EDITORIAL - DAK JAGRITI - MARCH 2015
CADRE RESTRUCTURING AGREEMENT OF GROUP ‘C’EMPLOYEES. DEPARTMENT’S DELAYING TACTICS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED.
POSTAL JCA SHOULD NOT FAIL IN ITS RESPONSIBILITY.
Cadre Restructuring agreement of the Group ‘C’ employees of the Department of Posts was signed by both the official side and staff side on 28.04.2014 after protracted discussions and hard-bargaining by the leadership of NFPE & FNPO. By 30.04.2015 first anniversary of the signing of the agreement will be over. Even after a lapse of nine months the proposal is still pending in the Postal Directorate. In all other departments like Railways, Income Tax, Central Secretariat etc. cadre restructuring is already approved by Government and implemented. Employees got the benefits months back. Postal JCA has included this demand in its charter of demands. The reply given by the Department is really shocking and shameful. After keeping the file in the cold-storage for ten months now the Postal Board says it want six months more time to process the proposal for submission to the DOP&T. Reply given by the Department in the minutes of the strike charter discussion is reproduced below:
“The examination of proposals regarding Cadre Restructuring will be expedited and will be sent to DOP&T within specified period as decided in the JCM meeting (i.e six month from 16.12.2014)”
So, as per the reply, for processing the proposal, the Directorate will take time upto 30.06.2015 i.e. fourteen months from the date of signing of the agreement. It is really shameful. After processing, the proposal is to be submitted to DOP&T for approval. If Postal Board can take 14 months for processing, DOP&T will definitely take minimum six months. After that approval of Finance and Law Ministry’s are to be obtained. Thus minimum it will take one more year from 30.06.2015. By that time 7th CPC report will be submitted and implemented by Government. Once 7th CPC recommendations are implemented the entire cadre Restructuring Agreement signed after 6th CPC report will become infructuous and Government will say fresh cadre Restructuring Committee is to be constituted after the 7th CPC. That means all the effort made by the Postal Federations will go in vain. This should not be allowed to happen under any circumstances. Postal JCA Leaders should rise upto the occasion.
All of us know that the cadre Restructuring agreement is a product of continuous struggle conducted by Postal JCA right from 2010 onwards. Postal Board adopted delaying tactics from the very beginning and everytime we countered it with serious agitations including serving of indefinite strike notice and mobilisation of the workers, which compelled the Postal Board to sign the agreement on 28.04.2014. If the agreement is implemented, the promotional chances of Group ‘C’ employees will increase three fold (three times). Further on completion of two years service in the third promotional scale they will get one more promotion i.e. fourth promotion. Every Group ‘C’ employee will be benefited and the long wait for getting more promotional opportunities will be over.
In the above circumstances, we cannot accept the stand taken by the Postal Board in the JCM Departmental council meeting on 16.12.2014 and also in the strike Charter discussion meeting on 05.02.2015. 6th & 7th Central Pay Commissions are given only 18 months time by the Government for examining the wages and service conditions and giving recommendations regarding 30 lakhs of Central Govt. employees and about 20 lakhs Defence personnel which includes more than 60 departments and hundreds of various cadres and Pay Commissions are completing their work within the specified time. Here in the Postal department for processing an agreement signed by the Department and staff side 14 months time is being taken, that too not for final orders, but for submitting the proposal to DOP&T!!!. It is an insult to the entire employees who are eagerly waiting for orders. Their hope and aspirations cannot be allowed to be shattered, because of the indifferent attitude of the Postal Board.
Postal JCA leaders should take a firm and uncompromising stand and should demand implementation of the cadre restructuring proposals (not merely processing for submission to DOP&T) before 30.04.2015. Orders are to be issued before 30.04.2015. Otherwise we should go for indefinite strike as already decided by Postal JCA.
It is an agreement signed by the Department and it should not be allowed to lapse automatically after 7th CPC finalizing its report. DOP&T will not allow any cadre restructuring Committee Report constituted after 6th CPC to be implemented after 7th CPC recommendations. Once 7th CPC recommendations are submitted to Government, DOP&T will simply reject the agreement and advise Postal Board to reconstitute another Cadre Restructuring committee after implementation of 7th CPC recommendations. So let us understand the seriousness of the situation and rise upto the occasion.