KOCHI: Employees of the Kochi unit of the Central public sector enterprise, Hindustan Organic Chemicals Ltd (HOCL), staged a protest on Monday, demanding the implementation of the Supreme Court’s verdict on higher pension eligibility. The protest rally commenced from Vanchi Square near the Kerala High Court junction and culminated in a protest meeting near the High Court bus stop.
HOCL is classified as an unexempted establishment under the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), and all employees of the unit have been contributing to the higher pension scheme with the approval of the Ernakulam regional PF commissioner since March 2020.
Despite this, the regional commissioner has reportedly rejected the joint pension option applications of both serving and retired employees, including those who have been receiving a higher pension for over a decade — allegedly in violation of the Supreme Court ruling.
The employees argue that the Supreme Court’s judgment dated November 4, 2022, in the B Sunil Kumar case, clearly states that there shall be no discrimination between employees of exempted and unexempted EPF trusts.
Paragraphs 37, 38, and 39 of the verdict elaborate on this, and clause 44(ii) reiterates the applicability of higher pension benefits to all eligible employees. However, the circular issued by EPFO’s central office on January 18, 2025, has allegedly been misinterpreted to deny rightful benefits to HOC workers.