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh etc the strike turned into a virtual bandh with road transport and normal activities coming to a grinding halt. The manufacturing activities in several industrial clusters across the country totally stopped due to the strike.

The unprecedented response to the strike reflects the anger and resentment of the workers against the attacks on their working and living conditions and the attempts to deny their basic justifys by amending the labour laws to benefit the national and multinational corporations. It reflects the anger at ignoring their basic demands that were being raised since the last several years. It also reflects the determination of the working class to fight back the nefarious design of the corporate-serving Govt at the centre to impose slavery on them through draconian changes in all labour laws. Through this strike the working class of India has warned the government that it was not going to take lying down the attacks on its basic justifys. It also warned the government that policies that mortgage the country to corporate interests, both foreign and domestic will not be tolerated.

The CITU extends its gratitude to the massive support and solidarity extended to the strike by various sections of the people including kisans, agricultural workers, adivasis etc.

CITU demands the government to scrap all the anti worker amendments to the labour laws and take immediate concrete action on all the demands raised by the joint trade union movement.

It calls upon the working class to further strengthen the unity at the grass root level and be prepared for more intense struggles if the government chooses to continue with its policies.

Issued by,

(TAPAN SEN)
General Secretary

Source: Confederation

Bank Strike today (Sep 2, 2015) – a Massive Success

Bank Strike today (Sep 2, 2015) – a Massive Success

All India Bank Strike called today by All India Bank Employees Association has been a massive success all over the country. In addition to AIBEA, the strike call has been given jointly by AIBOA, BEFI, INEF and INBOC. Unions in LIC, RBI, NABARD, IDBI also joined the strike. All India Co-operative Bank Employees Federation and all the unions in Regional Rural Banks had also given the strike call. All India Bank Deposit Collectors Federation had also given the call to its members to join the strike. Hence the strike was implemented across in all the Banks in Public Sector, Old generation Private Banks, foreign Banks, RRBs, and Co-op. Banks.

Banking operations were fully affected and paralysed in many States and normal banking services could not be fully functional due to the strike. Payments and receipts of cash in the counters was affected and even clearing of cheques could not be conducted in many centres. Inter-branch cash remittances, remittances of cash to and from currency chest were totally affected. More than five lacs of bank employees and officers joined the strike today all over the country. In metro centres, treasury operations, bills negotiations and inter-bank transactions were also affected. Reports reaching us from States and major centres indicate that strike has been total.

12 point Charter of Demands: The strike was called in support of the 12 point charter of demands of the Central Trade Unions including more jobs for the unemployed youth, control of prices of essential commodities, guaranteed minimum wage of Rs. 15,000, removal of ceiling on Bonus and Gratuity, extending maternity leave benefits to all women workers, strengthening social security funds, etc. and against proposed adverse changes in labour laws, easy rules for retrenchment of workers, investment of PF in stock market, making PF and ESI as optional, curbing trade union justifys and collective bargaining, contracting out and outsourcing permanent jobs, replacing regular jobs with Apprentices, etc.

Anti-people economic policies: The strike is to protest against the anti-people economic policies of the BJP/NDA Government. Black money is increasing but no steps are being taken against it. Inflation goes unabated and Government in casual about it. Investment in agriculture and rural sector is declining but Government does not bother about it. All types of concessions are being showered on the corporate and industrial houses. Foreign Direct Investment is being encouraged even core sectors like Defence, Railways and banking and insurance sector. Public Sector is being weakened through more and more disinvestments.

Banking sector: The strike in Banks is also against the proposed banking reform measures like privatisation and globalisation of our Indian banks, merger and consolidation of public sector banks, allowing private companies to start private banks risking the savings of the poor people, foisting private sector Executives to head the public sector banks, privatisation of Regional Rural Banks, threat of closure of urban co-operative banks and Primary Agricultural Co-operative Societies (PACs), dumping all Government schemes on banks without providing adequate number of employees and officers thus forcing heavy work load on the staff. The real problem of increasing bad loans is not being effectively handled by the Government but on the other hand, cores of rupees are being written off from profits of banks. Deliberate and willful default of bank loans should be termed as criminal offence and money recovered but no action is being taken on them.

As on 31-3-2015 there are 7035 cases of willful defaulters involving bad loans of Rs. 58,792 crores. The bad loans in the Banks as on 31-3-2015 has risen to 2,97,000 crores in addition to another Rs.4,03,004 crores of bad loans of 530 corporate companies shown as rescheduled and restructured loans under CDR scheme. Bad loans struck up in top 30 borrowal accounts of PSBS as on 31-3-2015 is Rs. 1,21,162 crores.

Hence to oppose the anti-people economic policies, anti-worker labour reforms and anti-public sector banking reforms, bank unions have gone on strike. We hope that Government will see reason and change their policies. We thank the bank employees all over the country for their massive and enthusiastic support to the strike call.

Source: www.aibea.in