To
Shri. Narendra Modiji,
Hon’ble
Prime Minister of India,
South
Block,
New Delhi - 110 001.
Respected
Prime Minister,
Sub: Memorandum on the long pending demands of the Central
Government employees - Request for kind
intervention - regarding.
This Memorandum is submitted
with the most fervent hope that the Hon’ble Prime Minister will be condescend
to intercede on our behalf to settle the following long pending issues
agitating the minds of 32 lakhs Central Government employees and 33 lakhs
Central Govt. Pensioners.
1. Scrap New Contributory Pension
Scheme (NPS) and restore Defined benefit Old Pension Scheme (OPS). Guarantee 50% of the last pay drawn as
Minimum Pension.
Government of India has implemented
New Contributory Pension Scheme (NPS) for all Central Govt. employees entering
service on or after 01-01-2004. When
compared to the Old Defined Benefit Pension Scheme (OPS) there are many adverse
factors in the NPS. The monthly pension
amount being received under the Insurance Annuity Scheme under NPS is less than
Rs.3000/- per month, to those NPS employees who had already retired from
service during 2018 and 2019, after completing 14 to 15 years of service,
whereas as per the Old Pension Scheme an employee who completes minimum ten
years qualifying service will get 50% of the last pay drawn as Minimum Pension
which in any case will not be less than Rs.12,000/- for a lowest level employee
(Multi Tasking Staff) with ten years service in Central service. Thus the very principle laid down by the
Hon’ble Supreme Court of India that “Pension is a social welfare measure
rendering socio-economic justice to those, who in the hey day of their life
ceaselessly toiled for the employer on an assurance that in their old age, they
would not be left in lurch”, stands defeated.
Seventh Central Pay
Commission headed by Retired Justice of Supreme Court Shri. Ashok Kumar Mathur,
in its report made the following observations about NPS:
“Almost a whole lot of
Government employees appointed on or after 01-01-2004, were unhappy with the
New Pension Scheme. Government should take a call to look into their
grievances”.
Govt. appointed a
Secretary level committee called “NPS Committee” for streamlining the NPS, but
that committee was not empowered to look into the main demand of the NPS
employees i.e., scrap NPS, restore OPS and guarantee 50% of the last pay drawn
as monthly pension. It is true that as
per the recommendations of the NPS Committee, Govt’s contribution to NPS is
increased to 14% from 10% and some other cosmetic changes are also made in the
NPS Rules. But the basic grievance still
remained unattended and unsettled, as a result uncertainty about the social
security and Pension looms large over the head of every NPS employee, and the
discontentment among the NPS employees (as correctly observed by 7th CPC) is
growing day by day. We request the
Hon’ble Prime Minister to have a relook
into the entire matter, so that NPS will be scrapped and OPS will be restored
and at least 50% of the last pay drawn will be guaranteed under Rules as
Minimum monthly Pension on retirement.
2. Honour the assurances given by Group
of Ministers on 30-06-2016 to National Council (JCM) Standing Committee members
regarding increase in Minimum Pay and fitment factor recommended by Seventh
Central Pay Commission (CPC):
All the
Federations/Unions/Associations in the Central Govt. Employees sector including
Railways, Defence and Confederation had given a call for nationwide indefinite
strike from 11th July 2016, demanding increase in Minimum Pay and Fitment
formula recommended by Seventh CPC and other 7th CPC related issues. A goup of Cabinet Ministers including Shri.
Rajnath Singh, then Home Minister, Shri. Arun Jaitley, then Finance Minister,
Shri. Suresh Prabhu, then Railway Minister discussed the demands with the
leaders of National Joint Council of Action (NJCA) and assured that Minimum Pay
and Fitment formula will be increased and a High Level Committee will be appointed
to submit recommendations in this regard.
The assurances were reiterated by Shri. Rajnath Singh, then Home
Minister on 6th July 2016 in the second round of discussion and Finance
Ministry issued a press statement confirming the assurances. Accordingly, the proposed indefinite strike
call of the NJCA was deferred, taking in good faith the assurances given by the
Group of Ministers. We are sorry to
bring it to the notice of the Hon’ble Prime Minister that even after a lapse of
three years, neither the promised High
Level Committee is constituted by the Govt. nor the Minimum Pay and fitment
formula is increased. The entire
employees feel betrayed. We request the
Hon’ble Prime Minister to take immediate necessary action for implementing the
assurances given by the Group of Ministers.
3. Grant “Option-I Parity” recommended
by the 7th CPC to all Central Government Pensioners.
7th CPC has recommended a new formula
called “Option-1” for refixing the existing pension of Central Government Pensioners
retired prior to 01-01-2016. Government accepted the recommendation in principle and
constituted a Secretary level committee to examine and recommend regarding the feasibility
of implementing ''option-1'' recommended by 7th CPC. The Committee was not,
ready to heed the valid and scientific pleadings made by the staff-side in favour of the
recommendation mode by 7th CPC which is an ''Expert Body'' headed by
retired Justice of Supreme Court,
instead viewed the case with a closed mind and gave recommendation to the
Government that implementation of Option-I is not feasible. Govt accepted the
recommendations of the Secretary Level Committee and rejected ''option-I''
recommended by 7th CPC.
The entire Pension community is very
much aggrieved of the decision of the Government. We request the Hon’ble Prime
Minister to review the case dispassionately, so that the ''option-I party''
recommended by the 7th CPc will be accepted by the Government.
4. Regularisation of Gramin Dak Sevaks
working in Postal Department and casual/contract workers working in all Central
Govt Establishments.
(a) About 2.76 lakhs Gramin Dak Sevaks are
employed in the Postal Department. Govt. appointed a one man committee headed
by retired Postal Board Member Shri Kamalesh Chandra, to examine their wages and service conditions.
The final report submitted by the Committee includes certain positive
recommendations. As abnormal delay took place in implementing the
recommendations of the Report, the entire Gramin Dak Sevaks went on indefinite
strike for 16 days in 2018. Finally Govt issued orders, but many recommendations
are either modified, diluted or rejected, including payment of arrears from
01-01-2016 as per the formula recommended by the Committee, Children education
Allowance, Promotions, etc, etc., We request the Hon’ble Prime Minister to take
a lenient view to rederess the grievances of the low-paid Gramin Dak Sevaks
which includes regularisation of their services and also implementation of the
pending positive recommendations of the Kamalesh Chandra Committee report.
(b) There are thousands of causal/contract
employees and workers engaged in all Central Govt departments and working for
years together. They are not paid equal wages and not extended any benefits of
regular employees. Even after working for more than ten years continuously,
their request for regularisation is not considered favourably. There is no
scheme to absorb them in regular service. We request the Hon’ble Prime Minister
to consider their case sympathetically so that a scheme will be worked out to
regularise all casual/contract workers and extend them all the benefits of
regular employees.
5. Stop
Corporatisation/Privatisation of Railways, Defence and Postal Departments.
Withdraw the orders for closure/reorganisation of Govt. of India Printing
Presses, Geological Survey of India (GSI), Central Public Works Department
(CPWD), Salt Department, Stationery Offices etc.
The no holds barred big
bang reforms unleashed by the Central Government has given rise to an alarming
situation in the Central Government
Departments. The proposed move to
Corporatize Railway Production Centres and allowing private passenger trains,
Corporatisation of Defence Ordinance Factories, Life Insurance and Parcel
Sector of Postal department, closure of Govt. of India Printing Presses,
proposed reorganisation of Salt Department, Geological Survey of India (GSI),
Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Stationary Offices etc. has put in
danger the very existence of various Central Govt. Departments and also the job security of lakhs of Central Govt.
Employees, Gramin Dak Sevaks and Casual/Contract Workers. The present fate of the Telecom Department
which was corporatized in 2000 into different companies is a bitter lesson for
all of us. We request the Hon’ble Prime
Minister to desist from the proposed move to corporatisation, privatisation,
closure and reorganisation of Central Govt. departments.
6. Filling up of seven lakhs vacancies
existing in various Central Govt. Departments:
As per the 7th CPC report (Annexure to Chapter-3) there
are 7,47,171 vacancies in the Central Govt. Departments as on 01-01-2014. More retirements has taken place after
01-01-2014 and now the figure may go upto 8 lakhs. During the period from 2001
to 2008, thousands of posts are abolished in all Departments as per the
downsizing orders issued by the Government in 2001. Only very few posts are filled up after 2014
and most of the Departments are running with 30 to 40% shortage of
manpower. This has resulted in heavy
increase in workload on the existing employees and has adversely affected the
efficiency of all Central Govt. Departments to a great extent. We request the Hon’ble Prime Minister to take
immediate necessary action for filling up all vacant posts in all departments
of Central Government.
7. Revision of Wages from 01-01-2016
and payment of arrears of pay and Bonus from 2016 onwards to the employees of
Autonomous bodies:
We regret to inform the
Hon’ble Prime Minister ,that due to the stringent conditions imposed by the
Finance Ministry, the pay revision from 01-01-2016 and payment of arrears is
still pending in most of the Autonomous bodies under Central Government.
Further they are denied Bonus from 2015-16 onwards. We request the Hon’ble Prime Minister to take
necessary action to redress the long pending genuine grievances of the
Autonomous body employees.
There are other issues
also which is already submitted to the Cabinet Secretary and the Heads of
various Ministries/Departments earlier by us.
We are enclosing herewith a copy of the Charter of Demands containing
the important problems faced by the Central Govt. Employees and Pensioners.
Concludingly, we once
again request the Hon’ble Prime Minister to be sympathetic enough to redress
the grievances mentioned in this memorandum and enclosed Charter of Demands.
With profound regards,
Yours
faithfully,
M.
Krishnan,
Secretary
General,
Confederation.
Mob:
09447068125
Email:
mkrishnan6854@gmail.com
10 Points Charter of
Demands of Confederation
1. Scrap New Contributory Pension scheme
(NPS). Restore Old defined benefit
Pension Scheme (OPS) to all employees.
Guarantee 50% of the last pay drawn as Minimum Pension.
2. Honour assurance given by Group of
Ministers (GoM) to NJCA leaders on 30-06-2016.
Increase Minimum Pay and Fitment formula. Withdraw the proposed move to modify the
existing time-tested methodology for calculation of Minimum wage. Grant HRA arrears from 01-01-2016. Withdraw “Very Good” bench mark for MACP, Grant promotional hierarchy and date of
effect from 01-01-2006. Grant Option-I
parity recommended by 7th CPC to all Central Govt. Pensioners. Settle all anomalies arising out of 7th CPC implementation.
3. Stop corporatization / privatisation of Railways,
Defence and Postal Departments. Withdraw
closure orders of Govt. of India Printing Presses. Stop proposed move to close down Salt
Department. Stop closure of Govt.
establishments and outsourcing.
4. Fill up all six lakhs vacant posts in the
Central Government Departments in a time bound manner. Reintroduce Regional Recruitment for Group B
& C posts.
5. (a) Regularisation
of Gramin Dak Sevaks and grant of Civil servant status. Implement remaining positive recommendations
of Kamalesh Chandra Committee report.
(b) Regularise
all casual and contract workers including those joined on or after 01-09-1993.
6. Ensure equal pay for equal work for
all. Remove disparity in pay scales
between Central Secretariat staff and similarly placed staff working in field
units of various departments.
7. Implement 7th CPC Wage Revision and
Pension revision of remaining Autonomous bodies. Ensure payment of arrears without further
delay. Grant Bonus to Autonomous body
employees pending from 2016-17 onwards.
8. Remove 5% condition imposed on
compassionate appointments. Grant
appointment in all eligible cases.
9. Grant five time bound promotions to all
Group B & C employees. Complete Cadre Review in all departments within a
time-frame.
10. (a) Withdraw
the anti-worker wage/labour codes and other anti-worker Labour reforms. Stop attack on trade union rights. Ensure prompt functioning of various
negotiating forums under the JCM Scheme at all levels.
(b) Withdraw
the draconian FR 56 (j) and Rule 48 of CCS (Pension Rules 1972.
.................
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