diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/ChunkElementParser.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/ChunkElementParser.java
index f9b2ef44b..013714e88 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/ChunkElementParser.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/ChunkElementParser.java
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.batch.core.configuration.xml;
 
+import java.util.List;
+
 import org.springframework.batch.core.listener.StepListenerMetaData;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.step.item.ForceRollbackForWriteSkipException;
 import org.springframework.batch.repeat.policy.SimpleCompletionPolicy;
@@ -34,8 +36,6 @@ import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 import org.springframework.util.xml.DomUtils;
 import org.w3c.dom.Element;
 
-import java.util.List;
-
 /**
  * Internal parser for the <chunk/> element inside a step.
  * 
@@ -127,11 +127,9 @@ public class ChunkElementParser {
 			}
 			propertyValues.addPropertyValue("skipLimit", skipLimit);
 		}
-		if (skippableExceptions != null) {
-			// Even if there is no retryLimit, we can still accept exception
-			// classes for an abstract parent bean definition
-			propertyValues.addPropertyValue("skippableExceptionClasses", skippableExceptions);
-		}
+		// Even if there is no retryLimit, we can still accept exception
+		// classes for an abstract parent bean definition
+		propertyValues.addPropertyValue("skippableExceptionClasses", skippableExceptions);
 
 		handleItemHandler(bd, "skip-policy", "skipPolicy", null, false, element, parserContext, propertyValues,
 				underspecified);
@@ -145,11 +143,9 @@ public class ChunkElementParser {
 			}
 			propertyValues.addPropertyValue("retryLimit", retryLimit);
 		}
-		if (retryableExceptions != null) {
-			// Even if there is no retryLimit, we can still accept exception
-			// classes for an abstract parent bean definition
-			propertyValues.addPropertyValue("retryableExceptionClasses", retryableExceptions);
-		}
+		// Even if there is no retryLimit, we can still accept exception
+		// classes for an abstract parent bean definition
+		propertyValues.addPropertyValue("retryableExceptionClasses", retryableExceptions);
 
 		handleItemHandler(bd, "retry-policy", "retryPolicy", null, false, element, parserContext, propertyValues,
 				underspecified);
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/ChunkElementParserTests.java b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/ChunkElementParserTests.java
index 33d2edc66..1f777b9b1 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/ChunkElementParserTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/ChunkElementParserTests.java
@@ -15,6 +15,16 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.batch.core.configuration.xml;
 
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
+import static org.junit.Assert.fail;
+
+import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Map;
+
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.springframework.batch.classify.SubclassClassifier;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.Step;
@@ -39,17 +49,6 @@ import org.springframework.dao.PessimisticLockingFailureException;
 import org.springframework.test.util.ReflectionTestUtils;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 
-import java.io.IOException;
-import java.util.Arrays;
-import java.util.Collection;
-import java.util.Map;
-
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
-import static org.junit.Assert.fail;
-
 /**
  * @author Dan Garrette
  * @author Dave Syer
@@ -184,22 +183,6 @@ public class ChunkElementParserTests {
 		containsClassified(retryable, CannotSerializeTransactionException.class, false);
 	}
 
-	@Test
-	public void testRetryableInherited() throws Exception {
-		Map<Class<? extends Throwable>, Boolean> retryable = getRetryableExceptionClasses("s3", getContext());
-		System.err.println(retryable);
-		assertEquals(2, retryable.size());
-		containsClassified(retryable, IOException.class, true);
-	}
-
-	@Test
-	public void testRetryableInheritedMerge() throws Exception {
-		Map<Class<? extends Throwable>, Boolean> retryable = getRetryableExceptionClasses("s4", getContext());
-		System.err.println(retryable);
-		assertEquals(3, retryable.size());
-		containsClassified(retryable, IOException.class, true);
-	}
-
 	@Test
 	public void testInheritSkippable() throws Exception {
 		Map<Class<? extends Throwable>, Boolean> skippable = getSkippableExceptionClasses("s1", getContext());
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/ChunkElementParentAttributeParserTests-context.xml b/spring-batch-core/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/ChunkElementParentAttributeParserTests-context.xml
index 77fcf0f6a..aef8df686 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/ChunkElementParentAttributeParserTests-context.xml
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/test/resources/org/springframework/batch/core/configuration/xml/ChunkElementParentAttributeParserTests-context.xml
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 			</tasklet>
 		</step>
 
-		<step id="s2" parent="baseStep" next="s3">
+		<step id="s2" parent="baseStep">
 			<tasklet>
 				<chunk reader="reader" writer="writer" commit-interval="5" skip-limit="5" retry-limit="3">
 					<skippable-exception-classes>
@@ -51,51 +51,15 @@
 				</chunk>
 			</tasklet>
 		</step>
-
-		<step id="s3" parent="baseStep" next="s4">
-			<tasklet>
-				<chunk reader="reader" writer="writer" commit-interval="5">
-					<streams>
-						<stream ref="stream1"/>
-					</streams>
-					<retry-listeners>
-						<listener>
-							<beans:bean class="org.springframework.batch.core.configuration.xml.DummyRetryListener"/>
-						</listener>
-					</retry-listeners>
-				</chunk>
-			</tasklet>
-		</step>
-
-		<step id="s4" parent="baseStep">
-			<tasklet>
-				<chunk reader="reader" writer="writer" commit-interval="5">
-					<retryable-exception-classes merge="true">
-						<include class="java.lang.RuntimeException"/>
-					</retryable-exception-classes>
-					<streams>
-						<stream ref="stream1"/>
-					</streams>
-					<retry-listeners>
-						<listener>
-							<beans:bean class="org.springframework.batch.core.configuration.xml.DummyRetryListener"/>
-						</listener>
-					</retry-listeners>
-				</chunk>
-			</tasklet>
-		</step>
 	</job>
 
 	<step id="baseStep" abstract="true">
 		<tasklet>
-				<chunk retry-limit="6" skip-limit="7">
+				<chunk>
 					<skippable-exception-classes>
 						<include class="java.lang.ArithmeticException"/>
 						<exclude class="org.springframework.dao.DeadlockLoserDataAccessException"/>
 					</skippable-exception-classes>
-					<retryable-exception-classes>
-						<include class="java.io.IOException"/>
-					</retryable-exception-classes>
 					<streams>
 						<stream ref="stream2"/>
 					</streams>