WHAT DO WE DO WHEN OTHER C G EMPLOYEES ARE ON STRIKE ON 26.11.2020?

 Dear friends,

The Confederation of CG Employees and Workers along with many other Service Associations in the Central Government has given a Notice for One Day Strike on 26.11.2020 on the following Charter of Demands:

CHARTER OF DEMANDS ON WHICH THE CONFEDERATION OF CG EMPLOYEES & WORKERS HAVE SERVED NOTICE OF STRIKE ON 26.11.2020

1. Scrap New Contributory Pension Scheme (NPS). Restore old defined benefit Pension Scheme (OPS) to all employees. Guarantee 50% of the last pay drawn as minimum pension.
2. (a) Scrap the draconian FR 56((j) & (i) and Rule 48 of CCS (Pension) Rules 1972. Stop terrorizing and victimizing employees.(b) Withdraw the attack against the recognised status of Associations and Federations.(c) Withdraw the anti-worker Wage/Labour codes and other anti-labour reforms.(d) Stop attack on trade union rights.
3.  (a) Withdraw the orders freezing the DA and DR of employees and Pensioners and impounding of arrears till 30-06-2021.(b) Implement five year wage revision and Pension revision to Central Government employees and Pensioners. Appoint 8th Central Pay Commission and revise the Pay, Allowances and Pensionary benefits of Central Government employees and Pensioners with effect from 01-01-2021.(c) Honour the assurance given by Group of Ministers (GoM) to NJCA leaders on 30-06-2016. Increase minimum pay and fitment formula recommended by 7th CPC. Grant HRA arrears from 01-01-2016.(d) Withdraw “Very Good” bench mark for MACP, grant promotional heirarchy and date of effect of MACP from 01-01-2006.(e) Grant Option-1 parity recommended by 7th CPC to all Central Govt. Pensioners. Grant one notional increment to those who retired on 30th June.(f) Settle all anomalies arising out of 7th CPC implementation.
4. Stop ban on creation of new posts. Fill up all seven lakhs vacant posts in Central Government departments in a time bound manner. Scrap National Recruitment Agency and introduce Department wise recruitment and Regional recruitment for Group B and C posts. Stop re-engaging retired personnel in Central Govt. services.
5.  Stop Corporatisation and privatisation of Railways, Defence and Postal Departments. Withdraw closure/merger orders of Govt. of India Printing Presses and Postal Stores depots/Postal Stamp depots. Stop proposed move to close down salt department. Stop outsourcing and closure of Govt. establishments.
6. (a) Regularisation of Gramin Dak Sevaks and grant of Civil Servants status. Implement remaining positive recommendations of Kamalesh Chandra Committee Report (b) Regularise all casual and contract workers including those joined service on or after 01-09-1993.
7.  Settle all Covid-9 related issues pertaining to Central Govt. employees and Pensioners on top priority basis. Treat the period of absence during lock down as duty. Grant full wages to casual, part-time, contingent and contract workers during the lock down period. 
8. Grant equal pay for equal work for all. Remove disparity in pay scales between Central Secretariat staff and similarly placed staff working in field units of various departments.
9. Implement 7th CPC wage revision and pension revision to remaining Autonomous body employees and pensioners. Ensure payment of full arrears without further delay. Grant Bonus to Autonomous body employees pending from 2016-17 onwards.
10. Remove arbitrary 5% ceiling imposed on compassionate appointments. Grant appointment in all eligible cases.
11. Grant five time-bound promotions to all Group B & C employees. Complete cadre review in all departments in a time bound manner.
12. Ensure prompt functioning of various negotiating forums under the JCM Scheme at all levels.

    We can very well see that most of the above demands directly (or indirectly) affect our cadre also.  Accordingly the CCGGOO (Confederation of Central Government Gazetted Officers Organisation) in which we are also constituents, has sought the opinion of its constituent Organisations regarding the method of participating in the above said programme.  

    As far as our cadre is concerned, we have the following additional and immediate demands (some of them get subsumed in the Charter of the Confederation given above also), which have been raised by us in different forums and is pursued by various methods.  

1. Grant notional pay for Inspectors and Superintendents of Central Excise from 1.1.96 for the revision that took effect from 21.04.2004.

2. Set right the anomaly from the Fifth CPC, erroneously understood by the Seventh CPC, in respect of our demand for parity with Inspectors of CBI etc.

3. Set right the anomaly which arose in Seventh CPC wherein Supdts of Posts have been placed on Level 9 while Supdts of Central Excise are placed in Level 9 only on completion of 4 years on Level 8.

4. Ignore 5400 PB-2 (which is the assigned pay scale for posts of Superintendents) for purposes of MACP and Grant 6600 PB-3 as MACP instead of on 5400 PB-3.

5. Implement decision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of Ashok Kumar for promotees who are not getting their pay stepped up on par with their juniors.

6. Implement M. Subramaniam decision for all petitioners and in rem.

7. Supply mobile phones, lap tops, data cards, vehicles, etc for office use by Superintendents.

8. Issue All India Seniority List for the cadre of Superintendents of Central Excise from 1.1.2007 and in accordance with various Court orders and judgments and conduct DPC for all vacant posts of Assistant Commissioners immediately.

9. Either amend the ratio of promotions to posts of Assistant Commissioners from Central Excise and Customs in a just and fair manner as directed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of S.P. Dudeja or promote only from the respective feeder cadres in Central Excise or Customs, so that juniors in Customs do not become supervisory officers to Seniors in the Central Excise.

10. Re designate Superintendents of Central Excise as Assistant Commissioners as done in State GSTs and in order to avoid any expenditure implications, re-designate all Superintendents who have reached the pay scale of Assistant Commissioners (and also those who are otherwise eligible for the pay scale but for the bar of MACPS) as Assistant Commissioners immediately.

    Though some of the above are very old and we have been pursuing for a long period, we have to understand that unless we are able to show our solidarity in support of these demands by a mass participation at least on a single day, we cannot expect that the authorities will have any inclination to even understand our demands, let alone attend to them. 

    Most of the benefits that are being enjoyed by us today is due to the hard struggle put in by our earlier generations.  If they have to be at least retained if not bettered, we have to sustain that struggle by being conscious that 'WHICHEVER IS THE HUE OR IDEOLOGY IN POWER, OUR INTERESTS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN UNDER THREAT'. Let us never make any mistake about this fact.  Many among us have a false notion that our rising the flag of demand is against a particular party or dispensation.  That is because, those of us have not learnt the history of Trade Union Movements in India or the World over.  That most of these demands of the Confederation have remained in the Charter even for decades and that some of them have only got added with time only show that we are becoming weak and the Powers that decide our fates are becoming more and more unmindful of our plight.  IT IS A CONTINUING STORY.

    The best way to fight disease is to develop immunity.  Disease and death always lurk around.  It gets into our system only when we become weak.  Temporary and adhoc solutions may give an impression of health regained.  But unless there IS constant alertness, we will be struck again.  Whether it is our own body or  a body of individuals, it is all the same. 

    And another question many intelligent persons keep asking is whether each effort of such collective mobilisation achieves any result.  Every attempt is only a step in that direction.  It is only constant effort that is in our hands.  Fruits shall be available when we have reached.  But to say that we will take only the final step always, is __________.

    Before I part, I would like to state what one of our great poets, Subramania Bharathi of Tamil Nadu said about collective bargaining:  'Even in begging, there is dignity when done as a group'.

    Yes, we are beggars, not choosers.  The person who first said that the Capitalists work in cartels and therefore the workers have to organise to get their dues, was NOT Karl Marx.  It WAS Adam Smith.

    This appeal is therefore directly given to the members of this Association so that the Unit Office Bearers will be able to give me a feed back regarding the method of participation and showing solidarity with the Strike on 26.11.2020.  With this feed back we will be able to inform our CCGGOO regarding our preparedness.

Fraternally yours,

R. Manimohan,

Secretary General.