AIPRPA CMC HELD ON 13.09.2020

 

CMC Meeting Decisions on 13.09.2020

The Central Managing Committee of AIPRPA has met today in the video conference under the presidentship of CHQ President Comrade D.K.Rahate. CHQ Advisor Comrade C.C.Pillai (Ex-SG NFPE) was present throughout the meeting and addressed us to guide the meeting. The meeting started after paying homage to all departed Comrades of our front and service organizations as well as other areas including the personalities of political and various other fields. The level of participation was around 17 comrades and the absence of other comrades caused a gap in understanding the correct picture of organizational structure. The absence of States like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi, Uttarpradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Telangana in the meeting today has been felt by all.

Two items of agenda alone were concentrated in the meeting today. They are (1) Organizing TUI Pensioners and Retirees call on 1^st October; and (2) Organizational tasks in AIPRPA in all States.

The discussion started with the General Secretary Comrade K.Ragavendran initiating debate on the agenda items. Comrade M.Krishnan Executive Member (Ex-SG Confederation & NFPE) suggested various methods to build the organization in all States and Districts. Except one or two States (due to technical problems) all could join the debate and contribute. Many State General Secretaries presented a detailed picture of AIPRAP organization in their states. The following decisions emerged mainly:

1.    1. NCCPA will be approached to carry forward the struggle against the freezing the DA/DR as a follow up to the Email Campaign conducted by it.

 

2.   2. Decided to hold the TUI Pensioners & Retirees international call to observe 1.10.2020 as “World Day for the Elderly or Pensioners and Retirees” befittingly in all States and Districts. AIPRPA will take the initiative to join with other organizations of pensioners in successfully implementing the programme.

 

3.     3. CHQ is authorised to chalk out a suitable programme on three issues of importance to Postal Pensioners, viz., (1) Implementation of higher pay scale to Postman/Mailguard including the TBOP and BCR levels of that cadre w.e.f., 1.1.1996 as per DoP Orders; (2) Implementation of orders of DoP for calculating the period of induction training for TBOP/BCR purposes without demanding training certificates from the eligible pensioners, and (3) Solutions to all important Medical problems of CGHS and non-CGHS Pensioners. This Programme will be chalked out by the CHQ after giving a gap from the 1^st October programme but during the month of October itself.

 

4.     4. CHQ is authorised to appoint adhoc State Conveners for the States where we have no functioning State Associations at present. These State Coveners will be given responsibility to select suitable persons from the divisions to work as Adhoc Conveners. Formation of a regular body in the districts / divisions will be taken up after the corona pandemic subsided.

 

5.     5. State General Secretaries are authorised to select suitable comrades to take up the responsibility as the Adhoc Conveners of the Districts / Divisions where at present we don’t have a functioning branch. These Adhoc Conveners will function as the AIPRPA and form regular body in those districts/divisions after the pandemic is subsided.

 

6.     6 State  General Secretaries will guide all the districts / divisions to form and run a whatsapp group comprising of the office bearers and members of the particular division or district to keep the information passed on to all members during this corona time when traditional methods cannot be used. State General Secretaries will be included one of the Administrator Members by the District / Divisional Secretary in all the whatsapp groups at the district / divisional level.

 

7.     7. State General Secretaries will form one state level whatsapp group with all the Office Bearers of the State Association and the District / Divisional Secretaries only for the purpose of communication. The General Secretary shall be included as one of the Administrator Members in this group by the State General Secretaries so that the CHQ can interact with the States.

 

8.    8.  All State General Secretaries will send an email to the CHQ containing the replies on the position of AIPRPA organization on the lines of the questionnaire already circulated in the social media platforms before the CMC Meeting. Based on the emails the CHQ will compile and prepare a comprehensive report on ORGANIZATION and circulate to all CMC Members by email.

 

9.     9. The Meeting unanimously authorised the General Secretary to purchase a new laptop for the functioning of CHQ and Pensioners Post.

 

1   10. The Meeting resolved to speed up the quota remittance to CHQ and State by the Districts / Divisions for the current Financial Year of 2020-21 and any balance of last financial year 2019-20. The District / Divisional Secretaries are requested to check their accounts and intimate the CHQ so that the 30 Receipts of Quota remittance sent to CHQ during 2018, 2019, and 2020 till March 31^st are linked properly and dispatched.

 

 

Observe 1st October World Pensioners Day Befittingly - TUI Call endorsed by NCCPA

 NCCPA CIRCULAR 

TUI (Pensioners & Retirees) Circular

NATIONAL CO-ORDINATION COMMITTEE

OF PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS..

Website: nccpahq.blogspot.in.

E mail: nccpahq@gmail.com.

13.c Feroze Shah Road, - New Delhi. 110 001

 

PRESIDENT:       COM.SHIV GOPAL MISHRA.(97176 47594)

SECy. GENERAL:          COM.K.K.N.KUTTY. (98110 483030)

Dated: 10th September, 2020

To

All the affiliates, State Committees, CGPAs, State Cocs.

 

Dear Comrades,

 

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR OLDER PERSONS.

OCTOBER IST.

OR DAY OF ELDERLY.

 

We send herewith the circular letter from the General Secretary, TUI (Pensioners and Retirees) of the World Federation of Trade Unions written in connection with the observance of International day for older persons . Throughout the world the retirees and pensioners observe Ist October as  a day of solidarity with all those who fight against exploitation.  It is also to express solidarity with all old people to ensure that the well-being of senior citizens is the responsibility of the society.  To have a decent standard of living and well looked-after old age is considered an inalienable human right.   Unfortunately few countries and fewer governments have recognised this  right of the old people. The welfare society concept in fact came into being in the capitalist society to ward off the threat from the socialist ideology which was pervading in a major segments of the world in the beginning of the 20^th Century.  Now that they could obliterate that threat by foul machinations,  In most of the countries the senior citizens are driven to a wretched life.  The world is now fed with the eulogy of free market, global economy, higher GDP growth rate, mega corporates, super profits and the consequent tickle down effect to serve the people and rescue from the misery and agony.  The greater the inequality , prosperous the country is the new propounded theory.  In our own country, social security and pension payment was considered a drain on the economy and a wasteful expenditure.  The next generation civil servants in the country shall live their retired life in uncertainty and penury as even their hard earned income would have been gobbled up by the so called mega corporations with the tacit help rendered by a Government elected by the same people in the hope that it will look after them. 

 It was the avalanche of the renewed idea of exploitation that has compelled many countries to make a relook into their social security system and ensure its demolition as has happened in our own country.  They are mocking at the person who made the chair in which the ruler is today sitting.  Observance of this day is to rededicate ourselves to the cause of a struggle to bring in a society sans exploitation; to have a better evening in the life of a human being and a non-dependent existence. 

 The world Federation of Trade Unions and the Trade Union International ( P&R)  have called upon us  to observe Ist October, 2020 in an appropriate manner. Not forgetting that we are in the midst of a deadly disease called corona virus covid 19 pandemic, we call upon our affiliates, State CoCs CGPAs and our members to organise demonstration by holding the placard, (specimen depicted hereunder) at-least for an hour. We know that this is a small step in the direction of the realisation of our dream – a world sans exploitation- but we are confident from our own experience that our small steps early in our life has enabled us to leap into giant strides. 

 With greetings,

 Yours fraternally,

K.K.N. KUTTY

Secretary General. 

Trade Union International Circular

THE TUI OF P&R

PREPARES THE ACTIONS FOR OCTOBER 1^st, INTERNATIONAL DAY OF STRUGGLE

FOR THE RIGHTS OF PENSIONERS AND RETIRED PERSONS (P&R)

 

October 1^st was established by the UN as International Day of Older Persons, or also Day of the Elderly. Since the creation of the International Union of Trade Unions (TUI) of Pensioners and Retirees of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), this date has become a world day to fight against exploitation, due to the requirement to defend the rights of pensioners and retirees, for a decent life based on the wealth that the working class produces every day with its work.

 Once again, from the WFTU TUI of the WFTU, we call all our organizations and friendly organizations to action, in order to make next October 1^st a day of vindication and fight for the rights of those who have already reached retirement and for the right to worthily retire for those who have not yet reached this stage of life, whether their activity has been carried out in the formal economy or in the informal economy.

It is an inalienable human right that, after a life of work, people of working class and popular extraction can leave their habitual activity and live with dignity. We qualify a decent life as one in which, thanks to the retirement pension or the income to which one is entitled, sufficient resources are available, such as habitable housing, drinking water, healthy food and health care, culture, leisure and free, quality public commuter transportation. Today there is enough wealth on the planet for all this; it is only enough to distribute it fairly, instead of spending it in imperialist wars.

 However, the reality is very different and many people who should have reached retirement must continue working because they do not have access to a sufficient pension, while many of those who have retired cannot have a decent life, a situation that worsens in the case of those who have been unemployed for a time or have worked all or part of their lives in the underground economy or in caring for other people, something that especially affects women.

The real and fundamental cause is the capitalist, unfair and exploitative mode of production, strengthened after the temporary defeat of the socialist countries. Currently, the capitalist governments are promoting new anti-worker measures, against pensioners, the working class and the people. In general, the working life is extended, the years of contribution are increased to be entitled to a pension and the amount received is decreased, all with the final objective of privatizing pensions and converting into another business for financial capital, what should be a universal right. That is the meaning of the existence and extension of the Pension Fund Administration entities (AFP) in numerous countries and the approval, by the European Union, of the so-called European Personal Pension Plan (PEPP), which as TUIof P&Rof the WFTU We have denounced (in Europe the First European Action of the P&R was held on June 17).

 In the name of capitalist competitiveness, retired people and pensioners around the world experience the worsening of their living conditions and those of their descendants, while social goods are commercialized and bloody conflicts and wars are promoted (with money from all citizens) imperialists.

 Against all this, we call for coordinated international action on October 1. We will fight with unity and common action as the working class, the people and those who suffer capitalist exploitation, for our immediate objectives, but always with the perspective of a society without exploitation, oppression, poverty, war or calamities.

 Every October 1^st we will demand that a decent job is guaranteed for all people, adapted to their abilities, that allows them to live with dignity and generate a decent pension or, if this fails, that the state budgets assign them a decent pension. without the humiliating adjective of "non-contributory".

Every October 1^st we will go out to the streets to approve, in the laws and constitutions of the countries, the obligation of the states to ensure, through public budgets, pensions that allow all people to retire from their jobs and live worthily.

LONG LIVE THE FIGHT DAY OF OCTOBER 1^st!

LET'S ALL PARTICIPATE IN IT!

July 2,020

TUI (International Union of Trade Unions) of Pensioners and Retirees (P&R) of the WFTU.

LIFE CERTIFICATE BY PENSIONERS

 

AIPRPA CHQ Emails to the Secretary Pension Ministry requesting to waive submission of Life Certificates this year. The copy of the Email is as under - KR GS AIPRPA

No.AIPRPA/Life Certificate /2020 Dated 07.09.2020

To

The Secretary

Department of Pension & Pension Welfare

New Delhi – 110003

 

Sir,

 

Sub: Request for waiving submission of Life Certificate for the year 2020 - regarding.

This All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association wishes to emphasize the fact that the current trend of spread of COVID-19 in India indicates the fact that there is no possibility of an end of pandemic in the near future and definitely not in this year. The Pensioners being the vulnerable sections of population are to remain much more careful and avoid venturing out as per the recommendations of the Government and ICMR. Therefore it is not prudent to ask the pensioners to go to banks and post offices or any other centres for either submission of life certificates or recording digital life certificates before November 2020 to ensure uninterrupted pension payment from December 2020.

Moreover the condition is serious to expect volunteers to take up the job of collecting digital life certificates by carrying iris scanners to the houses of pensioners and it is also not safe to allow any outsider into the houses for the job also at present.  

In these circumstances, this Association will be highly grateful for the Government and the Pension Ministry for the act of waiving submission of life certificates by Pensioners for the year 2020 and for ordering postponement till the return of normalcy or at least up to 31^st March, 2021.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

K.Ragavendran

General Secretary

Act with seriousness!

State GS comrades!  

  

Please remember that our next month 2nd Sunday Video Conference of AIPRPA CHQ CMC will be on organisation!           

Kindly start collecting figures on points as below:   

(1) Number of Districts / Divisions formed so far;
(2) Actual Membership in each division;
(3) Number of Districts not yet covered by formation of AIPRPA so far;
(4) Plans to form AIPRPA in those areas;
(5) Quota due to CHQ / States by branches;
(6) Names of District / Divisional Secretaries not yet included in AIPRPA District Secretaries WhatsApp group so far;
(7) Method of regular contact with existing Branches; and
(8) Participation or otherwise in CHQ calls.                       

Please start collecting figures from now itself as it will not be easy to collect all information desired! 
 - KR GS AIPRPA -

TUI (P&R) on Domestic Workers plight!

THE SITUATION OF DOMESTIC WORKERS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC WORLDWIDE

14 Aug 2020

The World Federation of Trade Unions follows with concern the developments in the life and work of domestic workers around the world. Domestic workers face extremely negative and difficult working conditions that worsened during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

According to the ILO, there are 67 million domestic workers worldwide and 80% of them are women. They often work without a contract, which means that they lose necessary working rights and have no legal protection. They are vulnerable to non-payment of wages and layoffs that were widespread during the Pandemic.

In Argentina the percentage of domestic workers working in informal work is 70%, while only 33% of those who have a contract received full pay while not going to work due to the Pandemic. The rest would not be paid if they did not go to work because of the Coronavirus, so they were forced to go at the risk of their health but also without the necessary license during the lockdown.

Likewise in Ecuador, there are no contracts and 85% of domestic workers were laid off during the first months of the pandemic. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the first death from COVID-19 was that of a 63-year-old domestic worker who got infected from her boss after he returned from a trip to Italy. It is estimated that there are 6.1 million domestic workers in Brazil, while only 4% of them are organized in their union.

The situation is bleak in all parts of the world, for example in Indonesia where there are 4.2 million domestic workers, a survey found that they received only 20-30% of their country’s minimum wage. In the Middle East, there are 2.1 million domestic workers who are migrants from Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Kenya and Ethiopia, where, according to ILO reports, many times are not paid at all for their work. In the Gulf countries, their bosses hold their visas and they cannot change bosses without their permission. In other countries, such as Tunisia, domestic workers say they were the first to be fired, while in Hong Kong and Singapore the law requires them to stay with their employers, so during the Pandemic they could not stay anywhere even on their leave days, due to the lockdown.

In Europe the exploitation is also very big, with terrorism, dismissals, sexual violence.

All of the above highlights the seriousness of the situation for domestic workers, the vast majority of whom work in informal work, they are paid peanuts, they work inside the houses of their employers doing heavy and unhealthy work, unprotected from any kind of violation.

The unions must intensify their action and take new initiatives to protect and improve the working conditions of these workers, demanding immediate support measures for those laid off during the Pandemic, work with rights for all domestic workers.

We invite all domestic workers to join their unions! Only the organized struggle will provide solutions, so we need active participation in the trade unions, trade unions with class-oriented line and militant struggle!

74th Independence Day

India is entering into its 74th year of Independence. After that except for a brief period of 18 months between 1975-1977, we never abandoned the Democratic path but for intermittent individual occasions. But there is step by step attack and weakening of democracy and constitutional institutions in recent years. We hope the Democracy will be preserved by the general awakening and intervention by people in time!

Long live Indian Independence!
Long live our Democracy!
- KR GS AIPRPA-

NCCPA LETTER TO STAFF SIDE SECRETARY ON CGHS RELATED ISSUES

NCCPA WRITES TO JCM STAFF SIDE SECRETARY ON CGHS FOR ONWARD TRANSMISSION TO HEALTH SECRETARY

After discussion in the National Executive of NCCPA through Video Conference and based on consultations within AIRPA CMC Members, we addressed a letter to NCCPA SG on CGHS related issues.

Now, the Secretary General NCCPA has preferred the following letter to JCM Staff Side Secretary / NCCPA President for onward transmission to Health Secretary GOI

NATIONAL CO-ORDINATION COMMITTEE

OF PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS..

Website: nccpahq.blogspot.in.

E mail: nccpahq@gmail.com.

13.c Feroze Shah Road,

 New Delhi. 110 001

PRESIDENT:       COM.SHIV GOPAL MISHRA.(97176 47594)

SECY.GENERAL:          COM.K.K.N.KUTTY. (98110 483030)

Dated: 10th August, 2020

Dear Comrade,

                Kindly refer to the discussions, we had at the NE meting of the NCCPA, which  you presided over.  On the basis of the feed back, I have prepared a draft letter to be sent to the Secretary, Pension, GOI, New Delhi.  I am sending the same along with.  Kindly go through the same and send the letter to the  Secretary if you find it alright. 

                With greetings,

Yours fraternally,

K.K.N. Kutty

Secretary General.

 (Draft letter)

To

The Secretary, Health

Government of India,

Sardar Patel Bhawan,

New Delhi. 110 001

Dear Sir,

 Sub: Problems and difficulties encountered by the beneficiaries of Central Government Health Scheme.

                We detail hereunder certain issues pertaining to the difficulties encountered by the beneficiaries of CGHS both the pensioners and the working employees.   We solicit your kind attention to the minutes of the last meeting, the JCM Staff Side had with your predecessor when some of the issues were discussed.  It was agreed that the periodical meeting to resolve the problems of beneficiaries of CHGS would be convened to subject these maters to discussion and resolution thereof.  We shall be grateful if such a meeting is convened as early as possible so that these issues along with the pending matters could  be discussed and amicable settlement reached. 

1.       Consultation with Specialists:

Many beneficiaries, mostly the pensioners, require constant consultation with the specialists, especially those requiring treatment from cardiologists, Urologists, Nephrologists, Ophthalmologists, Paediatrician, Gynaecologists etc.  Except on the initial occasion, a reference from the doctors of the concerned dispensaries may be dispensed with.  They may be allowed to have direct consultation with the specialists from the empanelled lists.  The beneficiaries may also be allowed to seek consultation with the specialists from their private clinics and consultation rooms.

2.       Private hospitals are recognised for in-patient treatment for the benefit of the CGEs working in non-CGHS localities.  These hospitals may be recognised for in- patient treatment of CGHS beneficiaries on the basis of a pre determined charges.

3.       The treatment of Covid-19 patients in Private hospitals are now permitted.  It is stated that the concerned State Governments  must in consultation with the Private Hospital Associations, fix the charges for various treatments connected with Covid-19.  While some of the State Government have done this, many are yet to enter into such agreements. Wherever, such agreements are not entered, the CGHS beneficiaries are made to suffer. The private hospitals charge exhorbitantly  and the Government has decided to reimburse only at the rate agreed upon by the State Government or What the Delhi Govt. Has stipulated.  The employees and pensioners should not be made to suffer on account of the non adherence of the instructions and directives of the Government of India by the private hospitals  especially in the pandemic situation.  The Government  has to arm itself with  the powers  even to close down such hospitals which do not abide by the directive of the Government or else the beneficiaries be reimbursed with the full amount they had paid to the private hospitals.

4.       Many pensioner beneficiaries have complained of the inordinate delay in settling the bills submitted for reimbursement.   It is requested that the Government must fix a time frame say one month  for scrutiny and payment of the bills.  Any delay beyond the stipulated period must bear interest to be recovered from the person responsible for the delay.

5.       In many CGHS dispensaries, the services of a Gynaecologist is seldom available.  It is appreciated that it might not be possible at all time.  In such cases, our suggestion is that the Government should recognise a panel of Gynaecologists  in such towns.  The beneficiaries may be permitted to have consultation with them by payment of the prescribed fees, which might be reimbursed. 

6.       The CGHS took over the Postal dispensaries . However, there is acute shortage of staff in these dispensaries.  The shortage threatens the very functioning of these units.  It is requested that the concerned Addl. Directors may be permitted to recruit personnel on temporary basis till permanent arrangements are made. 

7.       The North Eastern Region is a far flung area with difficult terrain with little travel and communication facilities. To cater to the requirement of the pensioners and employees of this vast region, presently there is only one CGHS centre located at Guwahati.  Taking into account the very peculiar situation in this region, the Government may kindly consider setting up dispensaries or CGHS centres in all the State capitals of the NE Region.

8.       The number of units  under CGHS which practices the alternate medical systems, viz. Ayurveda, Homeopathy, unani etc. Is very few.  Of late the people have started evincing confidence in the alternate medical system.  Some of the medicines prescribed under those systems have been found to be very effective in curing certain chronic diseases.   It is, therefore, requested that more and more units under the alternate medical system is opened at CGHS centres. It is also  reported that certain medical preparations are available in the alternate  medical system, which boosts the immunity system.  The veracity of this may please be enquired and if found to be appropriate, the Doctors may be allowed to prescribe those remedies in the treatment of Covid19.

9.       In the State of Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh and in certain other States too, there are no offices of the Additional Directors.  The absence of an Additional Director creates  difficulties to the beneficiaries, especially the pensioners. We request that a policy decision may be taken to have the office of the Additional Director CGHS at all State Capitals.

10.   The wellness centre at Vijayawada, in Andhra Pradesh is presently located in a building owned by the City Corporation.   As part of the renovation exercise,  the space occupied by the CGHS dispensary has become unfit for its functioning.   There is no water supply  and the washrooms are demolished.  The Centre has to be shifted at-least temporarily  and the Pensioners Association at Vijayawada has suggested to shift the dispensary to the vacant BSNL. Quarters.  We request you to kindly direct the concerned Additional Director to make arrangements for the shifting of the dispensary. 

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

Shiv Gopal Misra,

Secretary Staff Side JCM.