PCMA appeal to HRD minsiter for uniform implementaion of pay scales

Punjab Commerce and Management Association (PCMA) have appealed to the Union Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibbal to intervene and ensure uniform implementation of MHRD recommended pay scales in all the states.

Association members were pained by the distortions made by the bureaucracy while making the notification for the pay scales of college and university teachers in the state of Haryana.

Association today written a letter to HRD Minister which states that notification issued by the Ministry of human resources development Government of India concerning the scheme of revision of pay of teachers and equivalent cadres in universities and colleges dated 31-12-2008 still hangs in balance as most of the state governments has not yet implemented it for the one reason or the another even after the passing of eight months. Letter further states that The most disturbing fact which is becoming roadblock in the implementation, is the delay in the notifying the UGC regulations on revision of pay scales, minimum qualifications for appointment of teachers in universities and colleges and other measures for the maintenance of standards, 2009.

The University Grants Commission put a draft notification on its website for seeking suggestions on 18th February 2009, which was to be finalized after consultation with the stakeholders. The consultation process was completed till May 31st 2009 but still the draft regulations hangs in the sky and final regulations has still not been issued by the University Grants Commission. Secondly the draft regulation which was to be rectified because it exceeds in many respects the mandate of the UGC is still put on the website of the university commission which is causing confusion in implementation of MHRD Notification. Most of the state governments because of the Non-availability of the Final UGC regulations on the pay scales are keeping the promotions, upward movements, re-designations, etc. falling due on or after 1.1.2009 in abeyance.

PCMA Further requested the HRD Minister to issue advisory to the state governments to not to dilute the provisions of MHRD Notification on Pay scales of college and university teachers issued on 31-12-2008 and keep the spirit behind it.

Source PunjabNewsline.com

Assam Govt. announced 40% Interim Relief

The State Govt. Employees are in an upbeat mood as they would be getting 40 per cent interim relief with effect from January 1 this year. With the announcement of the new interim relief, the difference between the pay scales of the Central and State Government employees also came down considerably. Talking to The Assam Tribune, secretary general of the Sadau Asom Karmachari Parishad (SAKP), Bashab Kalita said that they were satisfied with the decision of the Government.

Kalita said that the State Government announced 15 percent interim relief with effect from April, 2008 and added 10 per cent more with effect from January 1 this year. However, because of the delay on the part of the State Pay Commission in submitting its report, the Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi announced the Government’s decision to add 15 per cent more to the interim relief with effect from January 1 this year and to pay the arrears before the ensuing Durga Puja festival.

The SAKP office bearer said that the differences between pay scales of the State and Central Governments would be reduced considerably after the state employees started receiving 40 per cent interim relief.

Kalita said that the State pay Commission was scheduled to submit its report by the end of May, but it was given three months’ extension despite strong opposition from the employees. He said that the Commission was given extension for another month up to the end of September, which forced the SAKP to announce an agitational programme. However, the agitational programme has been withdrawn following the decision of the State Government to increase the interim relief to 40 per cent. The Chief Minister also assured the SAKP that no further extension would be given to the Pay Commission to submit its report.

The SAKP has been demanding that the new pay scale should be given to the employees with effect from January, 2006 as was given to the Central Government employees. He also alleged that some of the teachers and other employees are yet to receive the arrears due to them for the period from January1, 1996 to July 31, 1998 and demanded that the Government should immediately look into the matter.
Source : The Assam Tribune.

PSU Unions plan strikes to press case on pay revision

Unions representing workers in central public sector companies and government-controlled sectors such as ports are gearing up to intensify wage negotiations while some have made strike calls as a stalemate over a pay increase between employees and managements drags on.

The 10-year wage settlement for employees of public sector undertakings ended on 31 December 2006. The new wage structures were expected to be in place the following January.

But negotiations are dragging partly because the two sides have not been able to agree upon a basic pay raise. Employers and employees have also not been able to agree on the duration of a wage settlement, or the tenure during which the agreed salary structure should exist.

Under pressure from trade unions, the previous United Progressive Alliance government, supported by Left parties, agreed to reduce the period of wage settlement from 10 years to five in June last year, saying company managements will require the approval of ministers to do so.

But several public sector companies have declined to accept the new format despite the government order, trade unions say.

So far, only coal companies, which employ the largest number of workers at 600,000, have agreed to a new wage structure for the next five years. In an agreement reached in January after several strike calls, wages of the lowest paid unskilled workers, mostly miners, increased by 49% from Rs6,250 a month to Rs9,346 a month.

As negotiations drag on, about 60,000 employees of 11 major ports threaten to go on an indefinite strike from 15 September after the 20th round of wage discussions failed to reach an agreement last week.

Six steel unions representing 350,000 workers plan to hold a ballot among union members to decide whether they should strike, said Madhukar K. Pandhe, member of the National Joint Negotiations Committee for the steel industry.

Last week, negotiations stalled at Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), which employs about 6,500 people, for the 13th time. “Talks will continue,” said M.L. Shanmukh, human resources director at BEL. “There’s a difference of opinion on (the) salary formula.” BEL employees have been demanding a 40% hike in basic pay for five years while the management has offered a 30% hike for 10 years.

Power equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd’s (Bhel) five southern units of Ranipet, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Tiruchirappalli, which employ 25,000, plan to go on strike on 14 September over delays in wage settlement, said R. Ethiraj, general secretary of the Labour Progressive Front, which is affiliated to the regional political party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, in Tamil Nadu.

Joint Action Front—an umbrella trade union group which has public enterprise heavyweights such as Bhel, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, BEL and Bharat Earth Movers Ltd as members—is expected to take a decision whether to go on strike by 10 September, said K. Mohan, coordinator of Joint Action Front and general secretary of the employees’ union at Hindustan Aeronautics, which is expected to hold the first wage talks on 3 September.

About 1.57 million workers are employed at the country’s 214 Union government enterprises, excluding contract and casual workers.

About one-fourth of these employees are of the level of supervisors or executives whose salaries are governed by a separate wage structure, according to the recommendations of the justice M.J. Rao committee, which was set up in 2006; it submitted the report to the government around May last year.

Unlike Union government employees whose wages are fixed by the pay commission, salaries and perks of workers of central public undertakings are negotiated by trade unions and company managements directly.

According to the government’s Public Enterprises Survey 2007-08, wage bills went up 20% to Rs63,306 crore in the year from Rs52,586 crore in 2006-07.

But trade unions insist the number has grown because some of the companies made provisions on expectation of a salary increase.

An executive who works in Bhel, who did not want to be named because wage talks are still underway, said although fixed salaries are given to workers, the employees get an annual increment of about 2-3% and a so-called dearness allowance of 7-8% that is linked to inflation.

“This has an effect on overall payment because companies also have to make statutory payments, such as provident fund and non-statutory payments, such as house rent allowance,” the official said.

“There cannot be any compromise on the new settlement period which is five years,” H. Mahadevan, deputy general secretary of All India Trade Union Congress, said. “We are hoping that managements will agree. When they disagree, we will go for action and announce strike calls.”

Of India’s 214 public sector companies, 160 are profit-making while about 53 others are in the red. Total turnover of Central public sector enterprises during 2007-08 was Rs10.8 trillion, up 12% from Rs9.6 trillion in 2006-2007.

Source : LiveMint.com

Tamil Nadu announces pay hike for colleges, university teachers

View the Govt. Order

Tamil Nadu Government today announced a hike in pay scales of teachers of university, government and aided colleges.

Professors of universities and colleges would now get Rs 62,085 per month from the existing pay scale of Rs 40,344, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi told reporters here.

Newly appointed lecturers would get Rs 26,352 per month from the current pay scale of Rs 19,680.

"The new wages would be given with effect from January 1, 2006 and full cash benefits would be given from January 1, 2007," he said, adding the arrears would be given in three instalments.

Karunanidhi said with regard to other allowances, the beneficiaries would get them on par with Central Government staff.

He said the scale hike would benefit about 20,000 teachers and the hike would cost the state exchequer Rs 557.49 crore per year.

As advised by the UGC, the pay scales of librarians, assistant librarians, physical education directors, deputy and assistant physical education directors would also be revised. They would also receive pension, family pension and other pensionary benefits, as given to the government employees.

Source : PTI

"PSU Bank Salary : Lower than their Govt. counterparts.": SBI Staff Association.

Click Here to view the latest salary position of P.O. and Clerks
State Bank of India, it appears, will continue to struggle with the problem of staff shortage unless the remuneration of its employees is significantly stepped up.

According to the State Bank of India Staff Association, Bengal Circle, more than 13,500 employees of the bank retired in 2008-09, and though the bank recruited 33,000 people during the year, an estimated 40 per cent of the new recruits left on account of the poor pay packets.

The bank’s business is growing and with it the expectations of its customers about service quality. To render satisfactory customer service, the bank will need a motivated workforce. But the association apprehends it will not be possible to attract good people and thus build a motivated workforce at the current levels of remuneration. The problem will assume critical proportions in the next four years when a large chunk of the existing employees retire.

Contrary to the general perception, the remuneration of bank employees is poor vis-À-vis that of Central and State Government employees. As a spokesman for the association points out, the total remuneration of a clerk based in a metro and working in the lowest grade in SBI is Rs 7,919 per month, which is to rise to Rs 9,300 per month as per the Indian Banks’ Association’s recent offer of a 17.5 per cent wage hike. This compares poorly with the remuneration of a lower division clerk in the West Bengal Government, whose starting monthly income is Rs 11,880 and that of an upper division clerk in the Central Government, Rs 17,150.

A probationary officer in SBI starts with a salary of Rs 19,181 per month and in other banks Rs 16,146, says the spokesman. Side by side, under the State’s School Service Commission, a teacher with a Master’s degree starts at a monthly salary of Rs 21,000, a teacher with an Honours degree with Rs 19,000, and a teacher with a just pass degree at Rs 16,800. A West Bengal Civil Service Grade ‘A’ Officer starts with a salary of Rs 27,810, he adds.

Source : An article published in "The Hindu Business Line" on 14.08.2009

Ad-hoc bonus equivalent to 30 days emoluments to Central Government Employees.

No.7/23/2007/E III (A)

Government of India

Ministry of Finance

Department of Expenditure

NewDelhi,Dated 28th August,2009.

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject:- Grant of Non-Productivity Linked Bonus (Ad-hoc bonus ) to Central Government Employees for the year 2008-2009.

The under signed is directed to convey the sanction of the President to the grant of Non-Productivity Linked Bonus (Ad-hoc bonus ) equivalent to 30 days emoluments for the year 2008-2009 to the Central Government Employees in Group C and D and all non-gazetted employees in Group B, who are not covered by any Productivity Linked Bonus Scheme. The Calculation ceiling of Rs.3500/- remain unchanged. The payment will also be admissible to the Central Police and Para-military Personnel and Personnel of Armed Forces. The orders will be deemed to extended to the employees of Union Territory Administration which follow the other bonus or ex-gratia scheme.

2. The benefit will be admissible subject to the following terms and conditions:- (i) Only those employees who were in service on 31.3.2009 and have rendered at least six months of continuous service during the year 2008-2009 will be eligible for payment under these orders. Pro-rata payment will be admissible to the eligible employees for period of continuous service during the year from six months to a full year, the eligibility period being taken in terms of number of months service (rounded off to the nearest number of months)

(ii)The quantum of Non-PLB (Ad-hoc bonus) will be worked out on the basis of average emoluments/calculation ceiling which ever is lower.To calculate Non-PLB(Ad-hoc bonus)for one day ,the average emoluments in a year will be divided by 30.4(average number of days in a month)This will there after be multiplied by the number of days bonus granted. To illustrate, taking the calculation ceiling of Rs. 3500/-(where actual average emoluments exceed Rs. 3500X30/30.4=Rs. 3453.95 (rounded off to Rs.3454/-)

(iii)The casual labour who have worked in offices following a 6 days week for at least 240 days for 3 years or more (206 days in each year for 3 years or more in the case of offices observing 5 days week ) be eligible for this Non-PLB (Ad-hoc bonus) payment. The amount of Non-PLB (Ad-hoc bonus) payable will be Rs.1200x30/30.4 i.e.Rs.1184.21 (rounded off to Rs.1184/-) Incases where the actual emoluments fall below Rs.1200/-p.m.,the amount will be calculated on actual monthly emoluments.

(iv) All payments under these orders will be rounded off to the nearest rupee.

(v)The clarificatory orders issued vide this Ministry’s OM No.F.14(10)-ECooRD/88 dated 4.10.1988, as amended from time to time, would hold good.

3. The expenditure on this account will be debitable to the respective Heads to which the pay and allowances of these employees are debited.

4. The expenditure on account of Non-PLB (Ad-hoc bonus) is to be met from with in the sanctioned budget provision of concerned Ministries /Departments for the current year.

5.In so for as the persons serving in the Indian Audit and Accounts Department are concerned , these orders are issued in consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

(RENU JAIN)

Deputy Secretary to the Govt. of India.

Tel No. 23093811

View the Order in Govt. Website.

HRD Minister Kapil Sibal to meet IIT Directors on Sep 2. Pay Panel isusue likely to be discussed.

The recently notified revised pay and perks for them announced by the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry have left the IIT faculty disappointed. While the hikes are slightly lower than what was recommended by the Prof Goverdhan Mehta Committee — set up to suggest revised pay for staff at centrally funded educational institutes like IITs, IIMs, NITs, among others — the IIT faculty also feels that their counterparts in central universities and scientific institutions are getting a far better deal.
Prof Bhartendu Seth, president, Faculty Forum, IIT-Bombay points out, “We are demanding a pay structure to attract talented young teachers to IITs, which is not likely with the kind of pay and perks notified by the HRD ministry”. A case in point, Seth elaborated, was that the ministry’s new cadre of “contract-basis lecturer” in Pay Band (PB) 3 — Rs 15,600-39,100 — with an Academic Grade Pay (AGP) of Rs 6,000 will hardly attract youngsters. “At assistant professor level, the ministry has notified that one must come with three years experience and a PhD. This means IITs will not be able to take fresh graduates or doctorates as permanent faculty members. That apart, our assistant professors cannot move to Pay Band 4 like their counterparts in the UGC scale,” Seth said.
Prof K Rajagopal from IIT-Delhi explains further. “Our main contention is that prior to the Sixth Pay Commission the IITs were among the few centres of excellence in the country like ISRO, DRDO, CSIR. But unlike us, our counterparts in these scientific organisations get a dual-level Performance Related Incentive Scheme (PRIS) which comprises 20 per cent of their basic pay as additional allowance and a Flexible Complementing Scheme which ensures time bound promotions irrespective of vacancies in the next grade. So IITs are not only brought down one level from the ‘centre of excellence’ grouping but also denied scholastic equivalence,” says Rajagopal. “That apart, there are great disparities at entry-level between the UGC system and IITs. So while a BTech-level person starts at Pay Band 3 in a university/college as assistant professor, at IITs it is no less than a PhD who joins PB 3 as lecturer on a contract basis and has to work for three years to become associate professor,” he added.

The All-India IIT Faculty Federation submitted a memorandum to the HRD Ministry demanding:

•The entry-level ‘lecturer’ post should be abolished for IITs

•The ministry should allow recruitment of PhDs at assistant professor-level without three years of experience mandated by the notification

• An increase in AGP for associate professors and professors; a hike in Professional Development Allowance (PDA) from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for three years; a ‘Scholastic/Special Allowance’ of Rs 15,000 per month to all faculty as given at ISRO/DRDO.

The All India IIT Faculty Federation has announced, meanwhile, that if the HRD ministry fails to address their concerns by September 5, a hunger strike will be launched.

HRD Minister Kapil Sibal will be meeting IIT directors on September 2 and this matter is likely to be on the agenda. The ministry, however, feels that the IIT faculty has little reason to complain as the notification has by and large adhered to the Committee recommendations. The new cadre of contract-basis lecturers, says the ministry, was also created to get fresh doctorates to join as faculty members.

Source : Indian Express.

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) special panel okays ' Sixth Pay' for all employees

A special committee appointed to take decisions regarding the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission for the employees of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), on Friday gave approval to give the benefits to all the civic employees at PMC. The decision will now come up before the general body for the final approval.

The committee has given nine recommendations for the implementation of the sixth pay commission and decided to give the benefits to all the PMC officials and employees.

The committee also said that if necessary funds are not available, they should be made available in the budget. As per the standing committee decision regarding this, Rs 15,000 advance should be given to the employees. The committee has also said that as per the state government directions, the dues should be paid to the employees in five installments. The first installment should be given in 2010-11. The first installment would directly be paid at the provident fund.

The committee has given following recommendations. As per the municipal commissioner’s report, the salary hike should be 40 per cent in addition to the maximum salary amount. The 40 per cent grade pay should be as per the pay scale. The report has also suggested 1.5 per cent hike in the allowances, which the committee decided to hike by another 0.5 per cent.

The revised pay scale after the implementation of Sixth Pay should be hiked to Rs 15,600 to Rs 39,100. The revised pay-scale for city engineer and health chief should be Rs 34,000 to Rs 67,000 as per Pay Band 4. Besides this, the grade pay should be revised to Rs 11,000.

For the post of food inspector, the revised pay scale of Rs 9,300 –Rs 34,800 should be given approval, the recommendations state. It is further decided that the veterinary officer should be given Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA).

Source : Express India.

Payment of second instalment of 60% arrears to Quasi-Government Organisations, Autonomous Organisations

Orders have since been issued by the Government for payment of remaining 60% of arrears to the concerned Central Government servants. Accordingly, the dicision of the Government for payment of remaining 60% of arrears is hereby extended to the employees of the Autonomous Organisations etc. Howerer, the payment of remaining 60% of arrears will be subject to the conditions stipulated budgetary support for additional expenditure vide para 4 and 4.1 of this Department's Office Memorandum of even number dated 30th September, 2008 at the time of extending the revised pay structure for the Central Government Employees to the employees of Autonomous Oraganisations etc.


View the Office Memorandum.

IIMs protest on pay issue, demands even more than their counterparts in IITs

The IIMs plan to cite the government’s roadmap for their expansion to demand better faculty salaries, joining the IITs in the protest against a controversial new pay regime notified by the Centre.

India’s premier B-schools are finalising a memorandum protesting the new pay structure, which they will submit to the human resource development ministry, institute sources said.

The note, currently being discussed by the directors of the seven IIMs, demands pays a notch higher than even the pay demanded by the IITs and seeks autonomy to provide additional incentives to teachers. It warns that failure to incorporate the demands can jeopardise expansion plans and attempts to fill a potentially crippling faculty shortage.

The move increases the pressure on Kapil Sibal’s ministry to review a new pay structure that the IITs and the IIMs argue fails to address their inability to attract the best brains to teaching.

The government and Sibal have repeatedly cited the 20-30 per cent faculty shortage at the IITs and the IIMs as the biggest challenge these institutes are facing.

But teachers at the institutes are arguing that the new “unsatisfactory” pay regime fails to address this concern — by neither providing recommended salaries nor offering compensatory incentives.

The new pay regime snips salaries recommended by a central panel and ignores a slew of other proposed incentives to tackle the lure of industry-level salaries.

The IIMs plan to cite the report of an HRD ministry panel under Maruti chairman R.C. Bhargava which argued that low pay placed them at a disadvantage while battling domestic and global competition for scarce faculty resources.

The Bhargava panel’s report — aimed at preparing a blueprint for the expansion of existing IIMs — had ironically been criticised by the institutes as an attempt by the government to encroach on their identity and autonomy.

By citing this, the IIMs are politely pointing out that the ministry’s own report argues for a “significant improvement” in the pay scales for their faculty.

“The IIM faculty feel that the revised pay scales notified by the ministry... do not represent any meaningful or significant improvement over the existing pay scales,” the draft memorandum says.

The new pay regime grants assistant professors a starting salary of Rs 30,000 a month, and an academic grade pay — a rank-based increment — of Rs 8,000 a month.

The IITs have demanded that — as is the case with pay for university assistant professors — the salary structure be shifted to a higher pay band after three years. Salaries in the higher band start at Rs 37,400 a month with a grade pay of Rs 9,000 a month.

The IIMs will demand in their memorandum assistant professors start at the higher pay band straight away. The IITs want this after three years. Like the IITs, the draft IIM memorandum demands a grade pay of Rs 10,000 a month for associate professors — instead of the Rs 9,500 under the newly notified regime.

The IIMs too — like the IITs — will demand that a 40 per cent cap placed under the new regime on professors entitled to a higher pay be lifted.

All professors should be given a grade pay of Rs 12,000 a month instead of the Rs 10, 500 provided under the notified regime, the IIM draft memorandum demands.

It also demands that professors after 10 years in the post be entitled to a higher salary range — starting at Rs 75, 000 a month.

Each IIM should be allowed to devise its own incentive schemes for faculty, instead of the government notification binding the institutes, the IIMs are demanding.

Source : The Telegraph.

Congress supports Uttar Pradesh government employees' demands

The Congress party Thursday said it would support the employees of public sector undertakings in Uttar Pradesh who are demanding implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission's recommendations.
"Lakhs of employees of state PSUs (public sector units) were being deprived of their legitimate right to recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission, while leaders of the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) being appointed as chairmen and vice-chairmen of these undertakings were only draining their finances," legislator Vivek Singh, the Congress' state unit secretary, told reporters.


Singh also accused the state government of intimidating the public undertaking employees.


"Leaders of the employees' unions have been picked up by the police and taken unlawfully to an unknown destination," he alleged.


Demanding their immediate release, he warned if the employees were not released, the Congress too would throw its lot with the employees, who have already issued an ultimatum to proceed on an indefinite strike from Sept 8.

Source : Samay Live.

Jharkhand approves University, College and School teachers' Pay Hike.

It was Jharkhand’s way of saying happy teachers’ day.

The governor’s advisory council today approved Rs 156 crore so that thousands of university, college and school teachers can be paid salaries according to the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, thereby setting the tone for a memorable September 5.

The amount includes Rs 52.28 crore to cater to college and university teachers with retrospective effect from January 1, 2006 to March 31, 2010, apart from paying teachers of government-aided minority-run middle, primary schools and madarsas.

While Rs 85.13 crore was set aside for teachers of government-aided schools, Rs 18 crore was to take care of madarsa teachers.

Teachers of minority-run schools, who have been urging the state for central government payscales for quite sometime, will now receive revised salaries with effect from April 1, 2008.

For paying university and college teachers as per the Sixth Pay Commission from January 1, 2006, the state would actually require Rs 261.62 crore, 80 per cent of which would be borne by the Centre. Today, the state cleared its share of the remaining 20 per cent, or Rs 52.28 crore.

Today’s order benefits around 4,000 university and college teachers of the state and another 15,000 teachers of religious minority-run schools.

The council meeting, chaired by G. Krishnan, also showered goodies for educated youth among primitive tribes.

It approved the welfare department’s proposal to directly recruit Class VIII pass primitive tribe students in Grade IV jobs and intermediate pass students with computer training as computer operators in government offices.

Till now, the provision was limited to matriculate and graduates among primitive tribes.

“Class VIII pass primitive tribe students will be appointed in Grade IV jobs in the offices of the district headquarters,” explained P.K. Jajoria, the secretary, cabinet coordination. He said students who had completed vocational courses in computer applications offered by the welfare department through Xavier Institute of Social Service, would be appointed as computer operators in district headquarters.

Federation of University Teachers’ Association, Jharkhand, president Babban Choubey said the advisory council’s decision to give benefit of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations was a big achievement. “We expect the state to ensure solution to all our long-pending demands,” Choubey added.

Source : The Telegraph.

Maharashtra : Teachers end strike, win on 6th pay panel, lose on NET

The 45-day teachers' strike that began on July 14 over several issues, prime among them being the implementation of the sixth pay commission was called off yesterday. The decision was announced at a late-night press conference on Wednesday jointly by the the state higher education minister Rajesh Tope and members of the Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers Organisation. Classes in colleges and university will resume on Thursday.

Besides implementation of the Sixth Pay Commmision scales, teachers had also wanted the UGC pay package to be implemented in its entirety, and parity for teachers appointed between 1991-99 without a NET/SLET qualification.

However, the education minister said that while the Sixth Pay Commission salaries would be implemented and dearness allowance would be paid as per UGC scales, other allowances such as travel would be similar to state government employees. But certain benefits that the teachers avail of, which are on par with central government employees and are higher than what state government employees receive, will remain the same.

But on the NET/SLET issue, teachers' demands have not been met. The state government has refused to waive aside the NET/SLET qualification for teachers

appointed between 1991-99. Tope observed that according to three or four high court decisions, this demand was not consistent with the law. However, he added that a four-member committee will be formed that will comprise two representatives from the government and two from the teachers' union. This panel will take up individual cases of teachers appointed between 1991-99 who do not have the NET/SLET qualification, before the state government.

As a result of the strike 35 working days have been lost. Teachers will now have to make up for the lost time during their vacations and if they manage to do so they will not lose out on their salary. However, principals of colleges will have to give it in writing to the university that teachers have completed their portions.

The minister also said that a circular sent on August 24 from the education department to the university asking it to initiate action against the striking teachers will no longer be valid now that the strike has been called off.

Source : Times of India.

Punjab Teachers to go on protest on Sept 4 for non implementation of Pay Commission

In most of the colleges in Punjab, faculties are protesting against the state government for non-implementation of UGC scale.

Revealing their future plans,the representatives of Punjab Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (PFUCTO) announced that on September 4 , teachers from all over the state would proceed on mass casual leave to hold a rally in Chandigarh. PFUCTO representing five universities, 54 government colleges and 170 non-government colleges of Punjab and Chandigarh would protest against the state’s failure to notify the revised UGC pay scales approved by the Punjab Cabinet on June 18.

However, the irony is that teachers admit that such protests send wrong signal to students but also feel that it is the only option to get their demands fulfilled. Head of political science department at Arya College, PS Bhogal, said, “Undoubtedly these protests or agitations affect the college environment and ultimately even studies suffer but now the situation is that whether it is the government or the management of some institutes, they do not act unless and untill teachers or employees start expressing their anger in the form of protest.”

Meanwhile, refusing to agree that such protests “affect the mind of students”, a senior professor at Government College, PPS Sohi, said, “Teachers understand their responsibility and so stage their peaceful protests during non-interaction period. I think it is our system which is responsible.”

In earlier agitations, teachers had worn black badges on July 29, staged demonstrations during off periods on August 3 and ceased work for an hour to hold campus rallies on August 7.

Source : Punjabnewsline.com.

IIT faculty asks for 'scholastic pay' of Rs 15,000 per month

For the first time in the Indian Institutes of Technogy’s 50-odd years of existence, faculty members have asked the government for a special additional "scholastic pay" of Rs 15,000 a month to compensate them for their "low-paying" jobs.

The suggestion for this special pay was part of a memorandum that the All India IIT Faculty Federation submitted to the Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD) on August 23, stating that the pay structure proposed is unacceptable and a threat to the IIT system.

This special pay is expected to compensate the IIT faculty members for the "notional" financial loss they incur compared to people of comparable qualifications in other sectors.

“Every other government organisation gives special incentive to its employees, except the IITs. We are resentful that the ministry has abandoned us like this,” said Bhartendu Seth, president, IIT Bombay Faculty Forum and professor of mechanical engineering.

“The Govardhan Mehta Committee recognised the speciality of the premier institutions in its report, but the government reduces and undermines the status of IIT faculty members,” Seth added.

The Govardhan Committee refers to a central technical education pay review panel headed by former Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, director Govardhan Mehta, set up last year to recommend salaries for all technical education teachers. The panel submitted its report to MHRD in February this year.

Based on this, the government then set up another committee to study the recommendations and make final suggestions on salaries and perks for teachers of 53 central technical educational institutions, including IITs and IIMs.

On its website, IIT Bombay stated, “As per the central pay commission, all employees of Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have been given special additional pay ranging from about Rs 2,000 per month to about 10 per cent of basic pay as a special grant for special achievements. Premier educational institutions have not been granted any such special treatment for the highly valued brands they have created, including mentoring new IITs in a short notice.”

Other key demands in the memorandum include:

* a professional development allowance (PDA) of Rs 3 lakh (for international/national conferences, contingencies, membership fees) does not correspond with the increase in the costs, and should be increased to Rs 5 lakh for a block of three years;

* that the "lecturer" position be abolished and lecturers re-designated assistant professors, at an appropriate scale;

* that the recruitment of faculty with PhD degrees with less than three years of experience start with a minimum pay of Rs 30,000 and academic grade pay of Rs 8,000.

A key concern, the IITs say, is about attracting new faculty members. “If the government treats faculty members of IITs, which are institutions of international repute, like this, young and new people will not join us. The IITs are already suffering from a shortage of faculty. This could push more students to foreign shores,” said Sunil Pandey, professor, mechanical engineering, and president, All India IIT Faculty Federation, IIT-Delhi.

Meanwhile, some professors who went on mass casual leave on August 21 have decided to hold classes.

Faculty members are protesting against the new pay scale, according to which the increase for assistant professors was only 40 per cent against 70 per cent provided by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Salaries of full professors, meanwhile, were raised just 10 per cent. Pay scales for IIT staff were last revised in 1999.

B K Mathur, placements chairman of IIT Kharagpur, said, "If IIT pay scales are lower then UGC pay scales, then attracting good faculty would be difficult. The professors would rather work for UGC colleges than IITs and I would not blame them for it."

Source : Business Standard.

PSUs threaten stir over wage deadlock

As stalemate continues in wage settlements, more and more PSUs are taking the strikd route to step up pressure on the government. The workers, backed by trade unions, are demanding a five-year settlement and higher increments.

After public sector banks, BSNL, Air India and Bharat Electronics Ltd, workers of the steel industry, ports and docks and Bhel are toying with the agitation option. While steel workers are taking a strike ballot to decide on the future course of action, Bhel workers have planned a day’s strike on September 14 and the Indian Ports and Docks Federations are also threatening a stir.

Of the 220 PSUs, 70 are sick while the rest are trying to work out wage settlements. Barring the coal sector, negotiations are deadlocked in other undertakings even 32 months after the old agreement ended in 2006. “The government is adopting a wage restraint policy. This is a major reason for the stalemate in wage negotiations,” CPM polit bureau member and CITU leader M K Pandhe said on Tuesday. He said the delay in wage settlements coupled with increase in prices of essential items was increasing discontent among the workers.

Executives and non-executives in central PSUs are eligible for wage revision with effect from January 1, 2007. The last revision was done in 1997. The trade unions are now insisting on a five-year tenure of wage agreement instead of 10 years with full fitment benefit.

Mr Pandhe claimed that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had “verbally” given permission for a five-year wage settlement period for PSU workers in 2008, but the government directive is for 10 years. “We want a 30% increase in wages for five years for the workers. The government has granted 30% increment for executives for 10 years,” he said. The workers’ demands are not new. A GoM in 2000 was in favour of a status quo on the five-year wage settlement period for workers employed with public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies and departmental organisations.

The workers also want that the rate of increment should be a percentage of the basic salary along with proportionate rise in fringe benefits. BSNL, whose over 10,000 employees went on strike last week, was demanding wage revision for more than two lakh non-executive employees. It was also protesting against any disinvestment, contractorisation and outsourcing in the PSU.

Earlier this month, employees of public sector banks across the country struck work for two days demanding wage hike, among other issues.

Source : Economic Times.

2nd Installment of CPC Arrear {60%} : Released for Employees and Pensioners.

Over 8 million central government employees and pensioners are likely to receive a festival season bonanza with the finance ministry ordering the release of arrears totalling Rs 16,500 crore.

As we have informed earlier in this blog, the Govt. has issued order regarding release of 2nd installment of CPC arrear for both employees and pensioners in two different Office Orders.

For the new entrants {post 01.01.2004}, it is mandatory for the AO/DDOs to obtain the Registration forms for the NPS scheme before releasing the arrear.

The Govt. has encouraged the employees to deposit the money to their GPF A/C voluntarily. It is not at all mandatory.

View the Govt Order for Employees.

Railway Board's Order of 60% of Arrear

In the order for disbursement of pensioners, the Pension Disbursement Authorities/Public Sector Banks are requested to disburse the 60% arrear latest by 30th September 2009.

View the Govt. Order for Pensioners.

Teacher’s Day deadline on IIT salary - Threat of mass hunger strike if government does not act by September 5

Faculty across the IITs are threatening to go on mass hunger strike in an unprecedented showdown with the government unless it revises a new pay regime to address teachers’ concerns within 12 days.

In a memorandum submitted to the human resource development ministry today, the All India IIT Faculty Federation, a body elected by teachers at the institutes, has given a deadline — September 5 — by when the government must withdraw the new pay regime it has notified, and replace it with a structure incorporating their demands.

The demands were placed before the ministry on a day IIM Calcutta became the first among the B-schools to officially register its protest against the new pay structure.

As reported first in The Telegraph on August 19, the new pay regime approved for teachers at the IITs and the IIMs by the cabinet snips effective salaries recommended by a central pay panel.

The new pay structure also omits other key incentives recommended by the panel under former Indian Institute of Science director Goverdhan Mehta to help battle the lure of better salaries from industry and foreign institutions.

Senior faculty members across the IITs for the past five days have been protesting the new pay regime, arguing that it varies with the government’s stated commitment to attract young teachers.

The IITs and the IIMs suffer from a faculty shortage between 20 and 30 per cent.

Teachers at IIT Madras, Bombay and Kharagpur boycotted classes — this has never happened before.

They will all return to classes tomorrow but have threatened to resume their protest if the government does not accept their demands.

The memorandum places a long list of demands that the faculty want the government to comply with. Some of these demands were cited by the faculty as the most important — which if not accepted, could prolong and intensify a protest already unparalleled in the five-decade history of the IITs. (See chart).

New pay scales notified by the UGC for assistant professors in universities boost their salaries into a higher pay range after three years of teaching. But the notified new regime for IITs and IIMs does not thrust assistant professor salaries to a higher pay range though faculty in these institutes start at a higher salary.

A university assistant professor could be earning more than an IIT or IIM assistant professor after teaching for three years — a situation unpalatable for faculty at the more-in-demand institutes.

The memorandum demands that assistant professors at the IITs should also be shifted to the higher pay band after three years.

The IIT faculty have also demanded a higher academic grade pay — a rank-based increment — for associate professors, as it will additionally entitle them to benefits allowed only to those above a certain salary.

The notified pay regime places a 40 per cent limit on the number of professors in each institute, who would be eligible for a higher grade pay.

The faculty have argued that the cap on higher-pay professorial posts will trigger bickering among professors for the higher pay and could lead to nepotism. The cap could also frustrate younger professors unable to move into the higher pay bracket because seniors have filled the 40 per cent quota.

Source : The Telegraph.

IIT professors go on mass casual leave for pay hike

Hundreds of faculty members of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) Bombay and Roorkee went on mass casual leave on Monday protesting disparities in pay. IIT Delhi professors will go on leave on Tuesday.

"The pay hike given by the government is at least 30 percent less at the lower level (of faculties) and at higher level it is 40 percent less than what we had asked for. It will be difficult for us to attract good faculty members," Saumya Mukherjee, professor at IIT-Bombay, told reporters.

Holding placards, the professors came out of the IIT-Bombay campus in a long line.

They said that to become a professor at any IIT, a student needs to have a PhD, which involves around six more years of study. This entails loss of income. Had they taken up a government job, they would have earned at least Rs.2.3 million, they claimed.

"The government is not even giving us the scholastic pay which is a compensation for the loss in earning," said another professor from IIT-Bombay.

IIT-Roorkee director S.C. Saxena told IANS: "There is some dissatisfaction over the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations for our pay hike. I returned from abroad Monday morning and will discuss the issue with the faculty members."

Meanwhile, IIT-Delhi professors have said they would be going on a mass casual leave Tuesday to protest the same issue.

There was a meeting of all IITs in Chennai Sunday. The decision to protest was also discussed there but it was left to the individual organisations of faculty members to protest the way they choose.

"You know the problem with our pay hike. There is dissatisfaction among many," M. Balakrishnan, dean of post-graduate studies at IIT-Delhi, said.

Similarly, at IIT-Guwahati faculty members are likely to go on a strike some time in the near future.

"There is disparity between the salary of an assistant and associate professor at IITs. The UGC scale for central university professors is more than for us. This is a key issue. There are other anomalies as well," IIT-Guwahati director Gautam Barua told IANS over phone.

"After the Chennai meeting, the association sent a memorandum to the human resource development (HRD) ministry. We expect the ministry to respond soon. As the director of my institute, I hope there will be no protest but I cannot say this with surety. Faculty association of my institute may go on strike anytime," he added.

Source : Economic Times.

Haryana CM meeting with sarv karamchari sangh

Haryana Government today decided to formulate apolicy for regularisation of a large number of adhoc and daily wage employees and also frame a Wage Policy for all skilled workers in the State.

A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting which the Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had held with the 7-member delegation of Sarv Karamchari Sangh, Haryana,on monday. The meeting was held in a verycordial atmosphere and the members of the delegation appreciated the gesture of the Chief Minister for having
invited them to hear their grievances.

Chief Secretary Dharam Vir and Principal Secretary to Chief Minister M.L.Tayal and Administrative Secretaries of various Departments were present in the meeting. The delegation was led by General Secretary of the Sang R.C. Jagga.The Chief Minister asked the Chief Secretary to formulate a policy to regularise adhoc and daily wage employees and submit it to the Government within next three months.

While considering the issue of those workers who are engaged under the schemes of Central Government, like ASHA workers in Health Department, Hooda said that the State Government would write to the Central Government to consider raising their wages etc.

While discussing the issue of remuneration of skilled workers in the State, the Chief Minister asked the Chief Secretary to formulate a Wage Policy for such workers. Similarly, it was decided to prepare Work Load Norms for part time workers.

The Chief Minister also directed to examine the system of giving compensation to daily wage and adhoc workers in case of death in harness. It may be recalled that the State Government already has an ex-gratia policy for its regular employees.

Also, a sum of Rs.one lakh is paid to the dependent of the family of the deceased in case of death or permanent disability due to accident under the Rajiv Gandhi Parivar Bima Yojna to all the persons between the age group of 18 to 60 years of Haryana domicile whose name appear in the voter list of Haryana or who have ration card issued by the
Food and Supply Department, except government employees and income tax payees.

The Chief Minister also directed the Finance Department to issue a clarification regarding the facility of education allowance as it was admissible for all employees whether their wards were studying in Government schools or private schools. Keeping in view the implementation of the recommendations of the sixth Pay Commission, it was also decided to revise the instructions regarding giving financial incentives to State Government employees
for under going sterlisation.

While referring to the issue of arrears concerning the sixth Pay Commission, the Chief Minister said that out of the remaining 60 per cent arrears, 30 per cent would be paid during this year and remaining 30 per cent during next financial year. The State Government was committed to pay the entire amount of 60 per cent . As much as 40 per
cent of the arrear amount was paid during last financial year.

The Chief Minister advised the Chief Secretary to expedite the disposal of more than 600 representations received by the Anomalies Committee and submit its report at the earliest possible. Dharam Vir said that the rates of Daily Allowance on travel were being revised in view of the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. The State Government was also examining a proposal to give House Building Advance to its employees through banks.

Source : PunjabNewsLine.

J & K Cabinet meets today : Imp announcement including D A hike likely.

The state cabinet, which is expected to meet here Monday evening with the chief minister, Omar Abdullah, in chair, is expected to deliberate on some major proposals announced by the finance minister, Abdul Rahim Rather, during his budget speech on August 10.
Well placed sources told Greater Kashmir that the regularization of the ad-hoc and contractual appointees, increase in the Dearness Allowance, Temporary Move Allowance and wages of daily-rated laborers, were among the issues on the agenda for consideration by the cabinet.
“The discussions will largely revolve round the announcements made by the finance minister in his budget speech and the meeting is expected to take some decisions in this regard,” they said.
In his budget speech, Rather had proposed the regularization of ad-hoc and consolidated appointees who had completed seven years of service.
“The cabinet will discuss all the nitty-gritty involved in the implementation of the decisions. It is also likely to discuss the regularization of the contractual appointees following demands by the members of the House for the same,” sources said.
The increase in the Dearness Allowances by six per cent from January this year and Rs 100 hike in the Temporary Move Allowance proposed by the finance minister would be ‘thoroughly’ discussed by the cabinet besides an increase in the wages of the daily wagers, sources said.
Sources said the implementation of the 6th pay panel report recommendations to the resident doctors of the SK Institute of Medical Science, Soura, here was on the agenda of the meeting.
The doctors had gone on an indefinite strike earlier this month demanding that the recommendations of the 6th pay commission should be implemented in their case as well. However, they had later called off the strike following assurance by the government that a decision would be taken in a month or so on the issue.
The amendment in the Immoveable Property Act would also be on the agenda, sources said.
The cabinet may also consider, and accept, the fresh recommendations made by its sub committee in the aftermath of its recent meeting with the Joint Consultative Committee of the employees associations, regarding the implement of the 6th pay commission and several other issues.
There are 350574 government employees in Jammu and Kashmir and the highest number of employees are in the police department having a total staff strength of 78100 excluding the Special Police Officers.
According to a supplementary document on Establishment and scales of pay, released by the government along with the budget 2009-10, there are 78100 posts presently in the Police Department. Interestingly, the Education Department employs less number of people than the Home Department. It has total strength of 77,617 employees who include both teaching and non-teaching staff.
The meeting, which would start at 6 pm, is understood to announce some minor reshuffle in civil administration as well.

Source : Greater Kashmir.

Update on 26.08.2009

Cabinet Meet Put Off Till Next Month

A crucial cabinet meeting originally scheduled for Monday to discuss key legislative and administrative measures, was put off again today and has now been slated for next month, sources said.
The meeting had been fixed for early Tuesday morning after it could not be held on Monday evening due to a prolonged day at the assembly.
The regularization of ad hoc and contractual employees, increase in Dearness Allowance, Temporary Move Allowance and wages for daily wagers are awaiting cabinet approval, as are the implementation of the 6th pay panel report benefits to the resident doctors of the SK Institute of Medical Science.
The cabinet was also scheduled to consider the fresh recommendations made by its sub committee in the aftermath of its recent meeting with the Joint Consultative Committee of the employees associations regarding the implement of the 6th pay commission and several other allied issues.
A minor reshuffle in civil administration was also likely to be ordered.

Source : Kashmir Observer.

Indian National Lok Dal condemned the Haryana Government decision to drastically reduce the basic pays of employees

While referring to the Finance Department order no. 1/83/2008-PR(FD), dated 18/8/2009, Mr Chautala said that the government has drastically reduced the basc pay of almost all the class 2, 3 & 4 employees recruited after 1 January, 2006. He said that the employees of the state were already agitating against the government for injustice meted to them by not fully implementing the 6th pay commission report. This new order is like putting salt in the wounds of the employees class, who were awaiting some relief from the government. The decision has been implemented secretively and no formal announcement was made.

Hooda government had earlier not implemented 6th pay commission report in number of offices/corporations/Municipal Council/Corporations/ societies etc and has done intolerable injustice with employees but the chief minister has been trying to befool the people by making the false promises to the various sections of employees like Arts & Drawing teachers, PTIs, JBT teachers, Engineers, Public Relations Officers, Lecturers, Doctors, Jail officers & employees, Veternary Doctors, almost all the class three & class four employees, Mr Chautala added. But now the double speak of the chief minister has been exposed and there is gross unrest among the employees against the treachery, he further added. The intent of the government was not to pass on the full benefits to the employees from the very beginning so the pay commission recommendations were manipulated to reduce the benefit for the lower class employees.

Mr Chautala said that the government has now made massive financial loss to the thousands of employees as they will not receive their increments till they reach upto their earlier basic pays. All the sections of employees like JBT teachers, Masters, School Lecturers, Nurses, ADAs, Drawing Teachers, Junior Coaches, Coaches, District Public Relations Officers, Waiters, Forestors, Junior Engineers etc have been adversely affected with this government order. The government has earlier also insulted almost all the employees by putting them to the lower pay band with respect to the 6th pay commission recommendations.

INLD chief disclosed that basic pay of employees in the grade pay band of 1800 has been reduced to Rs 7000 from Rs 7480, in the grade pay band of 2500 has been reduced to Rs 9940 from Rs 10690, in the grade pay band of 2800 has been reduced to Rs 10240 from Rs 11170, in the grade pay band of 3300 has been reduced to Rs 12600 from Rs 13440, in the grade pay band of 3600 for Drawing teachers, PTIs and other employees have been reduced to Rs 12900 from Rs 13830, in the grade pay band of 4000 has been reduced to Rs 13300 from Rs 16090, JBT teachers, DPROs in the grade pay band of 4200 has been reduced to Rs 13500 from Rs 16290. It is also ironical that earlier while implementing the pay commission report. Citing such example, he said that employees with basic pay of Rs 5,000, 5450, 5500, 6500 have been put in the 3200, 3300, 3600 and 4000 grade pay in 9300-34800 pay scale whereas they are all in the grade pay of Rs 4200 in 9300-34800 pay scale as per the 6thpay commission recommendations and would have got Rs 16290 as basic pay had the discrimination in deciding basic pay had not been done to them.

Similarly, prejudice and injustice has been done with basic pay of school Masters, Head Teacher Primary schools, language teachers and employees in the grade pay band of 4600 as they have been reduced to Rs 14830 from Rs 18460, for school lecturers and other employees in the grade pay band of 4800 has been reduced to Rs 15030 from Rs 18750, in the grade pay band of 5200 has been reduced to Rs 17290 from Rs 19150, Head Master High Schools and all other employees in the grade pay band of PB-2-5400 has been reduced to Rs 17490 from Rs 20280. However, for Class one officers in the PB 3 grade pay band of 5400 there is no decrease on basic pay of Rs 21000, he added. Similarly there is no reduction for the majority of senior Class one officers grades.

Former chief minister said that gross injustice has been meted out to retired employees after 1st January, 2006 as 6th pay commission report has not been implemented till date despite the false announcements of the government. Those employees have not got increased pay, gratuity, leave till date, he added. Retired employees have not been given LTC facility as per the central recommendations. 5 & 10 % increase for the retirees of age 65 & 75 years on Punjab pattern has been put to 85 & 95 years old, which is quite intolerable.

Source : Punjabnewsline and "India News Calling."

View the Govt. Order

Faculty at IIT Delhi to go on mass leave from Tuesday

The faculty at IIT Delhi has decided to go on mass leave for on Tuesday to protest the recommendations of the sixth pay commission. They will also wear black badges from Monday.

The Faculty Forum of IITD decided in its general body meeting on Saturday that its members will take a casual leave to mark their protest and may hold a protest march on the Teachers' Day if the government fails to take any measures before that.

Said S S Murthy, president of Faculty Forum: "Even PSU employees and our own students earn better than us when they join the MNCs. This is why we have decided to protest against the recommendations of the sixth pay commission now.''

Source : Times of India

See the Minister's assurance here.

Visit earlier post containing MHRD Notification.