Major retrograde recommendations of the 7th CPC to be settled before implementation – AIRF

Major retrograde recommendations of the VII CPC to be settled before implementation

AIRF has raised the issue of retrograde recommendations, made by 7th Pay Commission in its report submitted to Government last month, with Secretary Railway Board. Railwaymen are anguished and agitated over the retrograde recommendations of 7th Pay Commission. AIRF has raised following objections:-

All India Railwaymen’s Federation
4, State Entry Road, New Delhi – 110055

No.AIRF/405(VII CPC)

Dated: December 15, 2015

The Secretary(E),
Railway Board,
New Delhi

Dear Sir,

Sub: Major retrograde recommendations of the VII CPC to be settled before implementation

1. Minimum Wage and Allowances, common to all Central Government Employees, based on the justification detailed by the NC/JCM(Staff Side), and conveyed by the letter of the NJCA(copy enclosed), addressed to the Cabinet Secretary, should be considered. (para 4.2.5 to 4.2.13, pg. 61-64 of VII CPC Report).

2. Fitment Factor(Formula), for allotment of pay scales, to be improved for all categories of Railwaymen, based on Minimum Wage, finally drawn in consultation with the NC/JCM(Staff Side), be considered.

3. Indian Railways is an unique, multi-disciplinary and complex Transport Industry. Simple replacement in Pay Matrix (Band Pay +Grade Pay of the specific employee) without extending any weightage and due justice to their job contents, skillness, mental and physical stress and strain, introduction of advanced technology, dealing with most advanced state-of-art technology in various disciplines, working conditions, risk and hazard involved, have not been given any due consideration by the 7th CPC, and many issues have been left with the administrative ministry to decide. A Joint Committee of the Railway Board and both the Federations be formed to re-examine the memorandum submitted by the AIRF to the 7th CPC, detailing out problems/ grievances etc. of each category of Railwaymen, which need to be addressed and allotment of proper pay scales and other benefits be granted with a time-bound programme. Failing to a negotiated settlement in respect of any category, the matter should be referred to the Board of Arbitration under the JCM Scheme for Arbitration.

4. There is serious discontentment among the apex grade supervisors, for not granting them Group `B’ Gazetted status, and the Technicians, because of non-merger of Technician II & I in GP Rs.2400 and 2800 and allotment of pay scale recommended for GP Rs.2800. (para 11.40.115, pg. 749 on Technical Supervisors & para 11.40.132, page 752 on Technicians of VII CPC Report).

5. In the report of the VII CPC, there are abrasions in respect of designation and grade pay of certain categories of staff. Those should be corrected to as exist presently. (e.g. para 11.40.62, pg. 740 of VII CPC Report).

6. The 7th CPC has changed promotional channel and inserted D.R. Quota in certain cases. The existing recruitment policy and channel of promotion should continue, or in case change is warranted for, be bilaterally discussed and settled before being implemented. (para 11.40.51, pg. 738 and para 11.40.69 & 11.40.70, pg. 742 of VII CPC Report).

7. All the allowances, presently admissible to different categories of staff, should continue duly enhancing their rates as mentioned below:-
(a) Fixed amount, but not D.A. Index, to be raised by 2.25(multiplication factor).
(b) Fixed amount, but partially indexed D.A. should be raised by 1.5.

8. Recommendation for reduction in percentage of certain allowances should not be implemented, being bilateral package settlement and existing percentage be continued. (para 8.7.15 – HRA, pg 269 and para 

8.17.101 & 8.17.102, pg 351-352 of VII CPC Report).

9. All the advances, now admissible, should be continued, and enhance the rates of all the advances by a multiplication factor of 2.25. (para 9.1.4, page 360-361 and para 9.1.7, pg 362 of VII CPC Report).

10. The Pay Commission has changed the procedure for granting MACP and imposed stringent condition. 

The existing norms for granting MACP should continue. (para 17.7(i, ii & iii), pg.865 of VII CPC Report).

11. Recommendation of the 7th CPC to stop annual increment permanently in the name of efficiency bar should not be implemented, and annual increments should continue. (para 17.7 (iv), pg 866 of VII CPC Report).

12. Railways should be exempted from the ambit of the National Pension Scheme(NPS) and the Old Guaranteed Pension/Family Pension be restored to all Railwaymen, irrespective of their date of appointment in the Railways.

13. Bilateral agreement arrived at on Productivity-Linked Bonus should continue and improved with the amendment of eligibility limit from Rs.3500 to Rs.7000 as per Bonus Act. (para 15.28 & 15.29, pg 861 of VII CPC Report).

14. In respect of Running Staff Pay, Rest Rule etc., a separate memorandum will follow. (para 8.11.19 & 8.11.20, pg 310-311).

15. The 7th CPC at para 9.2.33 has analyzed the provision of Special Casual Leave(SCL), which is granted to cover absence from duty of an employee and recommended to review the purposes, as also to limit the purposes as well as total number of days that an employee can be granted SCL in a year. This recommendation being retrograde needs not be implemented. (pg 368 of VII CPC Report).

16. The 7th CPC at para 9.2.9, while analyzing the provision of Child Care Leave(CCL) for women employees, has made retrograde recommendation to reduce the salary to 80% for the second spell of 365 days CCL instead of recommending some improvement in the same. This should not be implemented. (pg. 364 of VII CPC Report).

17. Financial benefit on promotion, that is available in the 6th CPC terms, no corresponding benefit has been recommended by the VII CPC. This needs to be addressed.

In addition to the above, we may submit some more retrograde recommendations of the VII CPC in due course.

Source: AIRF