WE HAVE TO SPEAK IN THE LANGUAGE THE GOVERNMENT UNDERSTANDS BEST - INDEFINITE STRIKEDear Comrades - the Pay commission orders through Gazette Notification is not yet done. The reason attributed to this dealy is that the CAG [Comptroller and Auditor General] - the Constitutional Authority - who had been to Maldives and returned reportedly to Thiruvananthapuram is not yet signed. Whether it will be signed on his return to Delhi or the file will be taken to him to Thiruvananthapuram for signature is not clear. The Notification would be done only on his signature. But we are surprised to see so much of delay especially after the Government shown haste in deciding within 24 hours of submission by the Committee of Secretaries and announcing in the Honourable Prime Minister of India's Independence Day Speech after the Cabinet approved the same! Ostensible the tactics of the Government was to weaken the resolve of the CG Employees in joining the 20th August Strike and nothing else. The Press Statement released by the Confederation immediately after the National Executive meeting on 26th; the Charter of Demands; the Resolution of the Executive are all placed hereunder. Kindly suggest improvements if any in the Charter of Demands before 10th September. But now we have no other tangible option but to speak in a language that is best understood by the Government - the sustained agitations and industrial action - SECRETARY GENERAL NFPE
CONFEDERATION PRESS STATEMENT
Dated 27th August 2008
Confederation Decides to Organise Indefinite Strike
The extended meeting of the National Executive Committee of Confederation of Central Government employees and workers held at New Delhi on 26th August, 2008 deliberated upon the refusal of the Government of India to accept any of the major suggestions made by the Employees organizations under the auspices of the JCM National Council, on the 6th CPC recommendations. It noted with disappointment that the Government did nothing to correct the wide disparity in wages amongst the employees and officers accentuated by the recommendation of the 6th CPC.
By suppressing minimum wage without any justifiable reason, the meeting noted that the wage structure of Group B, C and D cadres has been depressed with devastating impact for many years to come. The abolition of Group D posts numbering about 9 lakhs has opened up vast avenue for contractorisation of various Group D functions. It rightly observed that in the days to come the Government organizations will have more daily rated contract workers than regular employees.
The meeting came to the conclusion that the Government's decision warrants serious agitational approach and decided to call upon the Central Government employees to mobilize themselves for an indefinite strike Programme to generate necessary sanctions to compel the Government to enter into meaningful discussion over these issues with the employees' organizations and settle them satisfactorily. All the constituent units of the Confederation have been advised to meeting in their national convention/conference and endorse the decision of the indefinite strike action immediately. The National Executive Committee will again meet after holding discussion with the sister organizations in Defence etc. in the month of November, 2008 to decide upon the date on which the said indefinite strike action should commence.
The strike may be organized in the first fortnight of December, 2008 if the Government does not come forward for discussion, negotiation and settlement of the under mentioned Charter of Demands.
[K.K.N.Kutty]
Secretary General
Confederation Circular
D/11/13/08 Dated: 27th August, 2008
Dear Comrade,
The extended meeting of the National Executive of Confederation was held on 26th August, 2008 at New Delhi ( at IT Recreation Club hall). The representatives of twenty affiliated All India organizations and eleven State COCs were present at the meeting, besides the National Executive members.
It was thus a well represented meeting. The meeting briefly reviewed the strike Participation of Central Govt. employees on 20th August 2008 and endorsed the Press statement issued by the Confederation on that day, which had indicated the overall picture. The meeting evaluated that the announcement of the Govt.'s acceptance of the 6th CPC recommendation (even though major demands of the employees had been rejected) had created certain confusion amongst the rank and file of the workers, which had adversely affected the strike participation in certain areas, especially the northern and western India. The meeting attributed this mostly to the failure to combat the media propaganda.
The meeting came to the conclusion that the Govt.'s decision without conceding any of the major suggestions made by the employees organizations in the JCM was a serious matter and if not contested would bring about devastating impact on the wage structure of the Central Govt. employees. The meeting pinpointed the following issues, on which absolutely unsatisfactory position has been taken by the Govt.
a) Minimum wage
b) Contractorisation of Group D functions
c) Fitment formula
d) Financial benefit on promotions
e) Transport allowance, daily allowance etc.
f) The denial to give effect to the revised allowance from.1.01.2006. etc
The meeting also took note of the delay in the submission of the report of Natraja moorthy Committee on GDS Pay revision.
The meeting came to the unanimous opinion that
a)without organizing a serious industrial action of a prolonged nature including indefinite strike, no fruitful/meaningful negotiation or settlement is likely to be brought about.
b) a serious campaign has to be under-taken by holding department/organization- wise convention and state wise conventions to mobilize the employees for a militant action like indefinite strike.
c) Besides the CPC related issues, the other major pending issues, viz Compassionate Appointment, Board of Arbitration awards, Continuing ban on recruitment and abolition of posts, Outsourcing, Privatization, Contractorization, Regularization of existing daily rated workers, Bonus ceiling etc. should also be projected for settlement through the strike charter.
d) Serious consultation with the leadership of AIDEF should be made to explore the possibility of a united action.
e) Strike ballot has to be employed as a means of mobilization and to ensure that the decision for such a serious action has the seal of approval of all members.
f) The date of commencement of such action is to be decided by the National Executive on conclusion of the strike ballot by all the affiliates and in consultation with the sister organizations.
g)the proposed action should be slated to take place within a period of 3- 4 months time.
h) The draft resolution and charter of demands prepared by the Secretariat will be placed in the website as early as possible to elicit suggestions and amendments to reach the CHq by 10th Sep.,2008
i) 19th Sept. will be observed as "Strike Declaration day" (SANGHARSH AHWAN DIVAS) throughout the country to popularize the demands and submit the resolution of NE meeting to all heads of offices and departments.
With greetings,
Yours fraternally,
K.K. N. Kutty
Secretary General.
CHARTER OF DEMANDS
1. Grant Rs.10,000 as Minimum Wage as per 15th ILC Norms.
2. Grant minimum fitment benefit of 2.625 times of pre-revised basic pay to bring about uniform rise in emoluments.
3. No abolition of Group D posts and functions.
4. Lift ban on recruitment; fill up all vacant posts and scrap Screening Committee.
5. Grant Pension and Status of Civil Servants to GDS.
6. Grant 10% of Pay + Grade Pay as minimum benefit on promotion or financial upgradations.
7. No outsourcing or contractorising of Governmental functions.
8. Fix the date of effect of all allowances as 1.1.2006.
9. No reduction in the commutation value and restoration of full pension after 12 years.
10. Grant statutory defined pension scheme to the employees recruited after 1.1.2004 and withdraw the PFRDA Bill from Parliament.
11. Compute the pension entitlement on the basis of notional pay as on 1.1.1996.
12. No performance related pay or bonus scheme.
13. Implement all Board of Arbitration Awards.
14. Remove the arbitrary 5% ceiling and 3 years condition on compassionate appointment and withdraw court cases and absorb all waitlisted RRR candidates.
15. Implement the revision of bonus ceiling @ 3500/- in the case of Government Employees; Remove adhoc bonus and replace it with PLB and remove the 60 days ceiling.
16. Grant SDA to all employees in NE Region.
17. Revise the Transport and Daily Allowances as demanded by the Staff Side JCM National Council.
18. Direct all the Departmental Heads to settle 6th CPC related department specific demands / problems within a stipulated time limit.
R e s o l u t i o n
adopted at the Extended meeting of the National Executive of the Confederation held at New Delhi
on 26-08-2008.
This extended meeting of the National Executive of the Confederation of CGE and Workers held at New Delhi on 26 Aug 2008 unanimously resolves that the decisions taken by the Govt. on various recommendations of the 6th CPC, as is made known are unacceptable in as much as most of the modifications suggested by the employees organizations unitedly to reverse the anti-employee stand of the Commission have been rejected.
The Govt.'s propaganda that it has raised the minimum wage to Rs.7000/- is an untrue statement for the lowest level employees it works out to only Rs.6,040/- on the basis of which only the pay structure has been constructed. The non-acceptance of the suggestion to revise the fitment formula has resulted in the financial benefit flowing in a fortuitous manner whereby the senior employees and those in the higher scale of Pay of the bunched pay scales getting lesser than their juniors. It is deplorable that the arrears are to be paid in two installments of which the major chunk having been deferred by one year especially when the interim relief demanded by the employees was denied. There had been no improvement made in the grant of transport allowances, daily allowance, financial benefit on promotion commutation value of Pension etc. The meeting notes with extreme dissatisfaction that while the commutation value has been drastically reduced the restoration period has not been altered.
It appears that the Govt. has decided to accept the proposal for introduction of Performance related Pay System. Doing away with the present Bonus computation methodology and continue with the drastic downsizing measures and to do away with the Group D employees and hand over their functions for contractors are some of the other major decisions that affect adversely the career and job security of the employees. The meeting realizes that the abolition of Gr.D posts is intended to usher in large scale contractorisation of the permanent and perennial types of jobs. The meeting also notes with pain that the revision of wages effected on the basis of the present decision of the Government will have a deleterious effect in the long run and over a period continuation of 5th Pay scales and allowances would become more beneficial to the employees.while appreciating the decision of the Govt. to raise the ACP from 2 to 3 in acceptance of the suggestion made by the Staff side JCM in their memorandum and the slight increase in the rate of increment and the correction carried out in respect of the actual receipt of DA as on 01-01-2006.
The meeting realizes that the notification on acceptance of the recommendation of the 6th CPC as and when issued will make the picture clearer and the real purport and impact would become discernible to the mass of the employees.
The meeting has come to the inescapable conclusion that without an industrial action of a prolonged duration, no settlement would come about on the CPC related issues. The meeting therefore calls upon the affiliates of the Confederation to mobilize the rank and file of the membership for an eventual industrial action including strike action to take place with the next 2-3 months. The meeting also decides that besides the 6th CPC related common issues the Charter should also include the long pending common issues and department specific demands arising from the acceptance of 6th CPC suggestions by the Govt.
The meeting specifically decides that the demand for pension and Civil Servant status to Grameen Dak Sewaks must be included in the strike charter of demands.
The meeting has directed the Secretariat to get in touch with the leadership of the AIDEF to explore the possibility of the Defence Workers joining and leading the proposed strike action.
The meeting calls upon all affiliates to organize a strike ballot after extensive mobilization campaign and presentation of the issues before the mass of the membership and to complete the same by 10th November, 2008. The meeting asks the Secretariat to bring home the negative impact of the Govt.'s decision through a pamphlet
This meeting decides that the next meeting of the National Executive should meet before 20th November, 2008 to review the preparation made and take appropriate decision.
The meeting also calls upon all affiliated Associations/Federations to hold a national Convention enlisting the participation of leaders of all Units for mobilization of the grass root membership.
The meeting also calls up on the leaders of all State C-o-Cs to hold State level conventions eliciting the participation of the unit leaders of all affiliated Associations/Unions in the respective States in a bid to prepare the membership for a serious struggle.
The meeting decided to call upon all affiliated to collect a donation of Rs. 20/- from each member as and when the arrears are disbursed and remit the same to the Confederation CHQ.
Sd/-
S.K. Vyas
President.
--
K.Ragavendran
Secretary General NFPE
