CBEC cadre review may be approved in the next cabinet meeting

It is learnt that the Cabinet Note relating to approval of cadre restructuring proposal of CBEC  has been finally prepared/ approved  on 26.11.2013 by Cabinet Secretary. The date  for next cabinet meeting is yet to be  fixed. It is expected that CR of CBEC may likely to be approved in the next cabinet meeting.

Consumer Price Index Numbers for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) October 2013

According to a press release issued by the Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour & Employment the All-India CPI-IW for October, 2013 rose by 3 points and pegged at 241 (two hundred and forty one). On 1-month percentage change, it increased by 1.26 per cent between September and October compared with 0.93 per cent between the same two months a year ago.
View details here 
We apologize the inconvenience caused by malfunctioning of the link above earlier. Now it is working perfecly.

Kerala appointed pay commission for state employees

cabinet today decided to set up a pay commission to revise the salary and allowances of state government employees. 

A panel led by Justice C N Ramachandran Nair (retired) has been appointed to submit a report after reviewing the pay revision of government employees, State Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters after a cabinet meeting here. 

Advocate T V George and retired finance additional secretary K V Thomas are also members of the panel. 

Cabinet decided to set up a permanent commission to look into financial backwardness of people belonging to the forward class and suggest welfare measures, he said. 

R.S. Gujral likely to be Secretary, 7th Pay Commission

Secretary, Expenditure, R S Gujral, is likely to be appointed Member-Secretary of the 7th Pay Commission. The 1976 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre Gujral is retiring on November 30.

CSS Cadre Restructuring Committee to submit its report this week

It is learnt that the Committee designated for the third restructuring of CSS cadres is ready with its report which may be submitted to Secretary, DoPT by the end of this month. Prior to it the restructuring was done in 2003 and 2010. The CSS cadre personnel comprises over 11,500 CSS employees; a cadre which indeed forms the backbone of functioning of Government of India offices.

Govt workers want DA to be merged with salary

Government employees have asked the Centre to consider merging dearness allowance with their pay, arguing that the Sixth Pay Commission -- quite like the Centre -- could not have anticipated the high inflation that has eroded real wages over the last decade.

Since 2006 – when the recommendations of the last pay commission came into force – the dearness allowance has increased to 90%, a reflection of the high inflation environment that employees have to cope up with.

The demand was made at a preliminary meeting held between the department of personnel and the employee representatives to discuss the proposed Seventh Pay Commission announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September.

UP employees withdraw strike

Lucknow, Nov 22 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh government employees, who had been on strike since November 11, today called off their protest after the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court agreed to monitor talks between them and the government.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dhananjay Yashwant Chandrachud and Justice Rituraj Awasthi directed the state government and employees' organisations to sit and initiate a dialogue on their demands.

U.P. employees strike : Deadlock continues

The Uttar Pradesh government yesterday began negotiations with striking government employees who have struck work for the last nine days.

In a late evening meeting, Principal Secretary (Appointment) Rajiv Kumar met leaders of the striking unions to hammer out a solution to the impasse.

However, no solution was found at the end of the meeting and the deadlock continues.

Bank Strike on 19th December for early wage revision and oppose reform

Over a million bank employees will go on all-India strike on December 19.

This has been decided by the United Forum of Bank Union (UFBU), a representative body of nine bank unions.

The strike call is for wage revision demand and also for expressing opposition to banking reforms of the Government, C.H.Venkatachalam, Secretary General of All India Bank Employees Association said.

West Bengal employees to get 6% Dearness Allowance from 01.01.2014

With this hike the difference with central employees will come down to 32% (presently is is 38%). But with a likely D.A. increase (10 or 11%) of the central employees from January 2014, the gap may be wider to 42% or more.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced an additional instalment of dearness allowance for state government employees, sparking protests by the Opposition CPI-M and Congress.

Mamata, who appeared in the House to give a statement on the price rise situation during question hour, said that despite all the financial constraints the state was facing, the employees would get a six per cent increase in DA from January 2014.

West Bengal D.A. : "Nothing Due" as per Finance Minister !

Calcutta, Nov. 19: Finance minister Amit Mitra today informed the Assembly that state government employees had no dearness allowance (DA) dues, a statement that left more than three lakh employees irrespective of their political affiliation in shock.

In a written reply to a question by CPM MLA Basudev Khan, Mitra, however, admitted that central government employees were getting 38 per cent more DA than their state government counterparts.

Kerala 10th Pay Panel : Decision soon, C.M.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said that the government will take a decision on constituting the 10th Pay Commission for government employees and teachers in the State soon.

Inaugurating the 39th State conference of the Kerala NGO Association here on Tuesday, the Chief Minister said the Pay Commission would have to be appointed after June 30, 2014. The United Democratic Front government was rectifying the anomalies in the previous Pay Commission recommendations as the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had not taken steps to correct them.

He said the Dearness Allowance (DA) of State government employees would be paid up to date by December this year. The government had spent Rs.1,600 crore to pay the DA arrears of State employees.

UP employees strike continuing, Govt may invoke ESMA

Despite claims by employee associations that essential services in the state have been hit as a result of their strike, healthcare delivery mechanism in UP has remained largely unaffected with as many as 478 surgeries being performed at eight government hospitals in the city alone. Nearly 200 surgeries were also performed at government hospitals in the Lucknow division as well. According to official information released by Faizabad, Azamgarh, Basti, Bareilly and Chitrakoot divisions, health services, though tempered with delays, continued to remain functional in these areas as well.

As the unions' strike entered the seventh day on Monday, state government employees continued to demand an increase in grade pay, hike in dearness allowance and change in norms for Assured Career Promotions (ACP). With no signs of a compromise in sight, officials said they would consider imposing the Essential Services Maintenance Act ( ESMA) to ensure that the delivery of essential services is not affected by the strike. On Monday, a local lawyer also filed a PIL in the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court seeking action against state government employees who are on a strike.

Latest Cadre Review news of CBEC

The cabinet note for cadre restructuring is already under process and has been signed today by the FM. It is expected to be placed before the cabinet on 21.11.13 or 28.11.13

The above information is learnt from All India Central Excise Officers' News.

Click here to view the details.

BEFI wants wage pact before polls

The Kerala State committee of the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) has sought the wage pact for bank staff should be settled before the coming general election.

The federation was voicing concerns over the delay in including the wage agreement of bank employees that expired a year ago.

BEFI’s State general secretary C.J. Nadakumar alleged here on Thursday that IBA, the apex body of bank managements, had been creating obstacles in bipartite negotiations by raising counter demands aimed at dismantling the decades-old bipartite mechanism in banking industry.

He also accused the Central government of adopting a discriminatory attitude towards bank employees.

Kerala hikes 10% D.A. from July 2013

Employees would get the new DA from July this year and the state exchequer would have an additional expenditure of Rs 130 crore per month on this account, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters after the cabinet meeting in the Kerala capital.
   
With this, DA would become 63 percent of an employee's basic scale of pay, Chandy pointed out.
   
Arrears of DA up to December next would be merged with the Provident Fund account, he said.

Media report reg DOPT objection on CBEC cadre review

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has raised objections to the cadre restructuring proposal of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), delaying a resolution to the acute manpower crisis affecting the indirect tax administration, which is struggling to collect 20% more revenue from central excise, customs and service tax this year from a year ago. CBEC has a revenue target of Rs 5.6 lakh crore this fiscal, 46% of the Centre's gross tax revenue.

Central Govt. offices in W.B. will observe holiday on 15th Nov for Muharram

As informed by Imam, Nakhuda Mosque, Kolkata, Central Govt. offices located in West Bengal will observe holiday on 15th November 2013 in stead of 14th as declared earlier. Accordingly Central Govt. Employees' Welfare Co-Ordination Committee requested for wide publicity in this matter.
View the Order 

West Bengal changes "Muharram" holiday to 15th. Banks to be closed.

In line with other states West Bengal Govt. has changed the holiday of Muharram to 15th Nov in stead of 14th. The holiday is notified under N.I Act and therefore Bank/LIC and other institutions will also remain closed on 15th November.
View the Order

Muharram holiday changed to 15th Nov'13 in Delhi

Tamilnadu to observe Muharram on 15th
Tamilnadu Chief minister J.jayalalitha announced that all state Government Administrative  Offices located at Tamilnadu shall remain closed on 15th November, 2013 on account of Muharram (in place of 14th November, 2013).
Cenrtral Holiday in Delhi
The Holiday on the occasion of Muharram was listed on Thursday the 14" November, 2013 vide Annexure I of this Department's O.M. No 12/4/2012-JCA-2 dated 5th June, 2012. This was dependent on sighting of the Moon. It has now been decided that for offices in Delhi / New Delhi, the Holiday on the occasion of 
Muharram will now be on Friday, the 15" November, 2013 and all Central Government Administrative offices located in Delhi / New Delhi shall remain closed on account of Muharram on 15th November, 2013. 
Order

Bank Bipartite : AIBEA to consider strike against 'casual approach' of Govt

Bank employees have begun to voice their displeasure over what they call the Government's ‘casual’ approach in settling their wage accord, which is overdue.

The 9th wage settlement expired in October 2012. A year has passed but negotiations have hardly taken off, said C.H. Venkatachalam, General Secretary, All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA).

The 10th bipartite talk between bank unions and Indian Banks Association (IBA) to decide on the quantum of wage increase for bank employees is currently on. Each settlement is valid for five years.

The current settlement would be valid from November 2012 to October 2017.

CBEC cadre review likely to be placed in Cabinet this month

Latest Update : The CR note has also been concurred by DOPT perhaps with some minor observations. It is now expected to be sent to the cabinet next week and placed before cabinet on 20/21.11.13.
Earlier News :
As per sources from Central Excise Officers' Association it is learnt that thc Cadre Review proposal to be placed before cabinet during this month. Before sending to cabinet, the cabinet note is sent to Law, Exp., DOPT, Cab Sec & PMO to be returned within mandatory period. f not returned within mandatory period, it is treated as deemed concurred. Law & Exp have already concurred it, it is also expected to be returned within this week from DOPT with their observations. Cab Sec & PMO generally don't respond to this formal note. So, it is expected to be sent to cabinet after the expiry of mandatory period accordingly.

WB school teachers general transfer notified

An incumbent shall be eligible for General Transfer only if he/she is confirmed in service and completed 5 (five) years of satisfactory service in that particular school from which he/she seeks General Transfer.

4. Eligibility for General Transfer

(1) Any Teacher or non-teaching staff qualified as per provision of rule 3 of this Rules may be eligible for transfer to a post of Teacher or non-teaching staff of another school of same category of vacancy, same category of post and for a Teacher of same subject (Honours/Post Graduate or Pass), as the case may be.

(2) An incumbent opting for General Transfer shall be transferred to the same category- of schools having Bengali or English or Hindi or Nepali or Oriya or Santhali or Telugu or Urdu, as the medium of instruction, Junior High/Secondary Higher Secondary level, as the case may be.

(3) A male incumbent shall not be eligible for General Transfer in a girl’s school.

(4) No incumbent shall be eligible to apply for a General Transfer who is left with less than two years of service from the date of his/her retirement on superannuation.

(5) The General Transfer shall be allowed to an incumbent against whom no Judicial or Departmental proceeding is pending or contemplated.

(6) The school authority of a particular school shall not forward applications received from more than 25% of total number of teachers of that school seeking General Transfer against each notification. Priority shall be given to the senior teachers first.

Kol Metro fare hike tomorrow, existing Smart Card to continue

Metro Railway fares will go up from Thursday, for the first time since 2001. The minimum fare will rise by a rupee to Rs 5, which would still pinch commuters less than a bus or an auto ride over the same distance. The maximum fare will rise from Rs 14 to Rs 25. Metro (The Telegraph) answers some of the questions on the commuters’ minds before the hike comes into effect.

Bank unions may go on strike if wage hike denied

This Diwali may have failed to bring cheer to more than 800,000 employees working for state-run banks, who are yet to get some news on their wage revision.Insiders said that at a recent meeting held with the Indian Banks' Association and bank employees that there was no consensus on the quantum of wage increase even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the constitution of the seventh pay commission to look into the salaries of 80,00,000 government employees and pensioners. 

IBA released bank D.A. from Nov'13 to Jan'14. ** Arunachal hikes D.A.

IBA Issued Bank D.A. circular
As calculated earlier, IBA issued circular of 48 slabs D.A. increased for Bank employees fro the period of Nov'13 to Dec'14.
Click here for IBA Circular.

Arunachal govt sanctions DA hike

ITANAGAR, NOV 2:  

As a Diwali gift, the Arunachal Pradesh government today enhanced the Dearness Allowances (DA) to its employees and pensioners to the tune of 90 per cent of the basic salary.

The enhanced DA from existing 80 per cent to 90 per cent is in lines of central government employees and would be effective from July 1 this year, official sources informed.

The state cabinet yesterday in its meeting approved the enhanced DA and asked all government employees to work with more determination, dedication and perseverance in the benefit of state and people, sources added. - PTI

Central D.A. likely to reach 100% from January 2014

Update on 31.12.2013 : With 2 points increase on AICPIN No. for Nov'13, it is certain that central employees to get 10% more D.A. from January 2014. It can reach 11% only if the index number increases at least 3 points for December,13 (The exact increse to be known only on 31.122014)

Update on 01.11.2013 : With the increase of 3 points in the AICPIN No. for October'13, it is almost certain that central employees are going to get another 10% D.A. from January'14

Earlier news : With the release of AICPIN No. for Sep'13, the calculation and assumption begins for the probable D.A. from 1st January 2014. Still we have to get next three months' No. for the final calculation. The last of which is to be published on 31.01.2014 and only then the actual increase may be calculated. But the Govt. employees start calculating after each half year ! 
As of the trend going on, the D.A. is likely to touch the 100% mark (if not higher!).  Only two points increase in the AICPIN data for the coming three months will make it sure to get another 10% more D.A. In the last three months, the figure was 235, 237 and 238. We can expect and predict 10% hike in Dearness Allowance with effect from 01.01.2014.