Brief Note on JCM National Council Standing Committee Meeting held on 9th October 2015 at New Delhi.
Dear Comrades,
The Standing Committee of the JCM National Council met on 9th October, 2015. As you are aware, earlier, the National JCA had decided to defer the strike action and organize a massive Dharna programme at Jantar Mantar on 19th November, 2015 to register its strongest protest over the Government’s engineered delay in the submission of the 7th CPC Report. Later, the Finance Ministry has issued a statement asking the 7th CPC to factor into its report the fiscal concern of the Government, which was an unwarranted interference in the independent functioning of the Commission and to pressurise the Commission not to recommend wage rise on the basis of a sound and scientific formulation.
The Staff side on receipt of the invitation to have the meeting on 9thOctober, decided to respond and convey to the Government their strong resentment over the virtual dilution of the negotiating forum as also the above concerns. In the meeting the Staff side was informed that the Secretary Personnel would be meeting the Standing Committee soon and the meeting on 9thwas in fact only a prelude to understand each other’s points of views. It was in the background the meeting was held on 9th October, 2015.
The leader and Secretary, Staff Side conveyed the unanimous decision of the National JCA as under to the Government.
(a) The Standing Committee, as per procedure evolved, must be chaired by the Secretary Personnel.
(b) The JCM Machinery’s functioning should not be diluted.
(c) The promised meeting of the National Council has not taken place so far.
(d) The minutes of the last two meetings of the National Anomaly Committee have not been formally issued.
(e) ‘The Official side Secretary must convene a meeting of the Staff Side to iron out any difference in the draft minutes.’
(f) Normally meetings are held after circulation of the ATS. This has not been done.
(g) The Official Side must convey the anguish of the employees over the delay in the submission of the report by the 7th CPC which they rightly feel has been engineered by the Government. They also pointed out that they are constrained to believe that the Govt. was unnecessarily interfering in the functioning of the Pay Commission.
We give hereunder a brief resume of the discussions held on the agenda items.
After the initial remarks made by the Staff Side all issues in the charter of demands were discussed. There had been however, no final settlement on any issue as the meeting itself was not convened for that purpose. The Staff Side stated that even the promises held out in the last meeting that the Departmental Council meeting would be held soon was not honoured.
On the question of Pay revision related issues, viz. Interim relief, DA merger, inclusion of GDS etc . elaborate discussions were held. It has come out clearly that on all these issues, the Finance Ministry has taken an nugatory Stand, even though the arguments put forth were extremely untenable. It was pointed out by the Staff Side that the Interim relief and DA merger was denied on the specious plea of submission of the report in the stipulated time. Having extended the time, the Govt. ought to have considered the grant of these two demands. There had been a very elaborate discussion on the question of inclusion of the GDS within the purview of the 7th CPC. The Postal Department’s representatives narrated the efforts made by them to the Government for conceding this demands. The Finance Ministry has stood firm and objected to the demand being agreed to. The Staff Side has, in the given situation of the 7th CPC having finalised its report, requested the Government to refer the matter to a Judicial Committee headed by the present Chairman, 7th CPC as he has now been fully apprised of the functioning of various ministries and Departments of the Government through the interaction with the Staff and official sides. No commitment was however made by the Government to the above suggestion.
On the question of induction of FDI in Railways, Corporatisation of Postal Department and Defence organisations, the representative of the Railway Ministry stated that they are constantly discussing the issues with the Railway Federations and was exploring the possibility of reaching an agreement. In the case of corporatisation of the Postal Department, it was stated that the recommendations made by the Committee was discussed with the Federations and it has been agreed that except induction of certain professionals at the managerial level to fine tune the functioning of the Department in the changed scenario, the Federations have been assured that no structural changes would be made without consulting them. However, in the case of Defence, no discussions with the Federations have been held so far.
PFRDA. The Staff Side pointed out the present scenario in the Government offices, where the number of employees and officers who are outside the ambit of the statutory pension scheme has grown and have reached in certain organisations to the extent of 25 to 30%. These employees are extremely concerned of the new scheme and their anguish have been expressed in many forms. The Unions would be compelled to take drastic action if the Government refuses to heed to their plea to effect a relook or revisit on the matter. The representatives of the Railways pointed out that the Honourable Minister for Railways was convinced of the situation and that was the reason why he had written to the Finance Ministry that in the given situation of the Railway functioning, the new scheme would not only jeopardise the interest of the Railwaymen but also of the Railway Industry itself.
On the specific question raised by the Staff side in the last meeting in respect of resolving the issues of Medical Store Deport and the Printing and Stationery department, the Staff Side stated that only the meeting of the Medical Store Depot was held and the issues have been resolved to some extent. The Printing and Stationery Department has now sent a communication to the Staff Side fixing the meeting on 15th October ‘15. The general issues emanating from the policy of outsourcing and contractorisation was also discussed at length
.
JCM functioning had been the central point of discussions. The Staff Side has pointed out that unless the Government makes up its mind that the machinery should be put on operation, no industrial peace would come in the functioning of the various departments of the Govt. of India. The Staff side asked the Department of personnel to collect the information of the number of cases litigated in the courts by the Government employees in 1991 and 2015 and make a comparison to know the seriousness of the problem.
On compassionate ground appointments question, it was stated by the Staff Side that despite advancing no cogent argument by the official side for retaining the 5% ceiling, the Department of personnel does not want to make a relook into the matter. The Staff Side pointed out that large number of applications were pending in various Departments, and the concerned department would not be able to clear them even after 20 years for want of the requisite vacancies. They also pointed out that the decision of the Government to impose the 5% ceiling was amounting to a cruelty imposed on the family members of the Government servants who dies in harness.
The Labour Ministry representative was present at the meeting. The meeting did not discuss the merits and demerits of the labour reforms as the Trade Unions in the country has rightly concluded that it has been conceived to favour the corporate houses and to take away the existing privileges of the workers. The point at issue, however, at the meeting was as to why the Labour Ministry did not cause a consultation with the Industrial Federations in the Government of India, for whom the Industrial Disputes Act is applicable. The Labour Ministry has assured to convene a meeting of the representatives of such organisations soon.
The Labour Ministry representative also stated that the government has agreed to raise the bonus ceiling but it would not be appropriate for him to make a mention of the quantum as the Cabinet is yet to give its clearance. The Government would be able to take a decision in the matter only after the Bihar elections are over.
The Staff Side explained the background of the demand for five promotions. The reaction of the official side was that the matter must be appropriately discussed only after the 7th CPC report is made available.
WORLD POSTAL DAY
9 October 2015 – On World Post Day, the head of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) is highlighting that the future of postal services strongly depends on their ability to innovate and to embrace new technologies.
“From liberalization to privatization and the emergence of competition, the Post has faced many challenges to its survival, but none so daunting as the development of modern information technology,” said Bishar A. Hussein, Director General of the UPU in a message.
“Today, the traditional postal business line – letter post – has been greatly challenged by faster and more efficient ways of communication thanks to advancements in information and communications technologies,” he added.
However, the Director General underlined that successful postal services have taken these challenges as opportunities to innovate and establish new market segments. They understand “that a faster and more efficient communication medium is actually what the Post needs in order to build a new business value chain.”
Mr. Hussein said the message is clear: the survival of postal services hinges on its ability to quickly change and innovate. “Customer expectations, needs and tastes are changing, and the Post must change as well to meet these new demands,” he explained.
Meanwhile, with this realization, the draft World Postal Strategy for 2017–2020 identifies postal industry reform as the key driver. “In its blueprint, Vision 2020, the UPU focuses on innovation, integration and inclusion as the main factors that will drive postal business in the future.”
To achieve innovation, Mr. Hussein said it will be critical to develop digital competencies, along with the relevant regulatory frameworks that will support the new environment. For successful integration, post services will need to build a “seamless network that is connected both virtually and physically,” and that has a local and international presence.
Furthermore, with the adoption in September of the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by all world leaders, UPU’s Director General said postal services today “have an even more relevant role to play as an infrastructure for development.”
“Given its universal nature, the Post is best placed to drive the economic, social, financial and digital inclusion of all citizens of the world,” he stated. “Through its vast network, the Post should target micro, small and medium-sized enterprises as well as the unbanked population as a new business frontier and create appropriate products to support the market.”
He added that achieving success in this area is one of the best ways to ensure the achievement of the SDGs, for the benefit of the global community.
Since 1969, more than 150 countries mark World Post Day each year on 9 October, the anniversary of UPU’s establishment in 1874 in the Swiss capital, Berne.
WOMEN'S WORKSHOP CONFEDERATION
CONFEDERATION OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
EMPLOYEES & WORKERS
REPORT ON THE TWO-DAY ALL INDIA WOMEN’S WORKSHOP
HELD AT HYDERABAD ON 9-10 OF OCTOBER 2015
Mehadi Manzil, Income Tax employees Quarters located at Hyderabad has been the buzz of activity with reverberating assertive voice of the women employees of the various Departments of the Central Government, who congregated from all over the country for a two-day workshop. This workshop is organized under the aegis of Confederation of Central Government employees and workers.
The programme commenced with the hoisting of Confederation Flag by Com. Usha Bonepalli, Chair Person, Women’s Sub-Committee accompanied by com. R. Seethalakshmi, Convenor, Women’s Sub-Committee. Led by Com. M. Krishnan, Secretary General, Confederation all the Secretariat members and women delegates paid floral tributes to Com. S. K. Vyasji and other martyrs.
Inaugural Session on 09-10-2015 commenced with the warm welcome address by Com. V. Nageswara Rao, General Secretary, Confederation of AP and Telangana State. Com. Usha Bonepalli with her thought provoking Presidential address set the tone of the Workshop.
Com. Hemalatha, Convenor, All India Working Women’s Coordination & National Secretary, CITU inaugurated the Workshop with her insightful address on the topic “ Indian Working Class – Challenges and Our Task”. Com. Hemalatha, recapitulating the tremendous success of the nationwide Strike on 2nd September 2015, probed the reasons for relating the demands of the strike by different sections of the society and the working class. The strike call was given by 11 Central Trade Unions, independent Federations and Associations.
The last minute of withdrawal by BMS saying that they are satisfied with the positive response of the Government is most unfortunate. The ground reality on the price rise, the minimum wages, bonus, FDI, contract workers, casual workers is entirely different and there is no positive response from the government. Government is openly and brazenly going ahead with the anti worker policies with increased pace.
The participation of the large sections of the people and workers in the strike gauges the resentment of the people at large and workers and employees in particular. The price rise posed a big threat to the women and common worker. The issue of minimum wage is very important issue for the lakhs of Asha workers numbering one crore are not paid any wage by the Government. They are paid only incentive ranging from Rupees 2000 to 3000. The other demands like Casualization, Contract and Out sourcing, Amendment to Labour Laws, FDI in Railways & Defence etc are the issues which are affecting the employees and common people alike. Com. Hemalatha identifying the connecting factor of all these ills, exhorted the employees to fight against that root cause. The germination of all these demands of the workers is the “policy of the successive governments”. The content of the policy has to be understood and attacked. The names coined to dress these policies are very attractive. The phrases like Structural changes, De-regulation, Empowering, Reform etc are deceptive. These policies originated from the philosophy of neo-liberal economics were implemented by the previous governments and being implemented by the Government of the present day more vigorously are the root cause of the misery of the common people and workers. The Trade unions, which are opposing these policies, are branded as anti-development. The result of implementation of these policies is maximization of profit to the national and multinational corporates and reduction of share of wages, joblessness, casualization and controctorisation of permanent employment pushing the large sections of the society to poverty and insecurity.
The biggest challenge to the working class now is to establish the credentials that it is not anti-development. The perception and vision of the development of the rulers is not in the interest of the majority of the population of this country. The Trade Unions are questioning this lopsided development.
The present day labour laws are not applicable to the 94% of the workforce of this country. Now the present Government wants to even deprive the 6% of the workforce the protection of the labour laws. To tilt the balance in favour of the few industrialists and give them the unchecked power to hire and fire the amendments to the existing labour laws are proposed. The untiring effort of the government to amend the Land Acquisition Act is only to favour the corporates. The proposed amendment of labour laws is intended to ban the strikes with the threat to impose a fine of Rs.25000 to 50000 and jail term for going on strike and for encouraging the strike.
Com. Hemalatha, in her analytical address appealed to the workers and employees to face this challenge by safeguarding the unity in spite of the attempts to divide the workers in the name of religion, region community, caste, gender and language. The unity emerged at the national level, she said that, should percolate to the grass root level. The unity should be achieved by crossing the barriers of organized, unorganized, central, state and private employees. Concluding her speech com. Hemalatha gave a call to the entire women employee to play a larger role in building up such a united movement to safeguard the interest of this country.
The Second lecture is delivered by an eminent and well-known Social Scientist Professor, G. Haragopal, Fellow ICSSR, Tata Institute of Social Sciences and a visiting Professor National School of Law, Bengaluru. His talk is on “Neo-liberal economic model – Women”. In his inimitable way he explained how the assumption of the capitalist philosophy that the human beings are driven by self-interest. They are self centered, egoistic, autonomous is erroneous and more particularly in the case of women. Women gives life, nurtures that life sacrificing everything and by any stretch of imagination women can be called a human being driven by self-interest. He explained how the capitalism rocks the women of her essence, dignity and equality. He thoroughly exposed the hollowness of the assumption of the capitalism that human beings are driven by self-interest etc. In the Capitalism the labour of millions of women is going unrecognized because of the value system. The violence against the women became structural. Patriarchal values extended to work place and harassed and attacked the women dignity. The neo-liberal model has gone one step ahead and defined human being selfish and concern for others come from the weakness of the incomplete human being. It replaced the meaningful life with comfortable life. It has dehumanized the human being. Such philosophy is dangerous and more disasters for women. In that frame work every relationship becomes a commodity. Prof Haragopal very emphatically declared that the neo-liberal economic model is the negation of the essence of human life and hence it has to be discarded. Human beings should work for collectivism and for a better society. Women are by nature humane. They should not only humanize the family but also should act change agents to make the society a better place to live in.
In the afternoon session, Ms. Shyamasundari, Advocate has taken a class on the awareness on the women’s Law. She has explained the various legal provisions and constitutional rights of women.
Com. Mallu Swarajyam, the living legend of Telangana Armed Struggle addressed the women delegates and inspired them. She narrated how the common people including women fought the injustice and atrocities of the landlords, Zamindars and Nizam. She described the valiant fight of the great women Ilamma to protect her four acre land. She exhorted all women to fight the present day exploitation with determination.
The first day session concluded with scintillating street play “Veera Telangana – The Peasants Armed Struggle” by Praja Natya Mandali.
The Second day of the Workshop is presided by Com. Seethalakshimi. She has brilliantly narrated the present day problems of the women and need for participation of women in the union activities.
Com. Girija, Assistant General Secretary, All India Insurance Employees Association has taken class on the topic “Role of Women in Trade Union and Society.” She has narrated how the working women are subjected to discrimination. She told about the absence of Committees at many work places against the Sexual harassment of women. She vividly explained the need for women to jointly fight with men against the anti-employee policies. She emphasized the need for women to take part in the union activities and responsibilities. Com. KKN, Kutty, President addressed the delegates and briefed the latest developments. He stressed the need for making the struggle on the demands of the central government employees a grand success by active participation of the women comrades. In the interactive session all the members of Secretariat of Confederation spoke and greeted the delegates. Women delegates from various states participated in the discussion and expressed their opinion. About 20 delegates addressed the workshop with clarity of thought, conviction and confidence. About 200 delegates attend the workshop. The youngest delegate is 24years of age and the oldest delegate is 59 years of age. The Workshop ended with vote of thanks by Com. Manushi Choudary, Member of Women’s Sub-Committee, NFPE.
The entire proceedings were conducted in a disciplined manner. The enthusiasm shown by the women delegates, their involvement and participation proved that the purpose of the workshop is attained. The Reception Committee made all the arrangements for stay and to conduct the workshop in a serene and congenial atmosphere. It is sure that the Hyderabad Workshop shall be remembered for its rich content, hospitality and brilliant participation for times to come.
(M. Krishnan)
Secretary General
