Continuing the discussions of the last round of meeting, today we took up for discussion the cost of rationalisation of special pay, method of calculating the existing cost of pension, accounting the cost of retirement benefits of PF / Pension Optees on account of proposed wage revision, date of effect of pension option settlement, etc. The IBA, after listening to our arguments and viewpoints, informed that these important issues are needed to be discussed in their full Negotiating Committee before reacting to us.

In today’s meeting, we further took up various other issues and service conditions like improvement in LFC, Special Area Allowance, making part time employees on lumpsum wages to 1/3 wages, commencement of LFC from mainland for employees working in Northeast, Andaman / Nicobar, Lakshwadeep etc, improvement in hospitalization scheme, domiciliary treatment of few more ailments, allowing LFC within entitlement while travel abroad, improvement in class of travel for LFC, one more option to change LFC block, improvement in reimbursement of package charges for certain major operations, removal of few anomalies in certain existing provisions etc. IBA was very positive on all these issues.

However, important issues like pension cost, special pay etc are yet to be finalised as mentioned above and hence these matters need further discussions.

Further discussions will continue in the next round of meeting and efforts are on to expedite the settlement.

In the meantime, the exercise of drafting the settlement is also underway