News to cheer :Maharastra Govt. approves pay hike

In the run-up to the elections, the Democratic Front (DF) government on Wednesday brushed aside fiscal prudence and decided to implement the Sixth Pay Commission for 14 lakh serving employees and 7.42 lakh pensioners, with effect from January 2006. The average 25% salary hike will dent the state exchequer with an additional payout of Rs 8,091 crore a year from 2009-10. 

Moreover, employees would get outstanding dues from January 2006 to March 2009 over the next five years. The payment, with retrospective effect, would further burden state finances by a whopping Rs 18,370 crore. 

At a time when the state's tax revenues are down due to the economic slowdown, the payout is expected to substantially aggravate the already high debt scenario. As of 2007-08, the state had a debt burden of 1,44,325 crore, which accounted for 24.9% of the state gross domestic product (SGDP). 

Once the salary hike comes into force, a Class-II junior engineer in a state corporation would get Rs 17,000 as basic emoluments compared to the current Rs 13,500. Similarly, a Class-III employee's salary would rise to Rs 11,700 from Rs 9,600. 

On Wednesday, chief minister Ashok Chavan announced that the Cabinet had cleared the finance department's proposal to implement the Sixth Pay Commission. "It had to be given as the state follows the Centre in terms of implementing pay commission recommendations. It has nothing to do with the elections due this year,'' he told TOI. 

Interestingly, Chavan said the increase in salary covers a jump in basic, dearness allowance and grade pay. "We are yet to decide on revision of House Rent Allowance (HRA) and conveyance allowance,'' said Chavan. Sources in the finance department are quick to point out that delineating HRA and conveyance from the salary hike has controlled the burden on finance to a certain extent. 

Asked about the growing fiscal deficit due to the Sixth Pay Commission, Chavan said it is inevitable. "I agree that the economic slowdown has dented our revenues and salary hikes will put more burden. But the measures have been taken after considering the comfort factor of the finance department.''

There will be an overall increase of 20 to 25 per cent in the salary of the employees and the arrears from January 2006 to March 2009 will be deposited in provident fund for the employees in the next five years, while the retired employees will also get the same amount in five years.

With regards to the pension amount, Chavan noted that those employees who had retired before January 1, 2006 would get an additional benefit of upto 40 percent of the pension amount. Also, the state government has reduced the eligibility age of 33 years of services for entitlement of pension to 20 years

Source : Times of India and our own .

Maharastra Pay Commission Report

Gujarat Electricity Board staff wants sixth pay commission implementation

Different associations of the Gujarat Electricity Board have approached the state government for the implementation of the sixth pay commission and other demands.

Eight Associations were led by the Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB) Engineers’ Association. The Sixth Pay Commission recommendations are due from January 1, 2006.

The employees of various power companies of the GEB fear the Lok Sabha polls will further delay the implementation and consequently they are pressing their demand for immediate implementation of the pay commission. There are about 50,000 employees.

Doctors of Provincial Medical Services in U.P. plan strike.

n getting no response from the state government regarding the amendments in their salary structure, the doctors of the provincial medical services have decided to go in for an indefinite strike from February 8. 

According to the state general secretary of the PMS doctor’s association Dr VP Singh, "The secretary to the CM had given us in written that all our demands would be met by January 27 but till date no initiative has been taken on their part." It might be recalled that the PMS doctor’s across the state have demanded a hiked salary as per the 6th Pay Commission at par with the medical college doctors. 

After boycotting their jobs from February 7, the members of the association would be organizing a meeting on February 8 and would decide their further strategies. Dr Singh, however, concluded by saying that despite the boycott of work the emergency duties would be functioning normal.

Source : Times of India

Tamil Nadu College teachers demand revised UGC payscale

The Joint Action Council of College Teachers (JAC - Tamil Nadu) has submitted a 10-point charter of demand to the Chief Minister's ffice regarding the implementation of the revised payscales recommended by the University Grants Commission (UGC). 

More than 3,000 members of the JAC which comprises the Association of University Teachers, Tamil Nadu Government Collegiate Teachers Association and the Madurai Kamarajar Manonmaniam Sundaranar University Teachers Association had taken out a rally in Chennai on Saturday in support of their demands. 

In a memorandum, the JAC demanded that the central government must grant 100% assistance to the States for the entire period of 10 years to implement the revised UGC pay scales in full. The teachers wanted the centre to make it mandatory for the State governments to implement the new pay scales with retrospective effect from January 1, 2006 uniformly and simultaneously. 

"The centre should fix the age of retirement of college teachers on a par with the university teachers as recommended by the pay review committee approved by the union ministry of human resources development. Also, all eligible lectures in colleges must be accorded professorship without discriminating between undergraduate and postgadat colleges. The government should also drop the move of direct appointment of professors in colleges," the JAC has demanded. 

Among other things, the teachers' organisations wanted the pension benefit of new pay scales to be extended to all teachers who had retired prior to January 1, 2006 and wanted the union government to withdraw the stipulation that colleges and 

universities can create new departments only with the prior permission of the UGC. 

The rally was undertaken from Munroe Statute on Anna Salai to Sivananda Salai, in response to a call given by the All India Federation of University and College Teachers' Organisation (AIFUCTO) to hold such demonstrations to rectify the anomalies present in the notification about revised pay scales issued by the HRD ministry.

Source : Times of India.

Manipur employees demands white-paper on 6th Pay commission

The agitating Joint Administrative Council (JAC) of All Manipur Trade Union Council (AMTUC) and All Manipur Employees Organization (AMGEO) on Saturday demanded a white paper from the chief minister of Manipur regarding the issue of the implementation of 6th Central Pay Commission especially in its reported statement that the state will have to spend about Rs. 2000-4000 crores for the implementation of the pay commission. The JAC also alleged that this was a false information from the part of the chief minister.
Briefing media persons in this connection at its office at Babupara, Imphal, the general secretary of the JAC, Ch. Chandramani, revealed that the chief minister had misinformed the general public often in his speeches during functions regarding the issue of implementation of the 6th Pay Commission. Chandramani also pointed out that the chief minister had often commented that to implement the revised pay the state needs around Rs. 2000 to 4000 crores which if implemented it will affect the state developmental plans.  
However, contrary to the chief minister’s information Chandramani pointed out that as per the calculation of the JAC the total amount required altogether, including the due from 2006 to 2009 is about Rs 1240.71 crores. In this regard, he asserted that the chief minister had misinformed the general public which could lead to a misunderstanding between the JAC and the public and demanded a white paper regarding the information provided for transparency.
Ch. Madhumangol, the president of the JAC, also said that the JAC started its agitation from November 2008 however, lamented that no official response had been provided by the government so far and expressed his discontent over the chief minister’s comments. The president further pointed out that there were separate funds for plans and non-plan and that the chief minister’s comment of affecting the developmental work due to the 6th Pay commission implementation was baseless.