Report No. 137

2.5.6. Development of untrained staff by the employers.-

The staff engaged to deal with the cases pertaining to Provident Fund and other retirement dues cases is often incompetent which results in the final settlement of such cases. Being untrained, such officials are not conversant with the relevant rules on the subject, as a result of which mistakes are committed in the preparation of the record, thereby causing delay in the settlement of claims. The case of Smt. Shanti Ghosh of Calcutta is a glaring example where her claim of gratuity and pension has not been finalised even after more than seven years. Smt. Ghosh retired as a Teacher from S.N.N. Girls High School, Calcutta, on February 28, 1982.

The school authorities submitted the relevant papers regarding gratuity and pension to the District Inspector of Schools in 1983. The papers were returned by the District Inspector of Schools to the school authorities in 1986 with the direction that the claim should be prepared in accordance with the revised rules. The papers were resubmitted by the school authorities after preparing them afresh to the District Inspector of Schools.

The Director of Pension, Provident Fund and Group Insurance, West Bengal, again in 1988 returned the papers to the school authorities with objections. The objections so raised were removed and papers resubmitted by the school authorities in December 1988. The matter was pending with the Director of Pension, Provident Fund and Group Insurance, West Bengal till June 1989 when it was ultimately settled after a delay of nearly five years.

The school authorities have stated that the reason for the delay has been mainly due to the untrained staff employed by them which is not conversant with the relevant rules on the subject. Thus, whereas delays occur either on account of the fault on the part of the employer or the fault of the authorities, only the employees have to suffer for no fault of theirs and they find themselves helpless in the matter.