DECEMBER 8: Around 80,000 pensioners of major port trusts and dock labour boards will get 10 per cent of their basic pension and family pension by way of interim relief with effect from January one, 1998.Announcing this, the president of the All India Port and Dock Workers' Federation, S R Kulkarni, said the bipartite wage revision committee had unanimously recommended that like serving employees were granted interim relief, the port pensioners should also be given interim relief from January one, 1998.The federation has also demanded that those employees of the port trusts and dock labour boards, who retired under the contributory provident fund scheme, should also be given ex-gratia pension as is admissible to the central government employees.Kulkarni has urged the government to concede this legitimate demand of the CPF retirees without any delay. In accordance with the government order, the interim relief granted to the pensioners will be adjusted in due course against such changes in pension structure and death-cum-retirement gratuity benefits as may be subsequently sanctioned for payment when the pensionary benefits are liberalised, as recommended by the bipartite wage revision committee.
