Sunday, August 30, 2015

                 POSTAL JOINT COUNCIL OF ACTION
                             National Federation of Postal Employees        
All India Postal Employees Union, Gr-C
All India Postal Employees Union, Postman/MTS
All India Postal Employees Union-GDS (NFPE)
Keonjhar Divisional Branch, Keonjhargarh-758001

JOIN ONE DAY STRIKE ON 02-09-2015 & MAKE THE AGITATION A GRAND SUCCESS

No: JCA/2/2015                                                                                Dated 26.08.2015


Dear Comrades and Colleagues

                   All Central Trade Unions and all Federations and Organizations of Central  Government Employees and Employees of Central & State Public Sector undertakings have decided to organize one day All India Strike on 2nd September-2015. In view of the strike call, Central JCA has taken a unanimous decision to support the call and join the strike en-mass leaving behind ideological and other differences for the common interest of the entire Postal Employees.
          Therefore, it is called upon all the Postal Employees both Departmental and GDS of Keonjhar Division to participate in the strike massively with rank and file to make it grand success.
The charter of demands is given overleaf.
All are requested to follow the under mentioned guidelines during strike period.

  1. Do not come under pressure of any higher authority and act as per the directives of JCA
  2. Do not open the office on the day of strike.
  3. Do not prepare Daily Account or maintain Account Book for the day of strike. The remark in red ink ‘Strike’ should be made in the Account Book against the date of strike
  4. At the time of need contact given phone numbers.

9238807251
9438776534
9437753282

  Unite to win  !   Postal JCA zindabad  !!      Employees unity zindabad!!
   
         With struggle greetings.

            
  (D.K.Mohapatra)                (S.C.Samal)               (A.K.Mishra)
       
FLASH NEWS
28t h August 2015
COUNTRYWIDE GENERAL STRIKE ON 2ND SEPTEMBER STANDS
CENTRAL TRADE UNIONS REASSERT THE CALL FOR UNITED ACTION
MARCH AHEAD UNITEDLY, MAKE THE COUNTRYWIDE GENERAL STRIKE ON 2ND SEPTEMBER A MASSIVE SUCCESS

After two rounds of discussion between the Group of Ministers and the central trade unions on the 12-point charter of demands of the trade unions held on 26th and 27th August 2015, the GoM headed by Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley sent an appeal through the press release dated 27-08-2015 (Press Information Bureau) after 10 pm urging upon the trade unions to reconsider the call for countrywide general strike on 2nd September 2015 claiming that the Govt has given concrete assurance to consider most of the demands  of the trade unions and that the trade unions agreed to consider the Govt’s proposals. Similar appeal was also made in the meeting of 27th August.  Both the claims of the Govt are totally incorrect.   

To put the facts straight, the joint platform of central trade unions have been pursuing with successive governments at the centre with their basic demands since 2009 and observed three rounds of countrywide general strike since 2010, the last being for two days in February 2013. In the two rounds of meeting between the CTUOs and the Group of Minister, nothing transpired in concrete terms except vague statements by the ministers on steps to be taken or being taken on some of the issues, that too not in the right direction.

The Govt’s press release mentioned, inter alia, certain issues in support of their unfounded claim.
1.    The Govt stated about “appropriate legislation for making formula based minimum wages mandatory and applicable” for all. But despite concrete pointers made by the trade unions that such formula should be what has already been unanimously  recommended by the 44th Indian Labour Conference in 2012 and again reiterated by 46th Indian Labour Conference in July 2015 in which the Govt of India is also a party,  the Ministers did not give any concrete commitment on the same. In fact said formulae recommended by 44th ILC in 2012 and reiterated by 46th ILC in July 2015, makes minimum wage around Rs 20000/- at 2014 price level and the Trade Unions demanded only Rs 15,000/. The Ministers’ vague formulation does not ensure even half of that. Is such a position worth consideration?    
2.    On contract workers, the Govt assured that they will be guaranteed minimum wages. What is there to assure except spreading deliberate confusion?  Existing laws of the land lawfully ensures payment of minimum wages to contract workers. The Govt’s statement regarding “sector specific minimum wages for the contract workers” also does not make any sense. The trade unions demanded “same wages and other benefits as regular workers in the concerned industry/establishment to be paid to contract workers.” The 43rd Indian Labour Conference held in 2011 recommended the same and 46th ILC unanimously reiterated the same in 2015, in which, again, the present Govt is a party. How could they deny the unanimous recommendation of the highest tripartite forum in the country like Indian Labour Conference?
3.    The steps taken by the Govt on Labour Law amendments, are meticulously designed to throw out more than 70% of the workers on industries and other establishments from the purview and coverage of almost all basic labour laws and also to eliminate almost all components/provisions of rights and protections of the workers. This was supplemented by more aggressive steps already taken by a good number of state governments to already amend the labour laws in the similar lines. On this issue, the Govt stated only that they will hold tripartite consultation before taking such steps.  The trade unions demanded scrapping of such proposals by the central govt and also not to give assents (through President) to the unilateral amendments made by the state governments. Even in all the tripartite consultations held on some of the proposals of the Govt, the trade unions’ unanimous suggestions has been ignored by the Govt in favour of loud supportive applauds of the employers. Once these retrograde changes in labour laws totally dismantling the rights and protection measures for the workers and also throwing more that 70% of the workers out of the purview of labour laws are enacted, thereby rendering the almost entire working people a right-less entity in their workplace, what would ensure even payment of minimum wage and other social security benefits for them, even if those provisions are improved ?  Can any trade union, worth its name accept such a machination designed to impose conditions of virtual slavery on the working people ?
4.    Despite repeated insistence by all the trade unions, the Govt refused to concede to the demand for recognizing  the Scheme workers, viz., Anganwadi, Mid-day meal, ASHA, Para-teachers and others as “worker” with attendant rights of statutory minimum wages and other benefits in gross violation of the unanimous recommendation of the 45th Indian Labour Conference in 2013, reiterated again by the 46th ILC  in 2015. These workers and all the schemes have been put to further crisis threatening their existance owing to drastic cut in budgetary allocations for those schemes. In such a situation, does the assurance of the Govt to “extend social security measures” and “working out ways” for the same carry any meaning?
5.    On bonus issue, the Govt has assured to revise the eligibility and calculation ceiling to Rs 21000/- and Rs 7000/- respectively from existing Rs 10000/- and Rs 3500/-. Trade Unions’ demand has been that since there is no ceiling on profit, all ceilings in the Payment of Bonus Act should be removed altogether. Trade unions also demanded substantial upward revision of the formula for gratuity calculation and remove the ceiling on gratuity payment. The Govt has negated the demands.
6.    On price rise situation, claim of the Govt that it has gone down does not match with ground reality in respect of commodities for daily necessities of the common people. The demands of the trade unions for putting a ban on speculation/forward trading in essential commodities and services along with universalisation of public distribution system throughout the country have been totally ignored.
7.    Trade Unions demanded stoppage of disinvestment in public sector undertakings playing crucial and supportive role in advancement of the national economy. Govt totally ignored the same, rather has been going on aggressively in disinvestment route  in all the major PSUs much to the detriment of the interest of the country’s economy.  On the demands for stoppage of further FDI in defence, railways and financial sector, the stance of the Govt is continuing to be a total denial. Rather, the Govt has been aggressively pursuing deregulation and privatization in strategic sectors like electricity, Port & Docks, Airports etc in a big way.

There are other issues as well, statement of Govt continued to be totally vague and their claim is unfounded. How can anybody, rather any trade union worth its name can consider above stands taken by the Govt on vital demands of the workers as a positive development and move out from the programme of united strike action ?

Therefore, there is absolutely no reason for reconsidering the decisions of the Central Trade Unions for countrywide general strike on 2nd September 2015. Rather, the situation demands that there should be no vascillation in carrying forward the call for general strike on 2nd September 2015 throughout the country in all sectors of the economy with firm determination.

The Central Trade Unions appeal to all working people irrespective of affiliations to make the call for countrywide general strike against the anti-worker, anti-people policies of Govt a massive success.
                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                              Tapan Sen

                                                                                                                                                      General Secretary CITU
Happy  Raksha Bandhan 

रक्षा बंधन के शुभावसर पर हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं। 


Wednesday, August 26, 2015

7th CPC will submit its report by September end :Justice A K Mathur


Hon'ble Mr. Justice A.K.
Mathur, Former Judge
Seventh Central pay panel to submit report next month
PTI New Delhi, Aug 25:

Seventh Pay Commission set up by the government to revise pay scales of central government employees will submit its report by September end, said its Chairman Justice A K Mathur here today.

The Commission, which was set up by the UPA government in February 2014 to revise remuneration of about 48 lakh central government employees and 55 lakh pensioners, was required to submit its report by August end.

“The Commission will submit its report by the end of September” Justice Mathur told PTI.

The government constitutes pay commission almost every ten years to revise the pay scales of its employees and often these are adopted by states after some modification.


The Commission has already completed discussions with various stakeholders including organisations, federations, and groups representing civil employees as well as Defence Services.

It is now in the process of finalising its recommendations.

The recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission are scheduled to come into effect from January 1, 2016.

The other members of the Commission are Vivel Rae, Rathin Roy and its secretary Meena Agarwal.

The Sixth Pay Commission was implemented with effect from January 1, 2006, the fifth from January 1, 1996 and the fourth from January 1, 1986.

Read at: The Hindu

ଧର୍ମଘଟ ର ଦାବି ସମୁହ ଓ ବୁଲେଟିନ୍

SEVENTH PAY COMMISSION MAY RECOMMEND 

PERMANENT PAY PANEL


The four-member Seventh Central Pay Commission 
team headed by its Chairman Justice A K Mathur (second from right siting).
            New Delhi: The Seventh Pay Commission is likely to recommend the government to form a permanent pay panel to give recommendations to the government from time to time on issues pertaining to pay structure of central government employees.

            The permanent pay panel would recommend regular salary hikes in keeping with the rate of inflation.

            The formation of the permanent pay panel would help raise the salaries and allowances of central government officials and employees, an official of the pay panel said.

            He added the permanent pay panel would recommend salary and allowance hikes in keeping with the rising inflation rate, which will be implemented by the government. “Then it will not be necessary to form a new commission during the next several years for central government employees.”

            However, the Seventh Pay Commission got one month extension to submit its recommendations.

            Accordingly it is expected to submit its report by the end of September. The time allotted for the commission ends this month.

            The government appointed the Seventh Pay Commission on 28 February 2014 under chairman, Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur, with a time frame of 18 months to make its recommendations

            “There are some data points that are missing, which we hope to get by this month end. We are trying to submit the report by 20 September,” the official of the pay panel also said.

            The government’s salary bill will rise by 9.56% to Rs 1,00,619 crore with the implementation of the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission, according to a statement tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on August 12.

            The recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission, is likely to be implemented in April, next year.

PHOTOS OF MEETING OF CONFEDERATION ODISHA STATE C-O-C HELD AT BHUBANESHWAR ON 21&22.08.2015 FOR THE SUCCESS OF NATIONWIDE ONE DAY STRIKE ON 02.09.2015.




Monday, August 24, 2015

REVISION OF FIXED MONETARY COMPENSATION (FMC) TO DELIVERY STAFF AND REMUNERATION TO OTHER STAFF Click here to view details

·         D.G. Posts No. 10-7/2001-PE-II dated 14th August, 2015.

 I am directed to refer to Directorate letters of even number dated 04.09.2002, 20.01.2003 and 24.11.2010 on the above mentioned subject.

2.           The Department has revived a number of references from the staff Associations requesting for upward revision of Fixed Monetary Compensation (FMC) admissible to Postman Staff. A Committee of Senior Officers  was constituted for looking into the issue and the  report of the Committee has been examined  carefully in consultation with Integrated  Finance  Wing  and the Competent Authority has ordered enhancement of the  Fixed Monetary  Compensation (FMC) admissible  to Postmen staff. The details are as under:

S.L. No.
Item
Existing Rate
Revised Rate
(a)
When one Postman performs duty of an absentee Postman by combination of duties.
Rs.50 per day
Rs. 94 per day
(b)
When two Postmen perform duty of an absentee Postman by sharing the beat.
Rs.24 per day
Rs.47 per  day

3.           The Competent  Authority  has also ordered fixation / revision of Holiday/Sunday Monetary  Compensation payable to Postmen  Staff and other  Departmental Staff brought on duty on 2nd consecutive Holiday if three consecutive  holidays occur or duty performed on Sunday as shown under:

Cadre
Item
Existing Rate
Revised
Remarks
Postmen/Sorting Postmen
When duty performed on Holiday/Sunday
Rs.85
Rs.282/- per day for full day duty.
Nil
MTS
When duty performed on Holiday/Sunday
Rs.60
Rs.29/-per hour, subject to maximum of 3 hours
If duty performed above 3 hours, the employee is eligible to claim for 3 hours pay only.
Postal Assistant
When duty performed on Holiday/Sunday
Rs.85
Rs.41/-per hour, subject to maximum of 3 hours
Supervisor
When duty performed on Holiday/Sunday
Rs.85
Rs.47/-per hour, subject to maximum of 3 hours

4.           All other conditions for payment of Fixed Monetary Compensation (FMC) issued vide OM No. 10-23/87-PE-I dated 21.12.1993 and delivery of Unregistered letters on Holidays issued  under 9-25/92-C1 dated 10.09.92 will remain unchanged.

 5.          The expenditure on account of revision has to be met from the allocated funds of the units under the prescribed Head of Account.

  6.         These orders will take effect from the date of issue.

7.           This issues in consultation with the Integrated Finance Wing vide their diary number 118/FA/2015/CS dated 14.08.2015.
                                                                                                                              Sd/-
(Maj)S.N.Dave)

Assistant Director General (Estt.)

Report of Seventh Pay commission might be submitted by second week of September 2015

The Hindi daily Dainik Baskar quoted in its report published on 22.8.2015 about report of Seventh pay commission that the pay commission report will be submitted by second week of September 2015,
According to its report the Seventh Pay Commission report to be submitted to the government will be examined by  the senior CoS, which will take two months. Then it will be submitted to the Ministry of Finance, which will be  implemented from 1st  January, 2016,
According to sources the fitment formula 2.86 would be recommended by 7th pay commission.
The report published in Hindi is given below…

7वें वेतनमान में दोगुना हो सकता है वेतन
सातवें वेतन आयोग की रिपोर्ट सरकार के सौंपे जाने के बाद वरिष्ठ सचिवों की समिति इसका परीक्षण करेगी, जिसमें दो महीने का समय लगेगा। इसके बाद इसे वित्त मंत्रालय को सौंपा जाएगा, जिसे वह अगले साल 1 जनवरी 2016 से लागू करने हरी झंडी देगा, इसे जस का तस मौजूदा वेतन का 2.86 गुना बढ़ाया जाने पर सरकार पर 1 लाख 28 हजार करोड़ रुपए का अतिरिक्त भार आएगा। इधर केंद्रीय अधिकारी कर्मचारियों के संगठन ने सरकार को चेतावनी भी दे दी है कि यदि सेंट्रल-पे- कमीशन (सीपीसी) की रिपोर्ट में ज्यादा कटौती होती है तो वे हड़ताल पर भी जाने का कदम उठा सकते हैं।
सातवें वेतन आयोग से केंद्र सरकार कर्मचारियों की तनख्वाह दोगुनी होने की संभावना है। आयोग की रिपोर्ट सितंबर के दूसरे सप्ताह में केंद्र सरकार को सौंपी जाना है। केंद्र सरकार के 55 लाख कर्मचारियों में से एक लाख मप्र में कार्यरत हैं। नया वेतनमान 1 जनवरी 2016 से लागू होना है। सूत्रों के अनुसार सातवें वेतन आयोग में ग्रेड-पे को खत्म किया जा रहा है, जिसके स्थान पर 15 नए स्केल बनाए जा रहे हैं। इन स्केल में वेतनमान रहेंगे और उस पर महंगाई भत्ता देय होगा। इसी के अनुसार अन्य सुविधाओं मकान भाड़ा और परिवहन भत्ता दिया जाएगा। फिलहाल लागू छठे वेतनमान में कर्मचारियों की 33 साल की सेवा पूरी होने के बाद रिटायरमेंट का फार्मूला लागू है। इसके पीछे कर्मचारियों को रिटायरमेंट पर साढ़े सोलह महीने के वेतन के बराबर ग्रेच्युटी का भुगतान किया जाना है। इस सेवा के बाद कर्मचारी पूरी पेंशन का हकदार होता है। इसे सातवें वेतनमान में भी लागू किया जाना प्रस्तावित है।
अभी सीपीसी की रिपोर्ट सरकार को सौंपी जाना है, उस पर वरिष्ठ सचिवों की समिति विचार करेगी। इसके बाद इसे अंतिम रूप दिया जाएगा। इसमें जो भी विसंगति होगी, उस पर चर्चा करेंगे। – केकेएन कुट्टी, अध्यक्ष, केंद्रीय कर्मचारी परिसंघ
यह है प्रस्तावित स्केल
छठे वेतनमान ग्रेड-पे पे- बैंड (मूल वेतन) सातवां वेतनमान ( प्रस्तावित)
पीबी-1 में 2400 से 2800 रुपए ग्रेड-पे 5200-8650 रुपए तक 21000- 46000 रुपए
पीबी-2 में 4200 से 5400 रुपए ग्रेड-पे 9300- 15600 रुपए तक 56000 – 78000 रुपए
पीबी-3 में 5400 से 7600 रुपए ग्रेड-पे 15600-21900 रुपए तक 88000- 1,20000 रुपए
पीबी-4 में 8900 से 10,000 रुपए ग्रेड-पे 37400-43000 रुपए तक 1,48000 -1,62000 रुपए
एचएजी 75500 से 80,000 रुपए तक 1,93000 रुपए
अपेक्स स्केल 80,000 रुपए फिक्स्ड 2 ,13000 रुपए
कैबिनेट सेक्रेटरी 90,000 रुपए फिक्स्ड 2,40000 रुपए
नोट : फिलहाल अधिकारी-कर्मचारियों को मूल वेतन, ग्रेड-पे पर 113 प्रतिशत डीए, एचआरए एवं ट्रांसपोर्ट अलाउंस मिल रहा है। इसके अलावा 6 प्रतिशत डीए जुलाई का बकाया है।

Source: Dainik Bhaskar

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

OBSERVANCE OF SADBHAVANA DIWAS ON 20TH AUGUST, 2015


Extension of date to 15th October, 2015 for declaration of assets and liabilities under Section 44 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013

 

Seventh Pay Commission seeks one-month extension from finance ministry

The panel headed by A.K. Mathur is unlikely to recommend lowering of the retirement age or push for lateral entry and performance-based pay

Finance minister Arun Jaitley. The Seventh Pay Commission was supposed to submit its report and recommendations to the finance ministry on 31 August. Photo: HT
New Delhi: The Seventh Pay Commission, headed by justice A.K. Mathur, has sought a one-month extension from the finance ministry and is preparing to submit its report by the end of September. The commission is unlikely to recommend the lowering of the retirement age as rumoured earlier or push for lateral entry and performance-based pay.

The commission, set up once in every 10 years to review pay, allowances and other benefits for central government employees, was appointed by the previous government on 28 February 2014 and was asked to submit its report in 18 months, which falls on 31 August.

“There are some data points that are missing, which we hope to get by this month end. We are trying to submit the report by 20 September,” an official of the commission said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Sixth Pay Commission had submitted its report a little ahead of its deadline on 24 March 2008. The revised pay scales were implemented retrospectively starting 1 January 2006, while recommendations relating to allowances were implemented prospectively.

The finance ministry apprehends that salary and pension expenditure will both rise by around 16% in 2016-17 as a result of the implementation of the Pay Commission recommendations. This may allow capital expenditure to grow by no more than 8% during the year, leaving little room to aggressively push for an infrastructure build-up.

“The Pay Commission impact may have to be absorbed in 2016-17. The phase of consolidation, extended by one year, will also be spanning out in this period. Thus, in the medium-term framework, the fiscal position will continue to be stressed,” the finance ministry said in the 2015-16 budget presented in February.

The official cited earlier said the Pay Commission report needs to be effective from 1 January 2016, or by April 2016 at the latest.

“It will be the government’s prerogative when to implement it. But beyond 1 January 2016, there will be arrears. But then, the government will be subject to criticism. Earlier, they had hidden behind Pay Commissions giving late reports,” he added.

However, the official said the commission is likely to maintain the status quo on the retirement age of central government employees, currently 60 years. “We are not going to either recommend lowering or raising the retirement age. If we lower the age limit, the pension burden will bust the government’s medium-term fiscal targets,” he added.

Asked whether government has sent any directives to the commission on the kind of hike it can afford, the official said the message it has got broadly is to keep the hikes low. “Merge the basic with dearness allowance, don’t stretch it beyond—that is the message. But that is a good message for the government to send. But there is no pressure otherwise. In fact, there is a lot of cooperation,” he said.
 
The official said merging basic pay with dearness allowance, which is mandatory, would itself mean a 155% rise for central government employees. “We have to decide how much to give above that. So, it will look good if you compare basic to basic,” he added.
 
On whether the commission will recommend performance-based pay bands, he said it will make some feasible recommendations, though he couldn’t guess if the government would accept them. The Sixth Pay Commission had also recommended performance-based pay revisions, but the government is yet to implement them.
 
“Eighty-eight percent of central government employees are industrial and non-industrial workers working with railways, post, paramilitary and army. So, performance-based pay revision is the wrong instrument for them. Biggest growth in government services is in paramilitary forces, where staffs in Central Reserve Police Force and Central Industrial Security Force have gone up by 75-80% in the last 10 years. By the time we have dealt with them, the bureaucracy is an afterthought. It does not affect anything,” he added.
 
D.K. Joshi, chief economist at rating agency Crisil Ltd, said the government is expected to be restrained in its pay hikes this time around, given the low inflation level and tepid growth momentum. “The last two Pay Commissions had significantly bumped up demand and fiscal deficit. But the government is unlikely to be populist this time. It has already showed restraint in the hike in minimum support prices for farmers,” he said.
 
However, Joshi said the Pay Commission will have a permanent income effect as well as a one-time impact through the payment of arrears, which will lead to increase in demand for consumer durables.