FLASH

Monday, November 23, 2020

PRESS STATEMENT SUPPORTING STRIKE ON 26th

 

NATIONAL COORDINATION COMMITTEE

OF PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS.

13-C Feroze Shah Road,

New Delhi.110 001

Website: www.nccpahq.blogspot.com

Email. nccpahq@gmail.com

 

Dated: 23/11//2020

President: Com. Shiv Gopal Misra,           9717647594

Secretary General: Com. K.K.N. Kutty      9811048303

 

PRESS STATEENT

 

The NCCPA, the apex level organisation of all Pensioners Associations and Federations in the country, conveys their fraternal greetings to the working class including the agricultural workers and Kisans who will be making the one-day general strike on 26.11.2020 a grand historic action.  This strike action despite the serious pandemic situation of corona COVID-19 in the country is expected to elicit the participation of crores of Indian workers, surpassing the earlier record.    The very fact that the strike primarily centres around the demand for the reversal of the ongoing neo liberal economic policies makes it dear to the millions of Indian people, who love this country, who want a self- reliant India to come about.   Every segment of the Indian working class has been targeted by the present Government, the last and fierce being the new labour code.   The method adopted by this Government to get the seal of approval of Rajya Sabha for the new enactment, which takes away the rights, privileges and benefits enjoyed by the workers conferred upon them by the very same Parliament is indicative of the despotic tenor of the governance of the present ruling dispensation.    

 

The 2019 electoral verdict obtained employing the hate agenda and divisive policies is effectively being used to ensure that crony capitalism is the cardinal principle of governance.  Emboldened by that verdict, the Government has been taking various steps which are totally anti labour in content and character.  The Kisans who are supposed to be the backbone of Indian economy has also been attacked leaving with no alternative for them except to tread the path of struggle.  NCCPA notes with great happiness that many Kisan organisations as also the Agricultural workers Union has lent support to this historic struggle and are participating in this historic action.  The coming together of the Kisaans and workers, NCCPA, notes with great satisfaction is bound to be a great harbinger to bring about a real and lasting change in the society.

  

The pensioner community, especially those retired from the Central Government service received the most unanticipated shock when the Government decided to deny the dearness relief to them for 18 months from Ist January, 2020 to 1s July, 2021.  The dearness compensation which was meant to arrest the erosion of the real value of pension has thus been stopped.  Read with the notification recently issued in respect of changing the basket of commodities in the computation of the consumer price index and switching over the base year from 2001 to 2016 one genuinely apprehends whether the DR system will remain or not in future.  The present ruling class had always been opposed to the cost indexed wage system and once the same is denied to the workers, undoubtedly the pensioners will have to follow.  This apart, the reduction of rate of interest   effected on term deposits by the Government has considerably reduced the income of the Pensioners as most of them had chosen to invest their savings and retirement wealth in bank deposits.     The pandemic has made them immobile and the Government has made them virtual prisoners in their own homes. They are unable to make the both ends meet with considerable reduction in their income and the Government has chosen to impose additional burden by denying them the dearness compensation, which they are otherwise entitled.  No special consideration has been given to them   either in terms of finance or in terms of priority in case of hospital treatment.

 

Recently the Central Government has issued an order covering all the employees of Public Sector Enterprises also that their DA will be frozen from 01.10.2020 to 30.06.2021. This is another serious attack. The Government was reluctant initially to extend the benefit of revised pension to the pensioners of autonomous bodies.  Many financial benefits that were provided to them on par with the Central Government employees have been stopped on one pretext or the other.   The revision of pension in the case of BSNL pensioners has been made to pend since 2017.  The pensioners of the BSNL are denied the medical reimbursement, which was in vogue as part of agreement.  The revision of pension entitlement of Bank employees especially those retired from the Punjab National Bank has not taken place for years despite the fact that the Bank holds huge reserves as pension fund.  In the name of amalgamation of banks, these pensioners are denied their legitimate rights. 

 

The large majority of the Central Government pensioners are denied medical facilities who stay in non-CGHS towns and villages.  Those who are affected by the deadly disease of COVID-19 are to incur heavy financial burden, which is not reimbursed by the Government.  Almost all private hospitals without exception charges exorbitantly for treatment of COVID-19 patients.

 

The facility to Senior Citizens granted by the Indian Railways wherein their train fare was reduced by 40% and 50% respectively to gents and ladies had been cancelled in the name of discouraging travel by senior citizens. This is atrocious. Despite many representations from various quarters, the Central Government has not come forward to restore the facility.

 

The NCCPA has already called upon its affiliates and members to organise dharna/demonstration on 25th to express solidarity and support to the working class in the country.  NCCPA fervently feels that the 26th November, 2020 strike will bring to the centre stage of discourse the real issues.  NCCPA salutes the workers in the country for the strenuous efforts undertaken by them to make the 26th November, 2020 a grand success.  NCCPA expresses its solidarity with them unequivocally and expects the future course of action to be more intense, more united and more militant.

 

 

K.K.N. KUTTY

SECRETARY GENERAL.

 

 

 

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

 

Secretariat Resolves to extend Solidarity to Working Class Strike on 26.11.2020

 DECISIONS OF NCCPA SECRETARIAT MEETING HELD ON 02.11.2020

 


NATIONAL COORDINATION COMMITTEE

OF PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS.

13-C Feroze Shah Road,

New Delhi.110 001

Website: www.nccpahq.blogspot.com

Email. nccpahq@gmail.com

 

 

Dated: 03/11/2020

President: Com. Shiv Gopal Mishra,           9717647594

Secretary General:Com. K.K.N. Kutty       9811048303

Dear comrades,

The National Sectt. of the NCCPA met on 2nd November, 2020 through video network at 3.00PM.  The meeting was presided over by the National President, Com. Shiv Gopal Mishra. The meeting was convened to discuss the following agenda:

1.       Support and solidarity action for the one-day general strike call of the Working class;

2.       Any other issue of importance with the permission of the President.

The members who participated in the discussions were unanimous of the opinion that the NCCPA must support the strike action as the anti-worker policy of the Government was responsible for the decision to deny the dearness relief to pensioners for 18 months and the recent one to change the base year for the computation of the Consumer price index.  The meeting noted with concern that there had been no consultation with the trade unions or the employees representatives, when the government takes decision concerning the service matters of the workers.  The meeting also inter alia took note of the serious and unabated spread of corona virus covid 19 in the country and the difficulties to be encountered by the senior citizens.  The consequent decision of the Government to restrict mobility especially of senior citizens have made them to be virtually under house arrest.  Despite the intense desire to be a participant in the struggles, the meeting noted that the imposed restrictions and the non- availability of public transport in certain areas will constrict them from participating in assembly of people.  The genuine apprehension of being a victim of the deadly pandemic was also expressed at the meeting.  Taking all those into account, the meeting decided to call upon its affiliate and state units:

(a)    To organise sit in dharna or demonstration programme on 25.11.2020 with as many number of comrades as could be mobilised in all important urban agglomerations and State capitals and at the end of the programme send the following message to  Ms. Nrmala Seetaraman, Finance Minister, Government of India, North Block, New Delhi through e mail.  Her e mail address is given hereunder:-

 EMail ID: fmo@nic.in                    

Text of the message:

Dear Madam,We support the one-day general strike of the working class in the country and request you to settle the issues they had projected.       

We also request you to kindly concede the following important demands of the pensioners urgently;

(a)    Release the Dearness Relief impounded;

(b)    Implement Option No. 1 of pension fitment formula as third option.

(c)    Reimburse the medical expenses of all pensioners and clear the pending medical bills of   BSNL pensioners;

(d)    Implement the Pension Revision from 01.01.2017 to BSNL Pensioners;

(e)    Revise the pension of PNB Pensioners without further delay;

(f)     Restore the rail travel facilities to senior citizens.

(g)    Sanction Festival Grant of 20,000/- to Pensioners/Family Pensioners.

Those who could not attend the dharna / demonstration programme due to difficulty of travel etc, may send the above message by email to the finance minister on 25th November.

(b)     Ensure that the wall posters, play card etc. are exhibited at the dharma venue depicting that NCCPA support for the one-day general strike on 26th November, 2020

(c)     It was also decided that the NCCPA CHQ will issue a press Statement in support of the strike.  The same will be placed on our website as also conveyed to all affiliates and State Committees through NCCPA WhatsApp Group.

 The demand for festival grant or advance was raised and the President was requested to take up the issue with the Finance Secretary.  Com. President said that the workers have not appreciated the conditions imposed by the Government for the festival advance.  Demanding the advance will amount to acceptance of the same conditions, which would make it worthless. However, he agreed to take up the issue of festival grant for the pensioners as a special case in view of the pandemic. 

Com. V.A. N. Namboodiri, who had to leave the meeting halfway due to technical problems, wanted the NCCPA to ask the Railways to rescind their decision to withdraw the Senior Citizen Facilities.  The NCCPA will forward a resolution in the matter to the Railway Board Chairman. 

The copy of the Press Statement and the resolution demanding restoration of the senior citizen facilities will be sent to you separately.

              With greetings,

             Yours fraternally, 

                    Sd/- 

                K.K.N Kutty

          Secretary General.

 

NCCPA extends Solidarity to 26th November Strike by Working Class!

NATIONAL COORDINATION COMMITTEE OF     PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS 
13-C Feroze Shah Road, New Delhi.110 001 
Website: www.nccpahq.blogspot.com 
Email. nccpahq@gmail.com 
 Dated: 03/11/2020 
President: Com. Shiv Gopal Misra, 9717647594 
Secretary General:Com. K.K.N. Kutty 9811048303 

Dear comrades, 
 
The National Sectt. of the NCCPA met on 2nd November, 2020 through video network at 3.00PM. The meeting was presided over by the National President, Com. Shiv Gopa Misra,. 

The meeting was convened to discuss the following agenda: 

  1. Support and solidarity action for the one day general strike call of the Working class; 
 2. Any other issue of importance with the permission of the President. 

 1. The members who participated in the discussions were unanimous of the opinion that the NCCPA must support the strike action as the anti-worker policy of the Government was resonsibile for the decision to deny the dearness relief to pensioners for 18 months and the recent one to change the base year for the computation of the Consumer price index. The meeting noted with concern that there had been no consultation with the trade unions or the employees representatives, when the government takes decision concerning the service matters of the workers. The meeting also inter alia took note of the serious and unabated spread of corona virus covid 19 in the country and the difficulties to be encountered by the senior citizens. 

 The consequent decision of the Government to restrict mobility especially of senior citizens have made them to be virtually under house arrest. Despite the intense desire to be a participant in the struggles, the meeting noted that the imposed restrictions and the non- availability of public transport in certain areas will constrict them from participating in assembly of people. The genuine apprehension of being a victim of the deadly pandemic was also expressed at the meeting. Taking all those into account, the meeting decided to call upon its affiliate and state units: 

(a) To organise sit in dharna or demonstration programme on 25.11.2020 with as many number of comrades as could be mobilised in all important urban agglomerations and State capitals and at the end of the programme send the following message to Ms. Nirmala Seetharaman, Finance Minister, Government of India, North Block, New Delhi through e mail. 

 Her e mail address is given hereunder:- fmo@nic.in 

 Text of the message: 

Dear Madam, We support the one day general strike of the working class in the country and request you to settle the issues they had projected. We also request you to kindly concede the following important demands of the pensioners urgently; 

(a) Release the Dearness Relief impounded; 
(b) Implement Option No. 1 of pension fitment formula as third option. 
(c) Reimburse the medical expenses of all pensioners and clear the pending medical bills of BSNL pensioners 
(d)Implement the pension revision from 1.1.2017 to BSNL pensioners; 
(e) Revise the pension of PNB Pensioners without further delay; 
(f) Restore the rail travel facilities to senior citizens. 
(g) sanction festival grant of 20,000 to pensioners/family pensioners. 

* Those who could not attend the dharma / demonstration  programme due to difficulty of travel etc, may send the above message by e mail to the finance minister on 25th November 2020 

(b) Ensure that the wall posters, play card etc. are exhibited at the dharma venue depicting that NCCPA support for the one day general strike on 26th November, 2020 

(c) It was also decided that the NCCPA CHQ will issue a press Statement in support of the strike. The same will be placed on our website as also conveyed to all affiliates and State Committees through NCCPA WhatsApp Group. 

The demand for festival grant or advance was raised and the President was requested to take up the issue with the Finance Secretary. Com. President said that the workers have not appreciated the conditions imposed by the Government for the festival advance. Demanding the advance will amount to acceptance of the same conditions, which would make it worthless. However, he agreed to take up the issue of festival grant for the pensioners as a special case in view of the pandemic. 

Com. V.A. N. Namboodiri, who had to leave the meeting halfway due to technical problems wanted the NCCPA to ask the Railways to rescind their decision to withdraw the Senior Citizen Facilities. 

The NCCPA will forward a resolution in the matter to the Railway Board Chairman. 

The copy of the Press Statement and the resolution demanding restoration of the senior citizen facilities will be sent to you separately. 

With greetings, 

 Yours fraternally, 
Sd/-
 K.K.N Kutty 
Secretary General.