It is a Day such as this that motivates and Re-energizes the community of people who fall under the broad meaning of ‘Workers’.,,,,

 E circular No.DK/60                                        1-05-2021

Friends,

Reg:  May-day is here …. 

It is a Day sucLh as this that motivates and Re-energizes the community of people who fall under the broad meaning of ‘Workers’. I quote Martin Luther King Jr. who famously said, “No work is insignificant. All labour that uplifts Humanity has Dignity and importance, and should be undertaken with painstaking Excellence”. Much of what we see around us today, by way of improvements in either working conditions of human hired labour, or the Returns thereof, have been achieved only through constant vigil and protracted struggles.

Today we, the Retired Class of Officers of LIC, are again struggling to get fair treatment from the Powers that hold Authority. The Universal message is that unless we stand organized and keep asking for our basic human rights, nothing is bound to flow forth on its own. It is our own unflagging spirit that should bring us results. Our going to the Court for justice is almost a misnomer, as Courts only interpret existing Rules/Law, and if such Rules do not support our just Demands, by virtue of getting outdated by March of Time, Courts cannot go out of their mandated Role, to plead for justice on our behalf.

This is precisely the reason why we have repeatedly gone to great lengths to agitate our matter of Up-gradation of Pension with the Governmental Authorities. Only they can alter the Rules to current requirements of Time, if they can see our Point in terms of comparative justice and fairness, to those who contributed, in their time, to the state of growth now seen in the Organization. We can never substitute methods of struggle, whatever they now mean to us as a retired class, with any other means that can assure us justice.

The case of the 92-93 Retirees, in the 8 month gap period,  is a classic case where a clear judgment by the Supreme Court, in the case of one man who went to Court ( Sri M C Jain),and won his point, was not extended to all others who were similarly placed! Till today, the matter remains hanging, and the Authorities in the LIC, who can see the point as clear as daylight, still keep passing the decision over, till almost the entire affected generation is mostly wiped out of existence! That is why we took up the matter yet again, though on one side the matter still remains in Court.

Friends, we have no update on the special Committee that was reportedly appointed to go into our main demand for up-gradation of Pension along with improvement in Family Pension. We are not even certain that a Committee was indeed appointed for the purpose of going into our matters. Unfortunately, the second wave of Covid has simply taken the wind out of the sails of all other matters and the whole country stands trans-fixed not knowing how to stem this terrible rot. Let us therefore exercise that element of human consideration, to wait for more time, which, unfortunately, many out of us, may not have the luxury to see through. But there is little else that we can do here.

Let us re-vitalize within us the spirit of May-Day now, so that we shall not say quits until our goals are achieved. Long live the spirit of Unity amongst those who work / worked earlier. With Special May-Day Greetings to one and all, and with wishes that all of us remain safe and healthy in these difficult times. 

D.Krishnan

General Secretary