NJCA need to Clarify the Doubts over 7th CPC Issues
No clarity in the Press Statements of both Government and NJCA on 7th CPC issues The
six days Drama was come to an end yesterday. After the Union Cabinet
Approved the implementation of 7th CPC Recommendations on 29th June
2016, a Meeting of NJCA leaders held on the next day on 30th June 2016.
After the NJCA Meeting, some Leaders met the Group of Ministers at Home
Minister’s Residence. It is said to be an informal meeting, so no any
official announcement was made by Govt regarding this Meeting. But NJCA
leaders told that GOM assured that they would refer this issue to a
committee to review.
The same day, SRMU has declared that the
Indefinite Strike is postponed based on the Govt assurance. From that
day onwards there was lot of drama going on day to day over the issues
of 7th CPC and Indefinite Strike
As per schedule the NJCA Leaders
met on 6th July 2016 to decide on future course of Action. But the
meeting was ended with a decision to postpone the Strike Action.
Finally, the Six Days confusion come to an end on 6th July after NJCA and Ministry of Finance issued Press Statements. But Still there is no Clarity in these press statements on the following issues. 1. When will Notification for implementation of 7th CPC recommendations be published? 2. When will the CG Employees get 7th CPC salary.? 3. Why all allowances including HRA and TA referred to committee? 4. When will the revised rate of HRA and TA come into effect? 5. Does the NJCA really believe the proposed committee will recommend to increase Minimum Pay and Fitment Factor…? 6. If they believe so, why didn’t they say anything about the date on which the 7th CPC come into force…? 7.
If 7th CPC comes into force from this Month, Does the NJCA believe the
Minimum Pay and Fitment factor will be increased after four months? 8. Do the Govt and NJCA assure No Committee will be formed after four months…? The NJCA has to clarify all these doubts to Central Government employees.
Thursday, 7 July 2016
DATED -
07.07.2016
STRIKE IS DEFERRED, BUT THE STRUGGLE
SHALL CONTINUE
Finally,
the united struggle of 33 lakhs Central Government Employees under the banner
of National Joint Council of Action (NJCA) comprising Railways, Defence and
Confederation has compelled the totally negative and unwilling NDA Government
to negotiate with the staff side leaders. Hon’ble Prime Minister has intervened
and directed three Cabinet Minsters viz. Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh,
Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitly and Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhu to
hold discussion with the NJCA Leaders on 30th June 2016. After
discussing the demands raised in the Charter of demands, the Ministers assured
that a high level committee will be constituted to consider the demands raised
by NJCA especially the demand for improving the minimum wage and fitment formula.
As
no written communication or minutes regarding the assurances given by Group of
Ministers is forthcoming, the NJCA met again and 6th July and
decided to go ahead with the strike decision. Again Home Minister Shri Rajnath
Singh called the NJCA leaders for discussion on 6th July and
reiterated the assurances already given on 30th June and stated that
the Finance Minister will issue a press statement on 6th July itself
confirming the assurances given by the Group of Ministers. It was further
assured by the Minister that the proposed High level committee will submit its
recommendations to Government within a time frame.
Accordingly,
the Government issued the press statement and after detailed deliberations the
NJCA unanimously decided to defer the indefinite strike till the committee
finalizes its report. The press statement of the NJCA and the Government are
attached.
The representatives of the employees
unions had earlier conveyed to the Centre that they did not want it to
approve the CPC's recommendations on allowances without examining them
further
The representatives of the employees
unions had earlier conveyed to the Centre that they did not want it to
approve the CPC's recommendations on allowances without examining them
further
The representatives of the employees
unions had earlier conveyed to the Centre that they did not want it to
approve the CPC's recommendations on allowances without examining them
further The government on
Wednesday said the concerns raised by central government employees’
unions on the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission would be
examined by a high-level committee of secretaries.
Representatives from various unions met Home Minister Rajnath Singh,
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu on June
30. “They had requested that certain issues related to the pay scales
and other recommendations of the Pay Commission to be raised before a
committee of secretaries looking into grievances of employees,” a
statement said.
“The ministers assured the union leaders that the issues raised by them would be considered by a high level committee,” it said.
On June 29, Jaitley had said that a committee under Finance Secretary
Ashok Lavasa would be set up to examine the suggestions of the Seventh
Pay Commission on allowances. Of 196 allowances, the CPC report had
recommended abolition of 52 altogether and subsuming of another 36 into
larger existing ones.
The government’s statement did not clarify whether this committee is the high level panel it spoke of.
Government
assures Representatives of Unions representing employees of the Central
Government that the issues raised by them relating to the pay scales
and other recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission would be considered
by a High Level Committee
Representatives
of Unions representing employees of the Central Government had met the
Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh, the Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley
and the Minister for Railways Sh. Suresh Prabhu in the evening of 30th
June, 2016.
They had requested that certain issues raised by
them in relation to the pay scales and other recommendations of the Pay
Commission be allowed to be raised before a Committee of Secretaries
looking into different aspects of grievances of employees in relation to
the Pay Commission recommendations.
The Ministers assured the
Union leaders that the issues raised by them would be considered by a
High Level Committee.
CHENNAI, July 5, 2016
Updated: July 5, 2016 07:51 IST
NJCA defers indefinite strike
The National Joint Council of Action (NJCA), an umbrella
organisation comprising various Central Government employees’ unions,
has temporarily postponed the indefinite strike scheduled from July 11
after Prime Minister Narendra Modi formed a committee of Ministers to
negotiate with union leaders on their demands.
NJCA
convener (South Zone) N. Kanniah said even as the Cabinet approved the
7th Pay Commission, representatives of various unions, including the All
India Railwaymen Federation, decided to go ahead with the proposed
strike demanding a minimum pay of Rs. 26,000.
The
claim that the government was giving a 14.28 per cent hike in pay was
false since the calculations revealed an increase of only 11.31 per
cent, which would further decline to 4.51 per cent after deductions
towards provident fund and pension scheme contributions.
Mr.
Kanniah, who is also the general secretary of Southern Railway Mazdoor
Union, said the unions were opposed to privatisation and foreign direct
investment in Defence, Railway etc.
“Since the Prime
Minister has intervened and initiated the process of negotiation, we
have decided to temporarily postpone the indefinite strike. The NJCA
will make sure that the genuine demands of the employees are met with,”
he said.
The railway ministry has warned employees that if they go on strike
as planned on July 11 to protest against the recommendations of the 7th
Central Pay Commission (CPC), they could risk punitive action, including
dismissal from job, imprisonment and fines.
In a letter, the ministry's apex decision-making body — the Railway
Board — has referred to relevant provisions of the Railway Servants Act
to remind all railway offices to take appropriate steps in view of the
proposed strike by central government employees, including railway
workers, according to the Mint.
"Rule 237 of the code stipulates that whole time of a railway servant
is at disposal of the government, which pays him. Therefore, if any
railway servant willingly flouts this condition of service, then the
services are liable to be terminated after following the due procedure,"
the daily reported.
Last week, railway employees had staged a protest in Bidar,
Karnataka, over what they call "eye wash" in the name of salary hike
recommended by the 7th CPC.
"The much hyped pay commission report is an eye wash...the net result
is that we are getting less money than we could be getting after the
sixth pay commission,'' Ramesh Kumar, the south central railway
employees union Bidar unit president, told the Hindu.
Meanwhile, a message doing the rounds among Central government
employees suggests that the hike at the entry level is around Rs. 500
per month, after accounting for statutory deductions.
Various trade unions had announced an indefinite strike on July 11 to protest over the pay hike, in the 7th Pay Commission, which was declared last week. Following the threat, the central government is "considering" increasing the minimum pay, Mint reported.
Central government employees who were disappointed with the minimum salary set at Rs. 18,000 in the seventh pay commission are demanding that the minimum salary be set at Rs. 26,000.
"They have fixed the minimum wage at a meagre Rs. 18,000 in the 7th Pay
Commission. In the last pay commission, the basic pay was Rs. 7,000.
They multiplied it by 2.57 (according to the fitment formula) and came
to Rs. 18,000. We are demanding 3.68 fitment formula," Shivgopal Mishra,
General Secretary of National Joint Council of Action (NJCA), which is a
confederation of several government staff unions was quoted as saying
by Indo-Asian News Service (IANS).
According to sources quoted by the agency, the central government is
considering increasing the minimum pay up to Rs. 20,000 and has
indicated that the Rs. 26,000 figure demanded by the associations is not
feasible.
"Increasing the minimum pay upto Rs. 26,000 as demanded by the
employees union is not feasible in the present situation but the
government is trying to find a way out," a government official was
quoted as saying by IANS seperately.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and railway minister Suresh Prabhu reportedly met the representatives of employee unions late on Thursday and have assured them that their demands will be looked into.
"Three top ministers called us and we met at Rajnath Singh's house for two hours till 11pm last night. We have been assured that the minimum wage issue is going to be referred to one of two committees that the government is setting up to rectify any anomalies in the pay commission recommendations' implementation," Mishra was quoted as saying by Mint.
The NJCA council claims a membership of 3.3 million and this includes workers of Indian Railways as well.
However, with the assurance of the government of looking into the matter, the trade unions remain divided on whether to go ahead with the strike as planned on July 11, or to call it off. The unions would meet again on July 6 to decide the further course of action.
[1 lakh = 1
