Subject: On Check-Off Issue - 8th May Meeting Record Notes.
From: salil.balan@newindia.co.in
Date: Tue, June 22, 2010 7:20 pm
To: mramadoss@newindia.co.in
Cc: aksinghal55@gmail.com
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To,
 
Shri M.
Ramadoss,
Chairman, GIPSA, 
New
India Assurance Co. Ltd.,
87,
M.G. Road, Fort,
Mumbai-400 001.
 
Respected Sir,
 
Re:       On Check-Off Issue.
 
******
 
This has reference to
the record notes of the last 8th May Meeting. We wish to clarify as
below:

 
To the Notice issued by
then NIA General Manager Personnel vide circular no. CORP: HRM:
GA/SNN/2009 dated 09.04.2009 seeking our observations/suggestions on
Proposed Amendments in the existing Check-Off system of restricting
membership upto Scale IV officers only and debarring Officers in charge of
BO/DO holding office-bearer&rsquo;s post we have strongly conveyed our
opposition to the proposal and totally rejected it. 
Regarding qualifying benchmark to be raised from 20% we have
conveyed the Brochure issued by Ministry of Labour on the guidelines for
Check-Off/Recognition of Associations to be followed. In regard to refusal
to collect the subscription amounts by the Company from the respective
members through salary we have conveyed that collection of subscription
from the members is one of the basic ingredients of the check-off exercise
and followed in most of the countries that are signatories to ILO
declaration and demanded it should be continued.
 
We also cautioned the
Management to abandon ideas which are not in consonance with the law of
land and corporate ethics befitting a public sector company. In spite of
our cautioning, we were astounded to note the final check-off circular
issued on 31.07.2009 with the same proposed conditions/restrictions.
 
However, when the final
Check-Off Circular was issued on 31.07.2009 with the same restrictions
proposed earlier with last date of filing the application for Check-Off
process as 14.08.2009, all the checked off unions and associations
including NIAOA objected to the restrictions in the Check-Off circular and
also presented a Memorandum signed by all the unions and associations
insisting GIPSA Management to hold talks with us before conducting the
Check-off process as per the revised guidelines during the 4th
round of wage revision talks held at Hyderabad on the same day i.e. on
31.07.2009.
 
Again 3.8.2009 we had
reiterated our demand to the Management to hold discussion on proposed
amendment in the above circular before conducting the check-off
exercise.
 
Either during the period
from April to 31st July 2009 nor after the 31st July Hyderabad
Meeting, GIPSA Management has never announced any schedule of meeting to
discuss the above said Check-Off amendments which had been imposed
unilaterally. If we have filed an application for check-off exercise as
per 31st July 2009 circular as a fait accompli we would have
accepted the proposed restrictions. Otherwise if we had filed our
application reserving our rights on the proposed amendments, the
probability of our application getting rejected was bright.
 
It is very clear from
the above sequence that the Associations have to approach the Court as a
last resort in the face of long silence by GIPSA Management in calling for
a meeting that too with hardly only few days left for filing the
nomination as per 31st July 2009 circular. Had there been a
schedule of meeting announced Associations would have definitely preferred
to discuss this issue across the board and not raised the issue in the
Court of Law. 
 
Bilateral talks and
reasoning have been forgotten by GIPSA Management as a method of settling
controversial issues.  This being the case, why
had the GIPSA Management both yourself and CEO consistently misleading and
recording the minutes that the &ldquo;On Check-Off
issue, the Association have themselves to blame since they themselves
rushed to the courts even when a meeting
was already scheduled on the subject&rdquo; which is totally
contrary to the facts.  GIPSA Management would
do well if they refrain from making such misleading statements and we urge
upon you to take this letter as part of minutes and make necessary
corrections in your record. We are marking copy of this letter to all
checked off Unions/Associations for purpose of record.
 
Thanking you,
 
Yours truly,

 
 
 
S.
BALAN
General
Secretary.