ALL India RMS & MMS Emp. Union Gr.`C` CHQ congratulate all the RMS / MMS, Postal Employees including GDS who participated in the 7th September 2010 historic General Strike.

RMS & MMS Employees observed 100% strike in Assam, Kerela, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal Circles, 95% in M.P. Orissa Circles, 80% Maharastra, A.P., Bihar and Tamilnadu Circles and less than 50% in Delhi, UP, Jharkhand , Haryana and Punjab Circles.

About 6 Crores workers, Employees & Teachers participated in the Strike.

This is one of the biggest strike in the post independent India.We salute all those who made the strike a grand success

Giri Raj Singh
General Secretary

DEPARTMENT ISSUED ORDERS REGARDING CLARIFICATION OF GRADE PAY TO BE ALLOWED TO SKILLED ARTISANS WORKING IN MMS WORKSHOPS IN RESPECT OF FINANCIAL UPGRADATIONS UNDER NEW MACP SCHEME.

No.4-7MACPS/2009/-PCC
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS & IT
DEPARTMENT OF POSTS
PAY COMMISSION CELL
Dated: 31.8.2010

To,
The Chief Postmaster General
Maharashtra Circle,
Mumbai-440001

Sub: Clarification regarding grade Pay to be allowed to Skilled Artisans working in MMS Workshops in respect of financial upgradations under New MACP Scheme.

Please refer to your office letter No.STA/10-35/MACPS\I,II,/MMS-2009 Dated 31-05-2010the subject mentioned above.

2. The issue has been examined in this office and I am directed to clarify that “Induction to the cadre of Skilled Artisan Grade-III) is in the pre-revised scale of Rs.3050-4590 (revised Pay Band of Rs. 5200-20200 with Grade Pay of Rs. 1900). As per the promotional scheme 70% of Skilled Artisan remain in Pay Band Rs. 5200-20200 (PB-1) with Grade Pay Rs.1900 and designated as Artisan Grad-III. 15% Artisans are placed in Pay band Rs.5200-20200 (PB-1) with Grade Pay of Rs. 2400 and are designated as Artisan Grade –II and remaining 15% are placed in Pay Band Rs.5200-20200 (PB-1) with Grade Pay of Rs. 2800 and are designated as Artisan Percentage Pre-revised scale(5th CPC) Revised Scale(6th CPC)
Artisan Grade-III 70% 3050-4590 5200-20200+G.P.1900
Artisan Grade-II 15% 4000-6000 5200-20200+G.P.2400
Artisan Grade-I 15% 4500-7000 5200-20200+G.P.2800

The new MACPS effective from 01.09.2008 allows three financial upgradations counted from the direct entry on completion of 10, 20 and 30 years service. The scheme envisaged merely placement in the immediate nest higher grade pay in the hierarchy of the recommended revised pay grade and grade pays as given in Section I Part A of the first Schedule of CCS(RP) Rules,2008. Thus Artesian Grade-III in Pay Band of Rs. 5200-20200 (PB-1) on rendering 10 years continuous service in the grade pay of Rs. 1900 becomes eligible for fu\arts financial upgradation under MACPS to grade pay of Rs.2000 only in case he does not get promoted on regular basis to the Grade Pay of Rs.2400 as Artisan Grade-II.

In case , Artisan Grade –III not get financial upgradation / regular promotion, he will get Grade Pay 2000, Grade Pay 2400 and Grade Pay 2800 under MACP-I,MACP-II & MACP-III respectively. If an Artisans Grade-III gets two regular promotions to Grade-II & Grade-I, he will get 3rd MACP in the Grade PayRs.4200.”

Sdxxx
(Surender Kumar)
Assistant Director General (GDS/PCC)

Introduction of a new Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS) for the Gramin Dak Sevaks working in the Department of Posts.


No.6-11/2009-PE-II
Government of India
Ministry of Communications & IT
Department of Posts
(Establishment Division)
Dak Bhawan, Parliament Street
New Delhi-110001
1st September 2010

All Chief Postmaster General
Postmaster General
General Manager (Finance)
Directors of Accounts (Postal)

Sub: Introduction of a new Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS) for the Gramin
Dak Sevaks working in the Department of Posts.

Sir/Madam,

You may be aware that the Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA) has launched a New Pension Scheme called NPS-Lite for the benefit of Common man and workers in unorganized sectors. Using the same platform of NPS-Lite, a proposal for introduction of Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS) for the benefit of the Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS), working in this Department, on monthly contribution basis (from Department’s side only) has been under examination and consideration in this Department for quite some time. The Proposal has been approved by the Government for introducing Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS) for the Gramin Dak Sevaks in the Department of Posts, throughout the country. This scheme will, however, be offered in lieu of the existing Severance Amount scheme on an optional basis for the existing Gramin Dak Sevaks while it will be mandatory for the new Gramin Dak Sevaks entering into the service with effect from 1-1-2011. The existing scheme of payment of Ex-gratia Gratuity to the Gramin Dak Sevaks shall, however continue of the existing terms and conditions without any change,

2. The salient features of the proposed Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS)
are as under:

ELIGIBILITY TO JOIN THE SDB SCHEME

All regularly appointed Gramin Dak Sevaks, who have been selected after due process in accordance with the Service & Employment Rules and after rendering one year’s satisfactory service, are eligible to join the scheme. The existing Gramin Dak Sevaks who are left with three years or less service as on 01-01-2011, shall not be eligible to join the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS).

OPTION FOR THE EXISTING INCUMBENTS
The existing regularly appointed Gramin Dak Sevaks on the date of notification of the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS), shall have option either to switch over to the new Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS) or to continue in the existing Severance Amount Scheme. In case they opt to join the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS), the Severance amount accrued till the date of their joining, @ Rs.1500 for every completed year of service till their enrolment will be added to the accumulated contributions at the time of discharge for annuitization.

NEW ENTRANTS

The New Gramin Dak Sevaks, appointed on or after the date of introduction of the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS), shall mandatorily have to get themselves enrolled under the new Scheme (SDBS). The will not be entitled to receive the benefit of severance amount.


CONTRIBUTION

Only the Government shall contribute @ Rs.200 per month for each enrolled Gramin Dak Sevak. The Gramin Dak Sevaks shall not be required to make any contribution from their side under the scheme. The contributions made by the Department shall be credited to the Trustee Bank designated by the Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA) and invested through Pension Fund Managers(PFMs) designated by the PFRDA.

However, no such contribution/subscription shall be made by the Department in respect of the Gramin Dak Sevaks, who are placed ‘Put off” duty or unauthorizedly absent. Similarly, the provisionally appointed Gramin Dak Sevaks or substitutes engaged for leave periods of the regular GDS, etc., are also not eligible for joining the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS).

ON APPOINTMENT/ABSORPTION OF A GRAMIN DAK IN A REGULAR DEPARTMENTAL POST

The Gramin Dak Sevaks, who are enrolled under this Service Discharge Benefit Scheme(SDBS), on their absorption/appointment in the Department against any regular Departmental posts, shall have to quit the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS) and to seek transfer of the accrued accumulations under the SDBS till their date of absorption/regular appointment to a Departmental posts, to their new account under the New Pension Scheme for Departmental employees, already in existence, for which he/she shall become eligible on such regular appointment to a Departmental post. Such transferred funds/accumulations shall then be regulated / invested under the New Pension Scheme.

NODAL AGENCY

The pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority (PFRDA) is the Nodal Agency and Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) appointed by the PFRDA will maintain the data/records as well as upload/transmit the data to the Trustee Bank and also advise the Trustee Bank to transfer the funds to the relevant Pension Fund Manager (PFM) for investment purposes.

ENROLMENT AND ASSIGNING PERMANENT RETIREMENT ACCOUNT NUMBER (PRAN)

(iii) The Gramin Dak Sevaks opting to come under the new
Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS), shall have to submit an application in the prescribed proforma for their enrolment in the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS). Such applications for enrolment will be sent to the Postal Divisional Office concerned by the Sub Divisional Inspector/ASPOs., duly attested and verified as required.

(ii) The Divisional Heads (Director / Sr./Supdt. of Post offices
will collect all such applications, and ensure that the applications are complete in all respects and forward them to the Central Record Keeping Agency’s (CRA) Facilitation Centers for enrollment and issue of digitized card containing inter alia Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN) for Gramin Dak Sevak concerned. The list of Facilitation Centres of Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) is attached, to which the Applications of Gramin Dak Sevaks who opt to join the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS), are to be sent,

(iii) The Gramin Dak Sevaks opting for enrollment under the new SDBS, shall also be requited to open a Savings Bank Account in the concerned Post Office and the particulars of such SB Account shall be furnished in the relevant columns of the application form by the GDS.

EXIT FROM THE SERVICE DISCHARGE BENEFIT SCHEME(SDBS)

(i) A Gramin Dak Sevak, if he so wishes to exit at any point
of time after attaining the age of 58 years, he can withdraw 20% of the accumulations and has to invest the 80% of accumulations for purchase of Life Annuity from any of the Life Insurance Company authorised by Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority (IRDA) The Department shall not make further contributions once he exits from Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS)

(ii) At the time of discharge from service also, the Gramin
Dak Sevak would be required to invest a minimum of 40% of accumulations to purchase a Life Annuity from any of the authorised Life Insurance Company duly approved by the Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority (IRDA). The remaining amount i.e. 60% of the accumulations can be withdrawn.

(iii) However there shall be no restriction on purchase of life
annuity exceeding 40% of their accumulations in the fund. In other words, the Gramin Dak Sevak, discharged on completion of his services may invest in the Life Annuity even more than the minimum required 40% if he/she so desires.

DISMISSAL/FEMOVAL FROM SERVICE

If a Gramin Dak Sevak enrolled as a member of Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS) is removed/ dismissed from service in consequence of a disciplinary proceeding, he forfeits his past service and benefits of the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS). On the other hand, the Department reserves the right to claim refund of the contributions made in respect of such Gramin Dak Sevak till his date of dismissal/ removal and to credit it to the Government accounts. He will also be not entitled to receive the Severance Amount and Ex-Gratia Gratuity if otherwise were admissible to him/her.

CHARGES FOR DIGITIZATION AND ANNUAL SERVICING CHARGES

The Department will bear the cost of preparation of digitized cards and also Annual Service Charges of the accounts of enrolled Gramin Dak Sevaks in the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS).


3. The following course of action is required to be taken before launching and notifying the scheme.

Step-1

1)Obtaining options from the existing Gramin Dak Sevaks. Those who have opt to join the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS), they have to submit on application form for registration (NL SL). The Divisional Heads (Sr./Superintendent of Post Offices) will circulate the scheme amongst all the regularly appointed Gramin Dak Sevaks and obtain options in the prescribed format and also applications from those who opt to join the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS). The Sub-Divisional Inspectors and Assistant Superintendent of Post Offices have to be made responsible for disseminating the information and also helping the Gramin Dak Sevaks in filling the option form and also the application for registration.
1) For the Gramin Dak Sevaks Mailman working in RMS units, they will be attached to the designated Postal Division for purposes of collection centers. The concerned Divisional Heads of RMS units shall obtain the Applications from the opted GDS Mailman and forward them to the designated Postal Unit for consolidation and for onward submission to the Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) Facilitation Centre.

2) The options of Gramin Dak Sevaks who do not intend to join the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SBDS) have to be filed separately in a Guard File at Divisional Offices for reference at the time of discharge/ death for payment of severance amount.

3) The Divisional Heads (Director / Sr./Superintendent of Post Offices) have also to obtain applications in prescribed format from the new entrants of Gramin Dak Sevaks who have been recruited on or after the date of introduction of Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS) (after rendering one year service) and send the same to the concerned Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) after due verification of Customer details for Registration and issue of digitized card.

Step-2

All the Postal Divisional offices (Senior Superintendent of Post offices) are required to enroll as Collection Centres (NLCC) and every Postal Division has to submit an application form in the format (NL N3) for registration with Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) of Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA). These applications for registration have to be sent to concerned Director of Accounts (Postal) (designated accounting authority) for attestation by 15.09.2010

Step-3

All the Directors of Accounts (Postal) are designated as Accounting Authorities and Aggregator Offices. They have to register as Aggregator Offices (NLAO) by submitting an application in the prescribed form (NL N2). This application form (NL N2) along with applications of Collecting Centres (NLCC) received from Divisional Heads (Senior Superintendent of Post offices) after due attestation have to be submitted to Directorate by 25-09-2010

Step-4

The Postal Directorate will be the Overseeing office and it will register with Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) by submitting an application in form (NLOO). The applications of Collection Centres (NLCC) and Accounts Offices (NLAO) shall be consolidated and sent to Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) by the Directorate for purpose of registration.

4. The salient features of the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS) as detailed above along with specimen format of application (NL SL) and Collection Centers (NLCC) should be sent to all the Divisional Heads (Sr./ Superintendent of Post Offices) for circulation amongst the Gramin Dak Sevaks working in their Divisions and directing them to submit an option on or before 30.09.2010. Option format is enclosed.

5. If the Gramin Dak Sevaks fail to submit their options by the prescribed date, they will be deemed to have opted to continue in the existing Severance Amount scheme. Option exercised once shall be final and cannot be revised at any later date. For the Gramin Dak Sevaks mailman working in the RMS units, the option will be obtained from them by the concerned Divisional Head (Director / Sr./ Superintendent of RMS) and send the applications in NLSL format after due authorization to the designated Postal Division.

6. The Gramin Dak Sevaks who opt for the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS) have to submit their applications in the format NL SL filling the same and submit to Divisional Superintendent of Post Offices for verification of the customer details and for authentication and certification. The Gramin Dak Sevaks opt to join the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme(SDBS) will have to open a Savings Bank Account in the concerned Post Office and the particulars of the Account Number have to be mentioned in the respective columns of application. The applications received from the Gramin Dak Sevaks have to be sent to concerned Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) Facilitation Centers for registration, assigning and generation of Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN) and issue of digitized cards to the enrolled Gramin Dak Sevak subscribers. The list of Facilitation Centres of Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) duly mapped Division-wise to which the applications are to be sent for each Circle is enclosed. It should be ensured that, the applications are properly verified and sent in bundles to the designated Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) facilitation centre. Each bundle has to contain 50 applications with an inventory indicating the name of Gramin Dak Sevaks, designation etc.

7. Before launching the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS) and issuing formal notification by the Directorate, all the Divisional Heads (Director /Sr./Superintendent of Post offices) will designate a Nodal Officer for this purpose for obtaining options and collection of applications in format NL SL and for registration of Collection Centers (Divisional Office).

8. The following documents are enclosed:

1) Options format to be obtained from Gramin Dak Sevaks
2) Subscriber’s registration form (NL S1)
3) Collection Centers Registration Form (NLN3)
4) Account Offices Registration Form (NLN2)
5) List of Facilitation centres of Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) for sending filled in application forms by Divisions.

9. Time Schedule for completion of the process prescribed is as below:

Sl.No.
Course of action
Time Schedule by which action to be completed.
1. Collection of Options from Gramin Dak Sevaks & Obtaining applications from willing Gramin Dak Sevaks to join Service Discharge Benefit Scheme(SDBS)
30-09-2010
2. Despatch of Applications obtained from Gramin Dak Sevaks to the concerned facilitation centres of Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) by the Divisional offices.
10-10-2010
3. Dispatch of Application form NL-CC by Divisional heads to concerned DA(P)
15-09-2010
4. Despatch of completed and authorised NL-CC Application and NL-AO applications to Directorate by DAP
25-09-2010

10. The Circle Office will also designate a Nodal officer for overseeing the above activity and for interacting with the Directorate. After the expiry of last date fixed for obtaining applications, the Circle office will collect the information from the respective divisions and forward the compliance report in the following format to reach Directorate by 10-10-2010.

Sl.No.
Name of Division
No. of Gramin Dak Sevks opted for joining the Service Discharge Benefit Scheme(SDBS)
No. of Gramin Dak Sevaks opted for continuing in the severance amount scheme.
No. of Gramin Dak Sevaks who have not submitted options but deemed to have opted to continue in the severance amount scheme.

11. The General managers(FA)/Director of Accounts Posts will be also designate a Nodal officer for obtaining the applications from the postal divisions (Collection centre) and for forwarding the applications after due outhorization along with the application of DAP in form NL—AO to Directorate by 25-09-2010 positively.

12. The formal notification for introducing Service Discharge Benefit (SDBS) Operating and accounts Procedure will be issued separately. The contributions for opted Gramin Dak Sevaks will be done only after issue of formal Notification and issue of instructions from Directorate.

13. The receipt of this letter may kindly be acknowledged to the ADG (Establishment).

Yours faithfully,


(A.K. Sharma)
Dy. Director General (Estt)

DISCHARGE BENEFIT SCHEME (SDBS) FOR THE GRAMIN DAK SEVAKS

The department has released orders on discharge benefits scheme which is in lieu of pensionary benefits and the existing severance amount scheme. This scheme is optional for the existing GDS employees and compulsory for those entering into service from 1.1.2011.The GDS who are left with only three years or less service shall not be eligible. For opted to new scheme, the severance amount @ Rs.1500 per annum for every completed years of service will be added to the accumulated contributions at the time of discharge for annuitization. Govt shall contribute Rs200/- and no recovery from GDS. The contributions shall be credited to the Trustee bank designated by the PFRDA. Not eligible during Put off periods, Provisional appointments and substitutes. On promotion, the accumulations shall be transferred under New Pension Scheme. On attaining the age of 58,the GDS can withdraw 20% of the accumulations. At the time of discharge 60% will be paid. 40% shall be invested for purchase a Life Annuity from Insurance Company. On removal & dismissal no amount will be paid. Option should be given before 30.9.2010.

Finance, Labour Ministries Lock Horns over
NPS and EPF

Whether or not a part of an estimated Rs 5 lakh crore of provident fund should be invested in stock markets has become a bone of contention between the ministries of Labour and Finance.While the Finance Ministry wants Labour Ministry to work on investing about 15 per cent of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) money in stock markets for better returns without taking the issue to the PF trustees, the latter has decided to do otherwise.Whereas the EPFO commands a corpus of Rs 3 lakh crore, other provident funds, which follow the Fund's investment pattern, have another Rs 2 lakh crore.In a letter to Labour Secretary P C Chaturvedi, Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla referred to the changes by EPF schemes earlier without any discussion in the Central Board of Trustees (CBT) and said, "it (Labour Ministry) can take a similar view on the issue of investment pattern."However, the Labour Ministry has forwarded the letter to EPFO to take a view on the matter.CBT is an apex decision making body for EPFO and is likely to meet on September 10 to take up the issue.

The Finance Ministry wants the Labour Ministry to follow investment pattern notified by it, which provides for up to 15 per cent of the corpus in stock markets.However, CBT's advisory body Finance and Investment Committee (FIC) on Wednesday stuck to its stand against investment of EPFO money into stock markets--either in shares or indices.In his letter, Chawla sought to remind the Labour Ministry that it used to adopt the investment pattern notified by the Ministry of Finance for many years."However, the Ministry of Labour has not adopted the investment pattern notified by the Ministry of Finance in January, 2005 and November, 2008 and investment pattern of the Labour Ministry continues to be the same which was earlier notified in July, 2003," the letter said.Favouring the stand of no investment in stock markets, EPFO said at the FIC meeting yesterday that while investment in stock markets is subject to market volatility, "there is no risk of capital erosion in the case of EPF investments."It also countered Finance Ministry's claim that the New Pension System (NPS), which has an option to invest in stock markets, is giving better returns than EPF.The Finance Secretary said in his letter that while NPS for central government employees could generate a weighted average investment return of 14.82 per cent for the central government employees in 2008-09, EPF is giving only 8.5 per cent returns to its subscribers for many years.The EPFO has been giving 8.5 per cent returns to its subscribers since 2005-06.Countering Chawla's views, EPFO said the income earned on EPF investments are actually realised, while the returns declared in NPS are notional and subject to market conditions.This is so because, said EPFO, the returns generated under NPS are based on net asset value while the returns declared by EPFO are based on actual coupon received on its investments.

STILL NOBODY ENTERS GOVT SERVICE AFTER 1.1.2004 KNOWS THE BALANCE IN THEIR PENSION FUND ACCOUNTS AND THE FATE OF THE FUNDS COLLECTED EVERY MONTH REGULARLY. THEY ARE STILL HAVING THE DOUBT WHETHER THE AMOUNT RECOVERED FROM THEM OVER SIX YEARS WILL FETCH ANY INTEREST. NO SETTLEMENT WAS MADE TO THOSE WHO RESIGNED FROM SERVICE ON THEIR PENSION FUND ACCUMULATION. PATHETIC SITUATION. IN BETWEEN MUCH CONFUSION ABOUT THE SCHEME AND FUNDS UTILIZATION AMONG THE MINISTRIES.

SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF POST’S STATEMENT ABOUT CABINET CLEARANCE OVER 1800 CRORES FOR IT & MODERNISATION OF POSTAL SERVICES ON 27.8.2010 NOW APPEARS IN THE NEWSHEAD

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the IT Modernization Project – Phase-II proposal of the Department of Posts. The decision is to computerize all the Departmental and Grameen Dak Sevak (GDS) posts offices in the country. The approval has also been accorded for creation of IT infrastructure including establishment of Data Centre, Networking of the Departmental post offices, development of scalable, integrated and modular software for all the operations of the Department of Posts. The Project will be implemented over a three year period covering 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13. The total expenditure involved in this project will be Rs.1877.20 crore and it will cover all the Post Offices throughout the country in all the State and Union Territories. The Department of Posts will be floating tenders for procurement of hardware and development of software. Pilots will be held in rural and urban post offices. The final roll out will be completed by September 2012. Handheld devices will be provided to all the Grameen Dak Sevak (GDS) Post Offices in the rural areas and necessary software application developed. Banking solution will be implemented for the Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) scheme. Software Integration solutions will be developed for mail operations enabling tracking solutions for all registered and Speed Post articles. The Postal Life Insurance services will be available in all the Post Offices including rural post offices in the country through computers and rural ICT devices. Comprehensive training will be given to staff in Customer relations, application, IT management and system training skills. Background: The Post Office presently handles 654 crore pieces of mail annually. POSB has a corpus fund of Rs.5,63,000 crore. Significant trends like liberalization and globalization; urbanization, increased demand for financial services, increased funding by government for weaker sections and rural sector, make it imperative that India Post develop new processes and supporting technology.

Source : Press Information Bureau

ORGANISE EFFECTIVELY TO MAKE THE 7.9.2010 STRIKE A GRAND SUCCESS

The CHQ is in receipt of many phone calls about the participation of other unions in the proposed General strike organized by all the Central Trade Unions including INTUC on 7.9.2010. The Postal JCA is formed and functioning for the common focus of general problems confronting the postal employees that does not mean that we can insist the others to join the strike for the common cause. That is their prerogative. We cannot reply or respond to the questions that why they have not participated even though INTUC in which it was affiliated has given the call to join the mass action against the wrong policies of the Govt on labour policies.So far we are concerned, we are having certain convictions, policies and age old adopted norms. Right from Dharwad Federal council 1992, we are part and parcel of the massive actions of the workers movement and we are participating. When Confederation of CG employees endorsed the call and the Federation also decides to carry out the direction, it is our responsibility to make the strike a grand success. We are not depending on any one to carry out our own programme.All Circle/Divisional/Branch Secretaries are requested to mobilize the members in full swing duly translating the justification of our demands in their local language. The notes circulated by the Confederation on the charter of demands are reproduced hereunder for the effective canvassing.LET US GLORIFY THE STRIKE WITH OUR FULL PARTICIPATION1. On price rise and the PDS.The Economic crisis in nineties caused primarily by the indiscriminate borrowings indulged in by the Government of India especially from the world bodies like IMF and the adherence to their conditionality’s created a conducive climate for the proponents and champions of market economy to advocate the globalization path of economic development. The State began to withdraw itself from various sectors and the least governance was considered as the virtue and synonym for good governance. In other words, the Government withdrew itself from the concept of welfare governance and opted for faster economic development through privatization, liberalization and globalization. The agony and misery of common multitude, the consequence of adoption of market economy was considered by the rulers as the price to be paid in the process. The various subsidies provided to ensure that the essential commodities needed for human existence is made available to the common people was treated as profligacy and concerted efforts were made to cut them drastically in budget after budget presented to the Parliament. The media both print and electronic which had gone into the hands of large corporate houses by then propagated the liberalization and globalization policies to the hilt and inside the Parliament various legislations were moved and enacted by the ruling class supported by the dominant opposition parties, with the sole exception of the Left parties.The Working class organizations except those affiliated to INTUC and BMS realizing the dangerous impact on the lives of the common people decided to oppose the neo-liberal economic policies by strike and other demonstrative actions. Between the period 1991 and 2008, the sponsoring committee of Central Trade Unions along with the different Federations of employees organized strike actions on 12 occasions which indeed made deleterious impact over the pace with which the Indian ruling class wanted to usher in these policies. Not only the common people, but also the intellectual and the middle class had to admit albeit reluctantly that but for the consistent opposition of the left parties and the working class organizations, the global financial crisis that engulfed the American and European Continents and many other parts of the world would have destroyed the Indian economy. To tide over the ripple it created in the Indian Economy, the Government had to make outflow of crores of rupees in the name of bail-out packages to Indian Industry. Once the crisis is blown over, the Government has gone back to its good old days of implementing these discredited policies with a vengeance.The unbridled accumulation of wealth in a few hands, the cardinal consequence of the capitalist economic development bring about a pyramidal society giving no room for the poor people at the base even to eke out an existence. This aspect became more and more pronounced over the years and reached a stage that it became impossible for anybody who is supposed to be representing the workers to continue to ignore this phenomenon. Those organizations which had taken a contradictory stand against the sponsoring committee had to come together to voice their concern against the marginalization of the working people. Both BMS and INTUC had to join in the concerted efforts of the workers to oppose, if not the policies, at least the manifestation of it, especially the escalation of prices of essential commodities. The inflationary impact in the economy created by the pursuance of the neo-liberal economic policies mostly engineered was conceived to effect a transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich. The inflationary impact reached an intolerable stage in as much as its incremental rate from quarter to quarter was in two digits .Never in our post independent era had it assumed the dimension of today with the result that all opposition political parties in the country had to rally round inside and outside the Parliament to denounce the Government of inaction and the 5th August Nationwide bandh became total and resonant.In the immediate years after independence, in order to ensure food security to the people of India, the Indian ruling class under pressure created the universal public distribution system especially for food articles. It became an effective instrument in the years to contain the artificial rise of market prices of essential commodities especially in the face of hoarding and black market operations of unscrupulous traders. The sweep and range of commodities made available through these outlets, known as ration shops in the common parlance even though beset with innumerable problems connected with leakages and corruption, was the most effective welfare measure of the Government of India, which in no small degree arrested and stopped the starvation death in rural India. The advent of neo liberal economic policies ensured that this singular welfare measure of universal public distribution system was discarded.Both inside and outside Parliament our Present day rulers advocated that the higher prices are inevitable given the shortfall in domestic production and prevailing higher prices of rice, wheat, pulses and edible oil globally. Far from truth the statement was, as the production of food-grain in 2006-07 in our country was 9.3 cr. tonnes, 9.6 crores in 2007-08 and 9.9 crores in 2008-09 despite the fact that our investment in agricultural sector in the last ten years was less than 2% of the GDP and constantly year after year the Government had been withdrawing subsidy to the farm sector.Primarily to ensure that the universal PDS is in operation, and the peasants do get remunerative price for their produce, the Government had created a buffer stock of food-grains. The statutory norm fixed was to have 200 lakh tonnes of wheat and rice as buffer stock. Presently the FCI godowns carry 475 lakhs of food-grains. Of it 3 million tones are reported to be rotting for want of space in the warehouses and rats the beneficiaries. This made the honorable Supreme Court to ask the Government as to why that which cannot be stored properly be distributed to the poor.While dismantling the PDS destroyed the food security enjoyed by the poor, the permission granted to speculators to indulge in forward trading in food articles with intent to artificially boost the statistical growth of economy resulted in the soaring of prices in the market. The fervent appeals made by the informed public, intelligentsia in the society and the Parliamentarians belonging to the left parties to ban forward trading fell in the deaf ears for that would have entailed in the slowing down the reforms, which course the UPA II Government had vowed to intensify. Despite the reportedly enviable growth rate of 8 to 9% over the past few years and the consequent rise in the per capita income of our country, vast majority of our countrymen have become poorer while the number of dollar billionaires were doubled. According to Shri Arjun Sengupta report, 77% of Indian populations have a daily income of less than Rs. 20. And the Tax concessions, deduction and exemptions given away in the last budget to those who can afford to pay the levies were of the order of Rs. 5.18 lakh crores.It is on the top of all these, the GOI recently hiked the petrol prices perhaps the nth time the UPA is in power on the specious plea of helping the Public Sector Petroleum marketing companies out of the under recoveries. In the context of IOL making a profit of 10998 Crores in 2009-10 and the respective figure for HPCL and BPL being Rs. 544 Cr and 874 crores and the Govt. of India making a neat additional tax of Rs.86,000 crores (Rs. 110000 Crores minus State share of Rs. 24,000 crores), this fiscal, only an insensitive Government alone can resort to these measures.This being the general scenario which must be of concern to us rather of grave concern, it would be pertinent to note the erosion in our real wages brought about by the unprecedented escalation of retail prices of commodities of daily consumption. The 6th CPC determined the minimum wage on the basis of the retail prices of various commodities as existed on 1.01.2006. (Please see page 53 of the 6th CPC report). We are unlike those in the unorganized sectors in the company of those segments of the working class, who get their wages cost indexed, howsoever, defective, trivial and insufficient it is. Therefore, we get 35% addition to our wages in the form of DA (raised to 45% by the recent hike). From the table given hereunder we can see that the average rise in the prices of those commodities which are taken for the computation of minimum wage has been of the order of 175%.

2. Fill up all vacant posts and lift the ban on recruitment. Stop outsourcing contractoisation of Governmental functions.The VI-CPC had recommended the abolition of Gr. D. posts numbering about 9.4 lakhs in the Government of India.. The CPC raised all the Gr. D employees existing in the Govt. sector to the status of a skilled worker and placed them in Gr. C pay scale. The suggested pay scale of the upgraded personnel is a pre-revised pay of Rs 2750-70-3800-75-4400. In fact the said pay scale was the fourth grade of pay suggested by the V-CPC for the unskilled workers. In para 3.7.7 of the Pay commission recommendations the commission has observed that:"Increasingly' basic work relating to cleaning, sweeping, maintenance etc. is being outsourced. This is a welcome trend that needs to be encouraged by bringing about systematic changing in the existing scheme so that the employees in Govt. are only utilized for requiring a certain levels of skills".It is a fact that majority of the functions presently carried out by the Gr.D. employees across the Board is unskilled. What had actually been done by the Commission is to abolish the unskilled functions in the Governmental sector and pave way for more and more contractorisation of these jobs while the existing employees (whose working strength has become less than 50% of the sanctioned strength) might be classified as Gr.C. and assigned to do functions which are of skilled nature with lesser emoluments than what it could have been even as per the V-CPC recommendations. It is therefore, a disastrous recommendation. In the days to come the unskilled nature of jobs would be either outsourced or would be contractorised. This recommendation therefore, is not for the benefit of the existing employees who are recruited as unskilled workers. Now the recruitment will hereafter become unavailable in the Governmental sector for those who are in the lower strata of the society who could not afford or who are not provided even the primary education even though the universal primary education is stated to be the objective and goal of a welfare Government as per our constitution. In fact they are being punished for the social inability or abdication of the responsibility on the part of the Government to provide them with a decent standard of living or the nascent requirement of primary education. The recommendation is therefore, a by-product of the neo-liberal economic policies pursued by the Govt. since 1991 which we have been fighting against all these years along with other segment of the working class.As has been feared, the Government has now decided to ensure that all unskilled jobs are contractorised. The guidelines issued by the Department of Personnel for the Mutti-tasking staff makes it mandatory that the future recruitees to the government service have a minimum educational qualification of matriculation. The recruitment will be done through the Staff Selection Commission. These personnel may not be deployed for the unskilled jobs like that of sweeper, farash, mali, watchmen etc. These functions would naturally be contractorised. The Department of Personnel has already advised all concerned to go in for contractorisation of these functions. The workers so recruited by the contractors are not to have any job security as they will be liable for the hire and fire system.OutsourcingIn the background of the continuing ban on recruitment, many of the Government organizations has resorted to outsourcing of their functions which are of permanent and perennial nature to agencies on fixed rates. The very fact that the Government has made available funds for the Departmental heads to resort to outsourcing establishes the policy being pursued by the Government. The functions hitherto being carried out by the Group C employees and the Group B Non gazetted are liable to be outsourced. Once the system is established, there will be no likelihood of any fresh creation of posts in these cadres. The large scale computerization has helped the outsourcing as a feasible proposition.

3. Regularise the Daily rated workers, GDS, remove ceiling on compassionate appointments end discrimination in the grant of bonus to GDS employees.In the background of the continuing ban on recruitment, quite a number of workers had been recruited in Government service on daily rated basis. Many of them have completed more than a decade in Government service. They had been on the pay roll of the Government to carry out the functions of a permanent and perennial nature of jobs. The resort to recruitment of daily waged workers to carry out the functions which are clearly permanent and perennial nature is in clear violation of the extant instruction in the matter. Having elicited their service for the past several years, they should be regularized as permanent employees with all concomitant benefits. Retrenching them to be replaced with fresh daily rated workers is impermissible.Similar is the case of GDS employees in the Postal Department. The system a colonial concept ought to have been discarded long time back. The functions entrusted to the GDS in the Postal Department are of permanent nature. Some of them are required to do more than 8 hours work a day. Many of the post offices, especially in rural areas are manned by the GDS and the postmen are required to function continuously for more than 8 hours a day but still paid as a part time employee. There should be a system by which these employees who are recruited as GDS are absorbed as regular employees after a pre determined number of years of service. Another issue pertaining to the GDS is the unjust denial of the benefit of the raised quantum ceiling on bonus calculation. While the Bonus Act was amended by the Government, raising the emoluments ceiling for the purpose of calculation of bonus from Rs. 2500 to 3500, it was extended to all civil servants except the GDS. Most of the GDS has a monthly emolument beyond the limit of Rs. 3500. There is no justification for denying this benefit to them.Remove the arbitrary 5% ceiling and 3 years condition on compassionate appointment and withdraw court cases and absorb all waitlisted RRR .On the pretext of the directive of the Supreme Court, Govt. introduced the concept of a 5% ceiling on the compassionate appointment. The fact was that there had been no such directive from the Honourable Supreme Court. There had been no rhyme or reason for this stipulation. Despite the repeated discussion on the subject at the National Council and its Standing Committee and the solemn assurance given by the Cabinet Secretary in the wake of the last strike action, nothing has been done in this regard to resolve the issue. It is pertinent to mention in this connection that the compassionate appointments in the Railways continue to be operated without any such ceiling. Moreover in the Department of Posts hundreds of compassionate appointment candidates selected by Selection Committee are being denied jobs and attempt to oust them is on. Through legal stay orders these candidates known as RRR Candidates are fighting the battle. The Government should withdraw the SLP filed against them and absorb them all as regular employees and withdraw the orders imposing and arbitrary ceiling of 5% and non-consideration of the case of candidates whose applications are pending for more than 3 years.

4. Grant statutory defined pension scheme to the employees recruited after 1.1.2004 and withdraw the PFRDA Bill from Parliament.The present defined benefit scheme of pension was introduced replacing the then existing contributory system. As part of the neo liberal economic policies, the Government decided to reconvert the same into contributory and make the fund available for the stock market operations. It is the vagaries of the stock market which will determine the pension returns from this fund. Before the introduction of the PFRDA bill, the Government had set up a committee under the chairmanship of Shri Bhattacharya, Chief Secretary of the State of Karnataka. The bill has been drafted and presented to the Parliament disregarding even the recommendation of the said committee to the effect that the Govt. should consider introducing a hybrid system by which the employees will have a defined benefit, if they choose to be satisfied with the said return and can opt for a higher return through stock exchange investments. The Bill could not be passed in the Parliament as the Left Parties took the principled position that they would not support a proposal detrimental to the interest of the employees. Despite the non passage of the bill and the consequent absence of a valid law to support the Pension Regulatory authority, the Govt. has converted the existing pension scheme into a contributory one and invested a percentage of the fund so generated from the employees contribution in the Stock market, whose index has crashed to one third of the value at the time of investment.Pension is earned by an employee by rendering service and therefore there is no requirement of any payment by the employee for earning pension. This statutory right of the employee is enforceable through courts. The Supreme Court has declared pension as one of the fundamental rights. The government should therefore retrace from its avowed position, which is detrimental to the interest of the employees and ensure that the employees recruited after 1.1.2004 is covered by the existing statutory defined benefit scheme by withdrawing the PFRDA bill from the Parliament.

5. Right to Strike;Continuing with the colonial concept of denying the Civil servants the privileges enjoyed by the other sections of the society is a matter of great distress. Article 309 of the Constitution makes it incumbent upon the Government of India and the Provincial Government to make enactments to regulate the service conditions of the civil servants. The Indian Parliament had no time to make such enactment. In fact the Indian ruling class wanted no such enactments. The transitory provisions empowering the President of India to make rules till such time the enactment is made has been employed to regulate the service conditions of the Government employees.Once recruited as an employee, the ILO's conventions provide all trade union rights. India is a signatory to those conventions. Despite all these legal and moral obligations on the part of the Government, the Government employees continue to be denied the right to collective bargaining. No negotiation is worth the meaning, if the employees have no right to withdraw their labour in case of a non satisfactory agreement on their service conditions. It is this legal lacuna which was employed by the Supreme Court to justify the arbitrary dismissal of lakhs of employees by the Tamilnadu State Government when they resorted to strike action. In the judgment delivered by the Supreme Court, it was observed that the Government employees do not have any legal, fundamental or moral right to resort to strike action. It is all the more an injustice especially when the Government considers that strike is a right of the workers in the Public Sector undertaking and that of the private enterprises in the country. It is paramount that the Government employees do have the right to strike in order to force upon an agreement for better wages and service conditions