Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 1: LIC Class-1 officers today held demonstrations across LIC offices of Jammu & Kashmir in support of their long pending demands.
The protests were held under the banner of Federation of LIC Class-1 Officers’ Association, led by its Secretary Comrade Vijay Khajuria and President Comrade Jatinder Bhat and Northern Zone Insurance Employees’ Association, led by Divisional Secretary, Comrade Pawan Gupta and President- Com Fayaz Ah Gul.
Speaking at DO Cell Jammu before a large gathering, the leaders lambasted the Central Government for not increasing the family pension to 30 percent of Basic pay, in spite of the fact that the LIC Board has already recommended it since more than three years.
“It is the gross injustice to the widows of the deceased employees because all other institutions like Banks, Govt employees are already getting the family pension at rate of 30 percent of basic pay while in LIC widows are getting it at merely 15 percent of Basic pay,” they said.
It was also demanded to scrap the NPS and implement Old Pension Scheme for all, as the OPS gives social security in old age and it is the duty of the Government to provide social security. The demand of updation of pension was also raised forcefully by the demonstration. It was also stressed that, in case of employees appointed on or after 01-04-2010 who are under NPS, the employers’ contribution must be raised to 14 percent from the current rate of 10 percent and this case to increase the contribution to 14 percent has also been pending with the Central Government.
The protesting employees reminded that the wage revision of LIC employees has also been pending since 1st of August 2022. The charter has been submitted with the Management, but no negotiations have started till now,” they said and also emphasised the demand to start the negotiations on wage revision at the earliest. Others who spoke- included Raj Kumar Sharma-, Shreshtha Sharma, Priya Sharma, Dinesh Kumar Sharma, Rajesh Kumar and Raj Kumar and others.