SC panel reviews working conditions in public sector insurance firms

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has conducted a review of the working conditions, and related grievances, of employees belonging to the Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe communities in public sector insurance companies.

Headed by commission member M. Shivanna, the team visited offices and spoke with welfare associations and managements of four insurance companies — United India Insurance, New India Assurance, National Insurance Company and Oriental Insurance Company. Mr. Shivanna said that he heard out various cases that were presented to him, some involving delay in promotions and transfers that were deemed “unfair”, and others involving “targeting employees in a discriminatory manner.”

Notices

“I have been doing a recce of several public sector units, and some private companies, to talk to employees and learn about their grievances. In some cases, I am also sending notices to the management or seeking explanations on specific cases,” he told presspersons here on Friday. For instance, in the case of an employee of National Insurance Company, S. Mahendra, the management had denied him benefits and promotions for years. Despite several court rulings in the favour of the employee, including a Supreme Court directive to confer all benefits denied to him in a retrospective manner, the management had failed to fulfil its commitments. On behalf of the commission, Mr. Shivanna said, he had given the management 15 days' time to enforce the court orders, or else face further action.

Mr. Shivanna said that other issues that had come to his notice included unfair transfers and delay in conferring benefits. “Managements have to be sensitive towards issues faced by Dalits. This is a general issue that came up during my visits to all these companies,” he said.

Even in the case of the honour killing in Mandya, he said the police were simply reluctant to file an FIR and see it as a “caste killing”. It took great interventions to convince the Government that this was no suicide, but a brutal crime, he said. He also said that the funds allocated from the Union Government for SC, ST schemes were not being utilised by several governments.