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Air India Collective
ONLINE PETITION FOR RESTORATION OF PENSION OF RETIRED EMPLOYEES OF AIR INDIA
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Shri Narendra Modi Ji,
Hon’ble Prime Minister of India,
South Block, New Delhi –110001.
Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman Ji
Hon'ble Finance Minister
Shri K. Ramamohan Naidu Ji
Hon'ble Civil Aviation Minister
Sub: PETITION TO RESTORE PENSION @40% OF LAST DRAWN PAY AND COMPLAINT AGAINST AIR INDIA PENSION FUNDS LOCKING 30-40 YEARS OF MONTHLY PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS PAID TO PENSION FUND--RETIREES NOT BEING PAID PENSION OR HAVE ACCESS TO PENSION FUND WHEN ALIVE BUT IS PAID BACK TO FAMILY UPON RETIREE’S DEATH
Respected Pradhan Mantri Sahib,
We the AIR INDIA COLLECTIVE is the community of all Air India Retirees who have retired from Air India, Indian Airlines, Vayudoot and subsidiaries who have kept the public airlines afloat for more than seven decades. We, the employees, from Pilots to ground staff, of Air India always served the nation as the second line of Defence during wars, worst of crises, evacuations, calamities, and national emergencies. We all retired employees are compelled to bring to your notice the grave injustice we are suffering due to the misappropriation and systematic plunder of our pension scheme fund, leading to ruining our old age. Despite paying monthly contribution up to 2000/- per month for 30-40 years, our right to pension is being snatched away, we are neither paid pension nor do we have access to funds but when we die, our family will have access to fund.
Background of the Pension Scheme
Under a government directive, Air India and Indian Airlines in the year 1994 established a pension scheme that required employees to contribute a portion of their salary throughout their service. We were assured by Govt that upon retirement, we would be paid pension amounting to 40% of our last drawn salary. This commitment was not merely a benefit or an award; it was a promise that the government made that we relied upon during our decades of dedicated service. Regrettably, some perpetrators in management misappropriated our pension contributions around 1999-2000, to get illegal benefit rather than ensuring the sanctity and sustainability of this sacred old-age pension fund of poor workers. This misappropriation has resulted in a staggering shortfall of crores of rupees, rendering the pension corpus unviable. The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), the pension stakeholder, demanded that the management compensate this shortfall; however, instead of compensating it transparently, the management, in collusion with certain vested interests, played a trick to change the scheme from a Defined Benefit Plan to a Defined Contribution Plan.
Our Grievances
Breach of Trust: We were assured that our contributions would secure a stable pension upon retirement. If opted, continued to pay monthly pension contribution till retirement, the Govt assured us 40% of our last salary on retirement as our pension as a right.
Misappropriation of Contributions: The management’s alleged misappropriation of pension contributions has led to this crisis.
Lack of Transparency: There was complete lack of transparency and a covert secrecy was maintained in the management of the pension scheme fund without proper consultation with airline employees especially 80% of them belonged to categories Peons, Drivers, Loaders, Sweepers, Canteen Asstt, Lead Asstt, Clerks, Ground handlers, Traffic, Operations. Contrarily it was propagated by management that if we continued to pay monthly contributions, we would get pension.
Forcible Deduction of Pension Contributions from Monthly Salaries and Lack of Returns:
Despite our repeated objections, our contributions were forcibly deducted every month. The management was fully aware that if LIC benefitted financially, then it would not report against them and make up for a client’s loss. Otherwise, some people had to compensate for the shortfall and face penal criminal action. Therefore, the management killed two birds with one stone. By financially favouring LIC it ensured that the airline didn’t have to pay the shortfall but instead forcibly deducted monthly contributions from salaries of employees uninterruptedly without sharing the responsibility to pay pensions on their retirement. Under this clandestine ploy the management kept offering false hope to employees that corpus will become viable and we would get pension upon retirement. In fact, the ploy is a ploy; it cannot last forever. Our only hope was trounced when AI was sold to TATA. As a result, employees are left in a situation where the only way to receive any pension deducted from their salary is posthumously, with families receiving benefits only after the employee’s death. AI-IA Self-Contributory Pension Scheme is one EXCEPTIONAL scheme in the world that operates as a pension fund that locks our monthly subscription only to pay back to the family member upon employee’s death ONLY, but does not give monthly pension at the time of employee's retirement as promised. This is a cruel irony, as we are labelled “pensioners” but we are getting between Rs.50 to Rs.900 as monthly pension after paying monthly contributions for Pension of Rs.1500 and 2000 every month for 30-40 years. It is conspiracy that an employee who has paid for a pension fund set up by Govt does not have access during his lifetime and to have access, he has to die first. The pension contribution was forcibly deducted for a lifetime without an option to exit.
We have been systematically looted and perpetrators were harboured by Air India, a government-owned airline together with Life Insurance Corporation LIC, also government owned. We urge you, as the leader of our nation, to remember that we served as Pilots, Crew, Doctors, Engineers, Flight Safety, Technical, and Ground Staff, flew billions of people, paid taxes in trillions of Rupees to Government to run this country but on behalf of Govt we have been robbed of our pension. Kindly take immediate action to restore our pension as promised by the government i.e. monthly pension @40% of last drawn salary. We the senior citizens deserve to be treated with dignity and respect in our retirement years by our state and not to feel cheated, looted of our pension when we need it most for serving the National Carrier with utmost dedication and integrity.
We appeal the Hon’ble Prime Minister to-
Investigate the Misappropriation: Conduct a thorough investigation into the misappropriation of the pension fund by AI & LIC decisions made that led to this state.
Restore Our Pension: Restore pension scheme that guarantees 40% of the last drawn salary, ensuring that all retired employees receive their rightful dues.
Provide Adequate Compensation: Ensure that all retirees receive a pension that reflects their contributions and the promises made to them by the Govt, adjusting for inflation and cost of living increases.
Thank you and we anticipate immediate action.
Yours sincerely,
(DIGITALLY SIGNED ON airindiacollective.org)
(ARUN KUMAR MALHOTRA) (ANAND K. MALIK) (MUNISH GUPTA) (CAPT S.S. PANESAR)
Convenor Co-convenor Co-convenor Co-convenor