Sandhya Sherkhane Vinod Kumar Menon vinodm@ mid- day. com AROUND 100 employees of Mumbai university ( class I to class IV) returned home disappointed on Friday as their two- year fight for retirement benefits went unanswered yet again. Retired after 2015, the employees who served the varsity in various capacities for 30- 40 years alleged they were being deprived of their retirement benefits by an apathetic government.
THE university has now begun ad hoc payment of R 8,000 for class IV, R 10,000 for class II and III and R 15,000 for class I retired employees per month from the university fund, with the condition that this amount will be deducted from their monthly pension once it is released.
Over 200 university employees u2014 94 retired and around a 100 close to retirement u2014 are facing this issue. According to some insiders, a circular from the Higher and Technical Education department said that some university employees whose promotion was hampered despite serving between 12 to 24 years of service, were entitled to an extra emolument over and above their monthly salary and were paid some arrears accordingly. However, the department claimed on December 18, 2018 that the earlier circular was issued without the finance ministeru2019s approval and hence discarded along with the benefits granted to employees. These benefits are to be recovered from the beneficiaries.
Aided staff denied benefits Over 100 employees who worked across departments of the universityu2019s institutes u2014 Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management, Garware Institute of Management, Alkesh Dinesh Mody Institute of Management and Institute of Distance Education u2014 as administrative support staff, were considered to be part of the aided section of the university and therefore not entitled to benefits.
This claim has, however, been rubbished by both the retired employees and the Mumbai Vidyapeeth Karmachari Sangh. The union claimed the administrative support staff were permanent employees and they were never informed nor was their consent taken when they were sent to their respective institutes. They werenu2019t told about their future prospects or retirement benefits either.
u2018 Will they clear dues after we die?u2019 u2018 Working hard to resolve issueu2019 A member of the Mumbai Vidyapeeth Karmachari Sangh told mid- day that a protest was called on Saturday, February 8, against the issue. u201c But the vice- chancellor requested us to postpone it and give him some time to resolve this. A decision is expected in the cabinet meeting on February 12 we were told,u201d he said.
Dr Ajay Deshmukh, Registrar at Mumbai University, said the administration was u201c very much concerned about the hardships faced by our retired colleagues.u201d He said, u201c We are working hard to resolve this issue and have prepared a roster of all employees which will be accepted and verified by the competent authority at Konkan Bhavan.u201d u2018 Unfair on usu2019 Ladoba Pingulkar, 60, a Kandivli resident, who retired as head of the election department of university, in October 2018 got his first promotion after 25 years of serving the Mumbai University u201c and was given extra emolument as arrears ( R 4- 5 lakh) then but now the circular is discarded.u201d He said, u201c I am yet to get my gratuity and the pension has not started either. My two children are still studying and I am only getting the ad hoc payment of R 10,000 from the university fund. This is unfair.u201d The vice chancellor has informed the employees that the matter is pending before the Higher and Technical Education Department and the Mantralaya.
Sweta Vaidya, 59, who worked as head clerk at the Exam House, Kalina, retired in September 2018.
u201c My two children are still studying and I also have to look after my 95- year- old motherin- law. Our house runs on the R 25,000pension that my husband Sandeep ( a former Mantralaya official) gets and some savings,u201d Vaidya said, adding that she has got her provident fund but not her gratuity and pension. u201c The reason they cited is that they are yet to recover funds from employees who benefited from the Higher and Technical Education department circular. I had got those benefits, too,u201d she added.
However, Vaidya said she retired before the circular was discarded and therefore u201c it is unfair to bring us under the ambit of a discarded circular issued three months after my retirement.u201d Another employee, Sandhya Sherkhane, 55, exam superintendent, opted for voluntary retirement in March 2019.
u201c I served for 34 years and now when I am unwell and in dire need of financial assistance, I am being made to run from pillar to post. The retirement benefits and pension are supposed to be the life savings for elderly people, but if we are deprived of them now, when will the authorities clear our dues? After our demise?u201d an emotional Sherkhane said.
She added that she has been battling depression apart from being a diabetic and facing multiple health issues.
u201c We live in my husbandu2019s office quarters now and do not own a house in Mumbai.
My husband barely has a little more than a year to retire after which I donu2019t know where we will go,u201d said Sherkhane, who was sent to Garware institute for four months by the university.
Ladoba Pingulkar u2018 Circular after my retirementu2019 Shweta Vaidya u2018 Cannot lose my prideu2019 R 10 k Ad hoc payment university is releasing for class II and III retired employees
