Retired ONGC personnel warn of hunger strike

Dehra Dun, May 23 (UNI) Retired sexagenarians of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) today warned to go on hunger strike, if the company's management fails to spare time for a meeting with them to sort out their long pending problems relating to pension, gratuity and ex-gratia scheme.

''Since four years we had been insisting the ONGC management to hold meeting and listen to our grievances, but to no avail. Hence, we are forced to take such an extreme step,'' said Chairman of All India Retired ONGC Oficers and Employees Association N K Dutta here.

Addressing the media Mr Dutta said, the Government had implemented Employees Pension Scheme (EPS) in the year 1995, ending the Family Pension Scheme. Due to legal proceedings, the scheme was implemented by ONGC only after 10 years in 2005.

By that time many ONGC staffs retired and they have been kept out of the ambit of the EPS citing that only those who were under Family pension scheme and were member of Provident Fund were entitled for the EPS. Those members who were only members of PF and not Family Pension Scheme were debarred from the EPS.

Terming it against the law, Mr Dutta said the scheme should be implemented for all retired personnel.

He further alleged that ONGC management has not yet issued orders for the payment of gratuity of Rs 3.5 lakhs with effect from January 1, 1996 to Central government employees.

Mr Dutta informed that benefit of Ex-gratia Scheme implemented with effect from November 1, 1997, was given only to those retired before April 1991. Describing it as a 'step-motherly treatment' towards those retired after April 1991, Mr Dutta demanded that they also should be made the beneficiaries of the scheme.'' We wanted to have discussion on all these issues with the management. But even after pursuing them for a meeting for a long time, there has been no response from their side, which is not a fair treatment to those people who had served ONGC for more than 35 years,'' he said.

UNI XC CS PM1414