Even as the Kingfisher Airlines employees sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for non-payment of salary and provident fund dues by Vijay Mallya, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) said the company has no pending PF and that it has not received a single complaint from any employee of the now-defunct airline.
It, however, said that the Airlines had to pay the PF department only Rs. 7.62 lakh as penalty charges due to delayed salary payment.
“Notice issued to the company for levy of penal damages (Rs.3,34,016) and interest due (Rs.3,55,678) for belated remittances for certain months and payment of short remittances of Rs.71,910. Total liability in the notice is Rs.7,61,604,” the EPFO said in a note, reviewed by The Hindu , on Sunday.
Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya had earlier told the news agency Press Trust of India in Hyderabad that the Labour Ministry would examine the provident fund contribution of Kingfisher Airlines after it had stopped operations in 2012.
The note said that the last inspection of the company revealed that it had paid the EPF and other dues on salary payable up to December 2012. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had suspended Kingfisher Airline’s aviation licence in October 2012.
“The employment strength gradually dropped after December 2012 due to closure of their operations and remittances were made for two skeletal employees up to Sept 2015 and thereafter minimum administrative charges were paid,” the note also said.
The payment of EPF contribution stopped after September 2015 as it was found that Form 10, which states the date and reason for exit of employees from employment or EPFO membership, was not submitted by the company.
Surprisingly, the note said that the EPFO hasn’t conducted the verification of records in 2013.
“The returns that they have filed till yet have been found to be okay. They have to pay the penal charges for delayed salary payment and contribution toward the EPFO,” an EPFO official said.
According to the note there is no complaint either from the employees or trade unions regarding non-payment of PF.
“There is no complaint available on record either from [EPFO] members or the Union regarding non-payment of EPF dues by the Company,” the note read.
Published - March 14, 2016 02:00 am IST
