POLICY ON GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL MECHANISM FOR PENSIONERS

[Narendra Khutate]

Dear sir,

POLICY ON GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL MECHANISM FOR PENSIONERS
(UPDATED AS ON 31.01.2012) is as under for central State Govt Pensioners. Is there any such mechanism for Bank Pensioners.

Thanking you,

Narendra Khutate

 

 

    POLICY ON GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL MECHANISM FOR PENSIONERS
(UPDATED AS ON 31.01.2012)
PREAMBLE
In the present scenario of the competitive banking, excellence in customer service is the
most important tool for sustained business growth. Customer complaints are part of the
business life of any corporate entity.
Payment of pension is a very significant segment in the competitive banking. A pensioner
is a person who after completing his tenure of employment undergoes a change in activity
one of which is generally known as Retirement. Majority of the pensioners are senior
citizens to whom bank has an obligation to fulfill.
It was felt necessary to address the issue of complaints from the pensioners so that a time
bound redressal may be effected to the satisfaction of the complaint.
This policy document aims at minimizing instances of complaints from the pensioners
and grievances through proper service delivery and review mechanism and to ensure
prompt redressal of pensioners grievances.
BASIC PRINCIPLES
 Pensioners are to be treated fairly at all times;
 Complaints raised by pensioners are to be dealt with courtesy and with a
minimum loss     of time;
 Pensioners should be fully informed of avenues available for registering their
complaints/grievances within the bank and all their rights to alternative remedy, if
they are not fully satisfied with the response of the bank;
 Bank would treat all complaints efficiently and fairly;
 Bank employees should work in good faith and without prejudice to the interest of
the pensioner;
 Awareness of staff members in respect of the need to minimize pensioners’
grievances.
OBJECTIVES OF THE POLICY
 Correcting mistakes as early as possible and ensuring non-recurrence of such
mistakes;2
 Addressing the complaints promptly;
       Letting the pensioner know to take his complaint forward in case he is not
satisfied with the primary response from the bank;
 Providing suitable alternative avenues to mitigate problems arising out of
technological failure;
 Prioritized service to Pensioners, physically handicapped   persons by effective
crowd/people management available at all branches;
   Provision of SMS alerts service about balance in the account at periodic
intervals and about due dates for submission of important documents
     Pensioners to be allowed to submit the annual life certificate at any of the
(linked) branches and not necessarily at the home branch. All the life certificates
may be maintained in a centralized database;
 The data relating to individual pensioners, the monthly certificates etc, that
pensioners would desire shall be available in a secure domain for immediate
retrieval and usage.
 Hassle- free settlement of amount dues to the nominee/ legal heirs , as and when
required in line with RBI Guidelines and Board approved policies
 Cent Swabhiman and Cent Swabhiman plus Scheme (Reverse Mortgage Scheme)
of the Bank, which could be a steady source of income for pensioners//senior
citizens, will be adequately popularized by the Bank for creating awareness
among Pensioners/ Senior Citizens.
 Bank shall have uniformity as to the age for consideration of the longevity based
on which pensioner’s loan is calculated. We have a scheme for personal loan to
Pensioners/ Family Pensioners irrespective of their age, drawing pension from our
Bank.
 On demise of the pensioner, the existing “Either or Survivor” pension account
shall become a single account in the name of the “Survivor’ and the family
pension shall automatically be credited to such accounts. Similarly, all joint
accounts with “Either or Survivor” clause shall become single accounts of the
“Survivor” after the demise of the other joint account holder.
 Bank shall streamline and fine- tune the functioning of its Centralized Pension
Processing Centres to ensure timely disbursal of pension, commencement of
family pension on time and error- free calculation of pension.3
 Bank shall endeavour to disburse pension to sick and disabled pensioners
preferably above the age of 80 years in rural and semi urban areas at their door
steps. Bank may make use of Business Correspondents for this purpose.
PAYMENT OF PENSION:
 Bank, under arrangement, makes –pension payments on behalf of the Government
to the retired employees of Central & State Govt/Defence / Railways, etc...All
pension payments are subject o rules and procedures prescribed by the Govt. ,
RBI and the concerned Departments / Organizations from time to time.
 A pensioner can open an account with cheque book facility and also with
nomination in his pension account..
 Pensioner shall submit Life Certificate in prescribed format once every year in the
month of November. Pension payment may be withheld by the bank if Life
certificates are not submitted on time.
 Pensioners shall submit non employment certificate once in six month in May &
November.
 If the family pension is a widow, at the time of first payment of pension , a
certificate to the effect that she has not remarried and an undertaking to the effect
that if she remarries, she will intimate the fact promptly to the Pension Paying
Branch of the Bank.
 If the family pensioner is a widower/unmarried daughter, the remarriage / non
marriage certificate shall be submitted by the pensioner once in six months in
May & in November.
 Pensioner shall submit an unstamped letter of undertaking authorizing the Bank
for the recovery of any excess payment made in pension in error.
 The Bank shall credit the pensioner’s saving / Current Account during the last 4
working days of the month.  The pension for the month of March will be credited
on / after 1
st
 working day of April. Bank will not pay the pension in cash.
 Bank will deduct income tax at prescribed rate from the pension amount and net
amount is payable to the pensioner’s account. 4
REDRESSAL MECHANISM
1. Complaints
This policy provides for receipt of complaints and acknowledgement   there against to the
pensioner in a structured manner as under:-
 Complaints Registration
   
A pensioner may lodge complaint either in writing or through electronic means if he/ she
is not satisfied with the services provided by the Bank. All complaints will be recorded
by the Bank in a database. The database, along with the acknowledgement letter and
other correspondence will be preserved at least 3 years for future reference.
Arrangements for receiving complaints and suggestions are given hereunder,
Written Complaints
* Complaint book is available at all the branches. A pensioner can obtain it from the
Branch Manager, record his/ her grievances therein and obtain acknowledgement. A
pensioner may use complaint cum suggestion box kept at branch for any feedback/
suggestions for improvement of our products and services.
* The complaints can also be filed through the website of the Bank
www.centralbankofindia.co.in under section ‘Complaints. This shall be immediately
acknowledged by complaint registration number for future reference.
Complaints over Telephone
The minor complaint may be lodged with the   Regional Office of the concerned branch
or to the Branch Manager. The name and telephone numbers of Regional Office of the
concerned branch are available in the branch and in our website.
Complaints through e- mail
The pensioner can submit complaint through e-mail of our Centralized Pension
Processing Centres at cmc...@centralbank.co.in. The complaints may be lodged
telephonically with CPPC at their number 022- 27563400 during office hours.
Complaints at Call Centre
The Pensioner can lodge complaints at Bank’s call centre at toll free number 1800 200
1911, accessible 24 hours from MTNL/ BSNL fixed phones throughout India.
   5
2. Structure of Complaints
 The pensioners should submit complaints containing following information for early
redressal of their grievances:-
  
Name of Pensioner/ Family Pensioner
Pension Sanctioning Authority
PPO Number
Date of Birth / Date of death of the original
pensioner ( In case of Family Pensioner)
Class of Pension i.e. Superannuation/
Family/ Invalid/ Voluntary
Name of the Pension Paying Branch
HSS A/C NO. ( Single/ Joint)
Present Address of the Pensioner
Telephone / Mobile No. & e- mail ID, if
any
Details of Grievance
3. Internal Machinery to handle Pensioners’ Complaints/ Grievances
A pensioner can lodge a complaint in writing to CPPC, A branch, Regional Office
or Central Office of the Bank under this policy. Complaints can also be lodged
with the Toll Free Helpline Number of the Bank, CPPC, over telephone with
CPPC, through e- mail or with any other modes as mentioned above.
Complaints received through Central Government/ State Governments, Ministries
Government Departments, Reserve Bank of India, Member of Parliaments and
Legislative Councils shall be recorded separately with intent to resolve within a
time period of 30 days from the date of receipt. Bank, however would not take
cognizance of anonymous and unsigned complaints
4. TIME FRAME
     Our Centralized Pension Processing Centre (CPPC), as a nodal point for the Bank,
will resolve the complaints within a period of 15 days from the date of receipt. If unable,
CPPC will escalate complaint to the next higher authority i.e. Nodal Officer, Central
Office  of the Bank, which will endeavor to resolve the matter within next fifteen days.
The time frame for resolution of the complaint shall be thirty days from the date of
receipt of the complaint at any level or taking together all the tiers. CPPC will take all
necessary steps to redress the complaint within the time frame. If unable to resolve due to 6
reasons beyond its control, CPPC shall refer it to the concerned Pension Sanctioning
Authority with full intimation to the complainant.
5. Resolution / Escalation of Complaints:
 CPPC/Branch Manager shall be responsible for resolution of the
complaints/grievances in respect of pension matters. He/ She   will be responsible
for ensuring closure of the complaints received at the branch. It shall be his/ her
foremost duty to get the complaints resolved completely to the satisfaction of the
pensioners. If the pensioner is not satisfied, he/ she will suggest remedial
measures, alternative avenues to escalate the complaints.
 If the CPPC/Branch Manager feels that it shall not be possible to resolve the
complaint at his/ her level, he/ she would immediately refer it to the concerned
Regional Office for the resolution of the complaints/ grievances.. If the CPPC/
Regional l Office also finds that they shall not be able to resolve the complaint,
they shall escalate such complaints to its next higher authority i.e. Nodal Officer
at Central Office without any delay.
 For strengthening the   Pensioners confidence in the internal redressal
mechanism, there shall    be proper monitoring   of internal redressal mechanism
so that a minimum number of complaints are escalated to Banking Ombudsman’s
Office.
 Bank shall appoint a Chief Customer Service Officer (CCSO), an official in the
form of an Internal Ombudsman. After the appointment of the CCSO, the role of
Banking Ombudsman shall be that of an Appellate Authority.
 A pensioner  aggrieved with a banking service as hitherto will first complain to
the bank and if within a month does not receive a reply or is unsatisfied with the
reply, will appeal to the CCSO of the Bank. On failure to get a reply within a
further 30 days from the CCSO or if unsatisfied with the reply of the CCSO, the
complainant can appeal to the Banking Ombudsman of the relevant jurisdiction.
 Bank may consider for a provision of   incentive for resolving the complaints at
lower level and disincentive for escalating it to a higher level.7
6. The Banking Ombudsman Scheme
 The Scheme of Banking Ombudsman (BO) was introduced with the object of
enabling resolution of complaints relating to provision of banking services and
resolving disputes between a bank and its constituent through the process of
conciliation, mediation and arbitration in respect of deficiencies in customer
service. After detailed examination of the complaints/ grievances of customers of
banks and after perusal of the comments of banks, the Banking Ombudsman
issues their awards in respect of individual complaints to redress the grievances.
 Bank shall ensure that the Awards of the Banking Ombudsman are implemented
expeditiously and with active involvement of its Top Management.
 A pensioner aggrieved with the decision of   BO can go the formal fora like
Consumer Courts, Civil Court etc. The Bank aggrieved with a BO decision shall
seek the advice of the Customer Service Department of Reserve Bank of India
before approaching the courts.
 Moreover, before challenging any such Award or decision in higher court, our
bank shall examine the cost implications of such a decision from the bank’s
perspective. Further, any decision or Award given by BO or any Grievance
Redressal Forum shall be internally examined by the bank for initiating possible
Class Action at the branch/ concerned offices.
7. Customer Service during Internal Audit:
 The Bank / branch inspection shall also review the systemic ways of complaint
resolution rather than mere number of cases resolved.8
8. CPPC/ Branch Level Pensioners Committee :-
 In order to encourage communication between pensioners and the Bank at branch
level, branch will initiate necessary steps for setting up of such Committee. Such
committee would meet at least once in a month to open channel of
communication, receive suggestions, and discuss cases of delays and difficulties
faced by the pensioners as well as complaints, if any. The Meet must discuss ways
and means of improving developing service level to the pensioners, keeping in
mind the level of comfort needed by senior citizens.
 Alternatively or till the formation of Branch level Pensioners Committee, Branch
will invite pensioners including Senior Citizen Pensioners in the branch level
Customers Service Committee Meet.
 CPPC shall constitute Pensioner’s Committee consisting of local pensioners,
Senior Citizens, Senior Govt. officials dealing with pension matters including
from Defence Department and senior officials from Central Office. CPPC will
conduct one meeting every month and shall forward valuable suggestions to
Customer Service Department at Central Office.
9. Nodal officers and other designated officers to handle
complaints/grievances
 This also provides for engagement of Nodal Officers in the rank of General
Manager or Deputy General Manager for the implementation of the Policy
provision of Pensioners Grievance Redressal Mechanism for the entire bank. The
policy therefore, designates Nodal Officer for the customer care as the Nodal
Officer for Pensioner’s Complaints/ Grievances Redressal Mechanism.
 /There shall be one Pensioner Relations Officer engaged at CPPC, Mumbai, who
will handle pensioner’s complaints/ grievances in respect of CPPC. In case of the
Pensioners belongs to area other than Mumbai, Pensioner Relations Officer at
CPPC would immediately contact concerned Regional Office to redress the
complaint within the given time frame.
 The Pensioner’s cell at CPPC shall exclusively look after pension matters as well
as complaints and grievances   of all types of Pensioners from pensioners.
10. Mandatory display requirements:-
     
 The Bank shall arrange to display information on the following aspects –
 Proper arrangement for receiving complaints/suggestions through Bank’s
Website, exclusively for the pensioners;9
 Name, address and Contact No. of the Nodal Officer to be displayed in the Bank’s
Website;
 . Contact details of Banking Ombudsman of the area.
11. Rights to the pensioners under this policy :-
       
 To receive an acknowledgement within three days with the Unique Reference
No./Call ID;
 . Pensioner’s complaint would be resolved within a period of 30 days from the
date of its receipt. In case resolution of the complaints needs more time, the Bank
shall inform the pensioner about the need of more time with appropriate reasons.
12. Sensitizing operating staff on handling complaints:-
  
  Staff shall be properly trained for handling complaints. The Bank is dealing with
people and hence difference of opinion and areas of friction can arise. With an
open mind and smile on the face the Bank’s staff would be able to win the
pensioner’s confidence. It shall be the responsibility of the Nodal Officers to
ensure that internal machinery for handling complaints/grievances operates
smoothly and efficiently at all levels. Nodal Officer shall provide feedback on
training needs of staff at various levels to the HR Department of the Bank.
13. Maintenance of Pensioner’s Day every month at all level of the Bank:-
      
A particular date and period of time, at least once in a month shall be kept aside at the
level of the CPPC, Branch Manager, Regional Manager, Zonal Manager and Senior
Executives at Central Office for interaction with the pensioners. This would provide
enough room for the pensioners to ventilate their problems which will take care of many
minor complaints as well as minimize dissatisfaction against the Bank at the grass root
level.
14. Maintenance of Complaint Box /Register:-
   
  All offices and branches of the Bank shall maintain a complaint Box/Register where
pensioners/customers can drop their complaints. The complaint box would be placed in a
suitable position where it would be easily visible and identifiable.
15. Amendments / Modification of the policy:-
      
Bank shall make all its efforts to review this policy time to time with an intension to
provide better grievances redressal mechanism to pensioners in coming periods.     
                                 ----------

[PM]

Dear Mr.Narendra Khutate,

                           During 2009, IBA along with Ministry of Finance had appeared before the Parliament Standing Committee on Personnel and Public Grievances, Law and Justice based on a representation made to the committee by the Retired Bank Employees.

By AIBRF's consistent follow up with IBA and Govt.of India, to constitute Grievances Cell in all Banks in order to resolve the Bank Retirees grievances, IBA has agreed and advised CMDs of Member Banks on 3oth March 2009 itself , to constitute Grievance Cell at their Corporate Offices to look into the grievances of their retired employees and to resolve the issues.

Few Banks have already constituted/initiated steps to constitute Grivence Cell at their Corporate Offfce. Bank of India, Bank of Baroda,Canara Bank,Corporation Bank,IOB,SBM etc are among them.May be more Banks by this time.