New India Assurance Company faces a disruption of work on December 20 and 24, with the National Federation of General Insurance Employees, Mumbai, (NFGIE), the only checked-off union covering all classes of employees and controlling about 70% of total officers and development officers (market force) scheduled to observe a one hour walk-out strike on Thursday and a one-day all India strike on Monday followed by an indefinite hunger strike from January 8, 2008.
Sujit Bagchi, organising secretary of the General Insurance Company Employees’ Union, Eastern Zone, said that “business policies of the company are anti-people.” According to him the mediclaim premium has been hiked affecting the senior citizens.
“Adequate upgradation of the IT has not been done since August 2006 to cater to the needs of the customer,” he said.
Though gross direct premium of the Mumbai-based general insurer has increased from Rs 4791 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 5017 crore in 2006-07, the growth rate has declined sharply.
In 2006 the rate was 13.7% while 2007 witnessed a meager 4.71% growth.
The unions are also upset with chairman and managing director Bimalendu Chakraborti for his “anti-employee, anti-institutional and anti-customer” acts.