Significant hike in PF withdrawals since ’08

Though the PF officials refused to disclose the identity of PF accounts been settled within the period,trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh claimed the rise in PF withdrawals was due to the flight of migrant workers from Pune in the aftermath of the MNS agitation against outsiders. “They quit their jobs,settled PF claims and left due to the uneasy atmosphere created by the new political party,” said BMS secretary Umesh Vishwad. This,said BMS general secretary Suryakant Paranjape,has affected a number of industries like forging,chemical,construction and hazardous units. “The hazardous units,where migrant workers were the key,suffered badly. As a result industries in Pune are facing a shortage of skilled manpower,” said Vishwad.

Small-Scale Industries president Suresh Mehtre conceded that Pimpri-Chinchwad-Bhosari industrial belt was been hit by the shortage of skilled workforce. “Initally,the workers left due to the MNS agitation,but now they are not coming back. The reason is they are preferring peaceful states like Gujarat and Uttaranchal. Besides,the development work initiated by the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar is keeping the workforce within the state,” said Mehtre. Labour activist Sachin Mehengle said work on NREGA roads in Bihar has also generated lot of employment there.

The RTI reply also revealed that of the over 27 lakh workers/employees registered for EPF with the Pune office,accounts of as many as 14 lakh have not been updated. The BMS said ths meant employers were not depositing the PF amount or were misusing the funds. “This means the PF office has no clue about the contribution to the fund in these accounts. If the money is not deposited,the employer is benefiting and the workers are losing out on interest,” Paranjape claimed.

“Many employers have not filed their returns and this has created problems in updating the accounts,” said Bhosale. “We are already on the job. Our inspectors are moving around Pune with list of defaulters. Every two-three days,we are holding a meeting to review the situation,” he added. Bhosale claimed most of these accounts were likely to be updated in the next two to three months.