NFAEE is the one and only all India Federation of Atomic Energy Worker, recognised by Government of india/Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

It represents the Industrial, Research & Development and Service organisations under Department of Atomic Energy.

26 Unions and associations of DAE Employees recognised under CCS (RSA) Rule are affiliated with NFAEE

Sunday, April 6, 2008

PREPARE FOR STRUGGLE TO REJECT THE RETROGAE RECOMMENDATIONS OF SIXTH CENTRAL PAY COMMISSION.

National Federation of Atomic Energy Employees
NFAEE
Regn.No.17/9615
Recognised by DAE vide DAE OM No. 8/1/2007 – IR&W/95 dated 13th June 2007
JCM Office, Brindavan, Anusaktinagar, Mumbai 400 094
Website: www.nfaeehq.blogspot.com
Email address
: nfaee@yahoo.com

Ref.No: nfaee/sg/08/32 02.04.2008

To

All Affiliates,
Secretariat Members
NFAEE


Dear Comrades,

The SIXTH Central Pay Commission has submitted its report on 23rd March 2008 to the Finance Minister. The recommendations pertaining to the categories of employees belongs to Group D, C and B are disappointing. Extended Secretariat meeting of National Federation of Atomic Energy Employees (NFAEE) was held on 29th March 2008 at Kalpakkam. The meeting had gone through the recommendations of 6th Central Pay Commission in details. The Secretariat meeting noted that most of the recommendations related to the Pay structure, facilities, allowances, advances pension etc are detrimental, retrograde and discriminatory in nature. The meeting in preliminary discussion noted the following issues to be addressed as follows:

1. Abolition of Group D posts:

1.1 The recommendation of 6th CPC to upgrade the existing Group D employees in the Pay Scales Rs 2550 – 3520, 2610 – 3540, 2610 – 4000, 2650 – 4000 to Rs 2750 – 4400 and thereafter no recruitment in these scale is nothing but direct elimination of more than 9 lakhs post in the Central Government service. By this step, the Pay Commission at a stretch reducing almost 1/3rd of the Government Job, with out considering the social impact and other adverse affects may result due to this recommendation. More over the rate of literacy of the country is even today just above 50% only (The rate of literacy is based on the knowledge to write on their language, but not based on any education from school). That means more than 50% of the populations are non metric. Similarly the per capita income of 80% of the Indian population is just 20 rupees per day. In such condition denying job opportunity for non metrics in the name of down sizing and out sourcing is nothing but running away from the responsibility.

1.2 Hence the recommendation to downsize/outsource the government job even in the name of upgradation of post of group D employees shall not be accepted. Existing number of post in the unskilled sector should be continued. Minimum scale in the grade for unskilled workers shall be upgraded in the present pay of Rs 2750 – 4400.

2. Closure, Corporatisation & Privatization:

2.1 The Pay Commission in its report proposed to corporatise the Railways, Ordinance Factories in Defence etc. The corporatisation is nothing but privatization. The Pay Commission also proposed to introduce the Medical Insurance scheme to the new recruits as well as to the new pensioners. This is too nothing but the closure of the CGHS.

2.2 The recommendation to closure, corporatice/privatize should not be accepted and all the Government establishments should be continued in Government set up.

3. Minimum Pay:

3.1 The Pay Commission has alleged that the minimum Pay shall be Rs 6660/- . But it is not the fact. The fact is the minimum pay by adding the lowest pay in the pay band proposed to the unskilled worker with the corresponding Grade Pay, the amount will get is Rs 5740/-.

3.2 Though the Pay Commission claims in its’ report that the lowest Pay is based on the need based minimum wage recommended by 15th ILC, the commission recommended its minimum wage based on wrong computations. The prices of food articles quoted based on the economic times, not gathered the same from any government agencies such as Statistics department or consumer societies who all are preserving the records. More over the Supreme Courts’ direction to add 25% of the overall cost of foods, clothes etc towards the expenditure for education, social commitments such as marriages and other functions, 10% as the expenditure for Housing as per the IT Act.

3.3 Further, it may be the first ever Pay Commission of the country adopted novel method to find the minimum pay in the Pay Band, deviating from the pay drawn by the employees to calculate notionally. The pay drawn by the employee as on 01.01.2006 is Basic Pay + Dearness Pay (50% of the Basic Pay) + Dearness allowances (24%). But the Pay Commission suggested to calculate the minimum pay by adding the basic pay and DA @ 74% which would have been payable on the existing pay scales, had merger of 50% DA as DP not been allowed w.e.f 01.04.2004. Thus the minimum pay suggested based on illogical & unconvincing method is not acceptable.

3.4 The Government should revisit and ensure the calculation based on the actual price prevailed in the country in January 2006. Also the increase in the per capita national product during the period 1996 to 2006 should also be considered for determining the minimum pay.

4. Ratio of the Minimum Pay and Maximum Pay:

4.1 The Pay Commission may accept only one suggestion of the Staff side in its whole report. That is nothing but the ratio of 1:12 for minimum pay to maximum pay. But there also the Commission tried to place their hidden agenda. The commission has claimed that the ratio is 1:12 in the minimum salary and maximum salary. This contention is not true. The reason is that the minimum salary for the unskilled government servant and highest post in the Government. The lowest pay in the Government service recommended by Pay Commission is 1S (not PB1) and the highest pay is for cabinet Secretary and equivalent posts. Thus the ratio becomes 1: 15.68

4.2 In the existing pay the ratio between the minimum pay (Rs 2550/-) to maximum pay (Rs. 30000/-) is 11.76, rounding to 1:12. The ration between the lowest pay now recommended in the existing pay (Rs 2750/-) to maximum pay (Rs. 30000/-) is 1:10.91 and that of 2750/- to 26000/- is 1:9.45

4.3 In that the case since the maximum pay is Rs. 90000/-, the pay equivalent to Rs 2750/- shall be Rs 8249/- (Rounded nearest 100 shall be Rs. 8300/-). The pay equivalent to Rs 2550/- shall be Rs. 7653/- (Rounded in nearest 100 shall be Rs 7700/-). If considering Rs 80000/- is the highest pay then the lowest pay equivalent to Rs 2750/- should be Rs 8465/- rounded to 8500/- and at the level of Rs 2500/-, it should be Rs 7850/- as the ratio between Rs 2550/- and Rs 26000/- is 1:10.19

5. Fixation of Pay:

5.1 The commission has recommended the fixation of pay in the revised pay scale by adding Dearness allowances (DA) @ 74% to the existing emoluments after rounding it to next 10. Over and above the pay so fixed, a Grade Pay of 40% of the ending pay in the existing pay scale is recommended. This 40% is nothing but equivalent to the fixation benefit given the UF Front Government as Fitment Benefit.

5.2 It may be noted that while recommending addition of DA @ 74% with basic pay the pay commission reduced the existing emoluments actually admissible on the date of effect of the recommendations. By recommending to reduce the existing emoluments by ignoring the benefit of DA admissible on Dearness Pay, the actual Fitment benefit @ 40% in the form of Grade Pay is reduced to the extend of 12%.

5.3 Fifth Pay Commission in fact had given the fitment benefit of 60% of the Pay by considering 2 interim reliefs @ 10% subject to Rs 100/- as minimum in each case and 40% at the time of fixation.

5.4 Hence the fitment benefit should be enhanced to 60% of the highest pay even though it is named as Grade Pay.

6. Discrepancy in determining the Pay Band and Grade Pay:

6.1 The principle claimed to have been adopted for fixation of pay is increase of 74% over the minimum of the pay in the lowest pay scale included in a particular pay band. But it is pertinent to note here that this principle has been made applicable only in case of Group D, C and B posts. In case of the Group A posts the increase is approximately between 95% to 112%. Especially in the higher grade in Group A post the variation is more and more. The principle adopted by the Pay Commission to find the minimum pay in the Pay band, multiple factor of 1.74 is rejected by the Pay commission them self and adopted the Multiple factor varying from 2.18 to 2.74 for Pay Band 4. The multiple factor further increases to 3.07 in the case of Secretary and equivalent post.

6.2 In the case of Grade Pay too this discriminatory approach continued by the pay commission. In the existing scale S25, S30, S31, S32 etc. the Grade pay is more than 40% of the maximum of the respective pay scale.

6.3 This discrepancy should be removed and uniform multiple factor should be adopted.

7 Rate of Annual Increment:

7.1 In the existing pay scale the employees are getting an annual increment of 2.5% of the initial pay of the pay scale or more in all pay scales except S1, S2, S2A, S3, S5 and S30.

7.2 The proposed increment however will not even double that of the existing increment rate.

7.3 Even after 10 years the increment is increases just by leas than 0.6%

7.4 By replacing the existing opportunity for adding increment of two occasions to one i.e, in every year in the month of July, there may be possibility to wait some of the employees to wait for getting their next increment to more than twelve months to seventeen months.

7.5 Hence the annual increment shall be 5% of the pay (inclusive of pay + grade pay)

7.6 Further, steps should be initiated to remove the delay for getting increment.

8 Fixation on Promotion:

8.1 At the time of the promotion apart from moving to the next higher grade pay, if the promotion is in the same Pay Ban, only increase is assured by one increment.

8.2 At present the benefit of fixation on promotion shall be given under FR 22. The increase shall be always more than one increment.

8.3 Hence to ensure benefit in lieu of promotion more than one increment at the time of promotion double the rate of increment shall be given to the employees.

9 ACP Scheme:

9.1 The Pay Commission has been recommended only two financial upgradations in the entire service carrier.

9.2 Three financial upgradation shall be given at the stage of 10, 20 and 25 years of service

10. Dearness Allowance:

10.1 The Pay Commission recommended to change the base 1982 = 100 to 2001 = 100 for for grant of Dearness allowance. By changing the base from 1982 to 2001 at least the employee may loose 11% DA.

10.2 Further no recommendation has been made by the Pay commission to protect the DA admissible to the employees from 01.07.2006 to 01.01.2008. If protection is not allowed, the salary of the employees will get reduced to the extent of about 11%.

10.3 Hence, the index for calculating DA should not be changed. Base 1982 = 100 should be taken for calculating Consumer Price Index.

11. City Compensatory Allowances:

11.1 In the name of enhancing Transport allowance, withdrawal of CCA is not justifiable. The eligibility criteria for both allowance is entirely different. CCA is given based on the personnel Pay where as Transport allowance is given based on the Pay Scale.

11.2 CCA was extended to the employees to meet financial burden being faced by the employees on various accounts such as excess price escalation on various commodities in the market, comparing with smaller cities & villages, schooling etc.

11.3 By withdrawing the CCA employees are loosing not only CCA, but proved the claim by the Pay Commission that the Transport Allowance is enhanced by four times is not true.

11.4 An employee having the basic pay of Rs 6000/- in the pay scale of 5000 – 8000 and working in the A-1 city is entitled for CCA @ Rs 300/- and Transport allowance of Rs 100/-. Based on the present proposal, he will be again eligible for Rs 400/- only after withdrawing CCA.

11.5 City Compensatory Allowance should not be withdrawn. CCA should be enhanced as other Allowances increased.

12. Transport Allowance:

12.1 Pay Commission has been recommended to enhance the Transport Allowance to four folds after subsuming the CCA.

12.2 Transport Allowance should be enhanced notionally as recommended by the Arbitration award and then made four times.

12.3 Employees not provided free transport within the Campus also to be granted Transport Allowances.

13. Risk allowance:

13.1 Replacing the Risk allowance with Risk Insurance not a logical proposal.

13.2 Risk Allowance is extended to compensate the risk faced by the employee while performing the duties in such atmosphere like handling hazardous chemicals, working in such a abnormal atmosphere etc. To over come the risk the employees advised to take care of health by taking nutritious food etc. To ensure such health care, Risk allowance has been given to the employees.

13.3 Where the new recommendation suggests no remedial action is necessary by the employee performing the duty and he may allow becoming sick and knowingly pushing him to death and there after Insurance company may give compensation to the deceased family. This recommendation is not in the line of medical ethics and therefore should not be accepted.

13.4 Hence Risk Allowance should be continued in addition to the newly proposed Risk Insurance.

13.5 Risk Allowance should be enhanced as other Allowances increased.

14. Patient Care Allowance:

14.1 Patient Care Allowance is extended to the employees as a compensation to the employees working in Hospital/dispensaries where these employees has to interact with infected patients as well as infected materials, instruments and equipments.

14.2 Pay Commission in the pretext of Insurance Scheme and PRIS suggested withdrawing the PCA/HPCA.

14.3 The insurance coverage is for getting financial support for the deceased family after the employee affected with interaction with infected patients as well as infected materials, equipments and instruments.

14.4 Whereas the PCA/HPCA shall help the employee while serving the effected employees and handling the effected materials and instruments can take care of their health by ensuring intake of nutritious and protein diet to enhance the resistance power.

14.5 Hence the Patient Care Allowance & Hospital Patient Care Allowance should be continued.

14.6 It should be extended to all Para medical staff with out ant Pay restriction.

14.7 The PCA/HPCA should be enhanced as other Allowances enhanced.


15. Interest Free Advances:

15.1 Interest free Advances like Festival Advance should be made four times and the cycle advance should be actual cost

16. Interest Bearing Advances:

16.1 CPC has been recommended to stop the Interest Bearing Advances given by the Government/department such as HBA, Computer Advances, Motor Vehicle Advances etc, by arranging MOU with Nationalised Banks with 2% subsidy on interest.
16.2 Interest Bearing Advances should continue.

16.3 The interest on HBA, Computer Advance etc should be reduced as in the case of Bank Employees.

17. Holidays:

17.1 The celebrations of various festivals of various communities, religions jointly are the custom of the whole part of Secular India. The view expressed by the Justice Srikrishna in respect to Why Muslims and Christian should take on leave on Ram navami is not at all on the line of secular spirit, but came from religiously blinded man.

17.2 Hence the existing 17 Holidays should maintain
17.3 The holidays should be effective holidays.

18. Commutation of Half Pay Leave:

18.1 HPL should be allowed to be commuted for encashment to the extent of shortfall in EL.

19. Medical Insurance Scheme:

19.1 Medi-claim scheme will not give proper medical attention to the patients. Further it will create number of hurdles to low paid employees as initially the payment for treatment shall be arranged by the employee and thereafter amount shall be returned through reimbursement.

19.2 CGHS Scheme should be continued and the same should be improved for better medical care.

20. Bonus:

20.1 Bonus has been declared as deferred wages by the division bench of the Supreme Court of the country. Hence it cannot be replaced with Performance Related Incentive Scheme.

20.2 Therefore, Productivity linked as well as adhoc bonus should be continued.

21. Overtime Allowances:

21.1 Since Overtime Allowances are given to compensate the extra work being carried out by the workers, should not clubbed with any PRIS

21.2 Only because statutory regulations are not extended to the work force in government other than Industrial units and operational staff, it is not fare not to compensate the extra work carried out by the employees.

21.3 Overtime should be compensate by Overtime Allowance

21.4 OTA should be given based on the revised Pay.

22. Pension Commutation:

22.1 Pay Commission recommended handing over the commutation business to Nationalise d Banks to handle. Here too CPC suggested giving a subsidy on interest.

22.2 Recommendation to hand over the Pension commutation to Nationalized Bank/Institution should not be accepted.

22.3 Commuted portion of the pension should be given back to the employees after 10 years, if not at least after 12 years.

23. Commutation Factor:

23.1 CPC has recommended to replace the existing commutation factor and proposed anew one by which the employees who all are opting commutation of the pension at the time their retirement shall be losers.

23.2 Hence Existing commutation factor should continue.

24. Performance Related Incentive Scheme:

24.1 Pay Commission recommended introducing Performance Related Incentive Scheme Departmental vise. Even there are various forms of Incentive scheme such as fast track promotion in various departments and such benefits are always getting to the employees in the good book and not to the eligible employees. Thus the existing system itself creating discontentment among the employees and the overall efficiency of the Department is in challenge.

24.2 In the present Scenario Performance Related Incentive Scheme may be counter productive and hence it should not be implemented.
25. LTC:

25.1 In the recent past in certain states like Madhya Pradesh privatized he entire State Transport System.

25.2 Hence in such area LTC shall be extended to the employees traveling through the registered Private Transport system prevailing in such States.

26. Departmental Issues:

26.1 All the above mentioned general recommendations are going to affect the employees of the DAE also.

26.2 The abolition group D posts, and pay scales recommended for Group D employees are unjustifiable as our activities are not conventional in nature.

26.3 The merger of the Pay scales at the level of S9, S10, S11, S12 should be dealt with proper care other wise, the employees in the higher grades shall kept in depressed.

26.4 The demands for removing the anomalies created by the Department during the period of implementation of 5th CPC recommendation in respect to the entry grade for technical staff, upgardation of pay scale of group D employees after the merger of Pay scale S2 & S2A etc have not been addressed by the Pay Commission.

26.5 The recommendation for not to extend Update Allowance to the administrative, and other categories is also biased proposal.

26.6 The impact of removal of OTA and Bonus in lieu of PRIS especially in the units where operational activities are continuing but the OTA is not regulated under statutory Rule.

26.7 The contractual appointment at the higher posts shall be discriminatory in nature and the balancing existing in the department shall be disturbed and it becomes counter productive.

26.8 There are various other issues related to the Department and its employees which will be communicated in due course.

Future Course of Action:

Dear Comrades,

For the call given for demonstration on 26th March 2008 against the recommendations of the Pay Commission, the reactions from affiliates were tremendous. Most of the affiliates were organized lunch hour demonstration and other campaign prgramme almost all units. In the Secretariat meeting it was decided to continue the campaign programme and educate the mass about the impact of the recommendations of the Pay Commission in future to prepare for Industrial action including strike, if necessary.

NFAEE under the banner of Confederation of Central Government Employees Workers united with entire Central Government Employees including Railways and Defence will take every effort to oppose these retrograde proposals.

The leadership of the Confederation of Central Government employees is initiated interaction with the National Leaders of JCM National Council including Railways, Defence on various recommendations for reaching common understanding on issues and to formulate common Platform for action programme.

National Executive and Extended National Executive of Confederation of Central Government Employees are meeting at New Delhi on 27th & 28th April 2008 to analyze the entire scenario arise after the CPC report become published and to decide the course of action to be initiated b the confederation of CG Employees & Workers.

An extended Working Committee of National Federation of Atomic Energy Employees along with the Office Bearers of Unions and Associations of Nuclear Power Corporation (NPCIL), National Forum of Atomic Energy Aided Institutions Employees and its affiliates, and Office Bearers of Associations of Employees of Department of Space on 30th April 2008 at Mumbai.

All affiliates are requested to massive campaign against the retrograde, discriminatory and biased recommendations of the 6th central Pay Commission and prepare for long struggle for the betterment.

With regards

Comradely yours


(Jayaraj.K.V)
Secretary General
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Address for Correspondence: Jayaraj.KV, Secretary General, NFAEE
PESS/UED; BARC, Trombay, Mumbai 400 085
Tel. No: (O): 022 – 25594549; (Res): 022 – 2746 4704; (Mobile): 9869501189
Email Address: nfaee@yahoo.com, jrajkv@yahoo.com

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