Battle lines for a showdown of all our Superintendents of Central Excise are drawn. AIACEGEO has served notice to revive Satyagrah on 2014 February 12 th & 13th, to Finance Minister on 04.02.2014 along with Charter of demands. It was being expected to improve the career prospects of our officers as a
result of the ensuing cadre restructuring. But very disappointingly &
unfortunately, the temporary posts of Asstt. Commissioner have been created
with the clause of no promotion to the promoted officers beyond this. As a
drastic outcome, only 1% of our officers will be able to enter group ‘A’ at the
fag end of career against regular posts without any hope for further promotion despite of the DOPT guidelines that the cadre
restructuring should mean to mitigate the stagnation of the stagnated
employees. Instead of taking
some positive measures in accordance of the recommendations of the Cadre Review Committee to bring some specific
measures for improvement of the career prospects of group B officers
independent of the cadre restructuring, the CBEC is planning to increase the
residency period for promotion from group B
non-gazetted to group B gazetted post and also from group B gazetted to JTS.
Not only it, they are also planning to reduce the promotion quota for entry
into group A by introduction of examination in the name of some recommendations
of IInd Administrative Reforms Commission. No
need to submit that this all is being done to limit our promotional avenues
within the post of Superintendent. Our officers are
retiring in PB2 after getting only one promotion in the service career of
35-40 years while other common entry counterparts of ours are easily entering
& enjoying PB4 levels after getting 5-6 promotions. We are deprived of the due
pay scale/pay band & grade pay and facing the worst career prospects.
Our officers are getting promotion (if any) merely to Junior Time Scale while
other counterparts of CPWD, CSS etc. to Senior Time Scale. The employee
grievance redressal mechanism has totally failed. We are forced to work
under the extreme juniors of Customs belonging to the same cadre. All of
our officers are totally demoralised and have nothing to be job-satisfied or
motivated. If career prospects were disclosed in the advertisement for
recruitment, these officers would have never joined this job. The rights to
grow, make progress and live with dignity have been snatched from us. There is
no change in the scenario regarding our career prospects despite of the
repeated representations, pleadings & requests being made by the
Association for many decades. All of our grievances have been unredressed for
decades despite of the assurances. Everybody in the corridors of power of CBEC is worried
only about the stature, interest & character of the IRS even for those
officers who have not yet taken birth but nobody has any worry for the career
prospects & job-satisfaction of the actual workforce (Central Excise
Superintendents & Inspectors) already collecting the major portion of the
government revenue. The DOPT Minister agreed to Sh. Punia, the Chairman of SC
Commission, to consider the proposal devising specific measures to address the
problem of stagnation of the Central Excise Superintendents & Inspectors,
if referred to DOPT. It was expected that
a proposal of parity with the best
placed common entry counterparts would be mooted under consultation
with the Association by the CBEC on the lines of parity being granted to group
‘A’ officers with their best placed counterparts. But very unfortunately, no
step has been taken till date on the issue for our officers who are already
retiring with single promotion in the career in comparison to 5/6 promotions of
their counterparts. This shows the mind-set of our IRS authorities to keep our
officers retiring after single promotion by not allowing them even to enter the
junior group ‘A’ whereas they have ensured upto 9 promotions for themselves in
the ensuing cadre restructuring by creating the posts at Apex, HAG+ etc. levels in higher scales even without
availability of the eligible officers and also without any functional
requirement. After 9th
promotion/retirement, they manage to be the Member or Chairman of any Authority
or Commission. We have no grudge against them or anybody but request to grant
such good things to us too. . In view of the above, the Association is
forced to submit that the Satyagraha programme would be revived in the form of
moral support to the programme of Confederation of Central Govt. Employees & Workers to be held on 12.02.14 & 13.02.14 by observance of
peaceful Shantigosthis in lunch hours on the said days before Headquarters
offices under field formations throughout India by the members. The next step/s
will be intimated in the due course. The CBEC has not taken any step to conduct DPC in time violating the guidelines of DOPT. Now four months are over since the announcement of the Prime Minister assuring constitution of Seventh CPC. Till this day the notification constituting the 7th CPC is not issued by the Government and the Chairman and other committee members are also not appointed. DA merger, Interim Relief and terms of reference are also pending. In fact, Government has fooled about 50 lakhs Central Government employees including defence personnel and 40 lakhs Central Government Pensioners. Nobody can tolerate this type of humiliation. We cannot expect any positive action from the CBEC or Union Govt. unless and until we organise ourselves in a decisive manner and go for Satyagrah..
Our Charter of demands
1. Immediate implementation of cadre restructuring.
2. Five functional promotions to all.
3. Scheme to improve the career prospects of Central Excise
Superintendents/Inspectors independent of cadre restructuring to retire our
officers in PB-4.
4. Next promotion of Central Excise
Superintendent in STS like many other group ‘B’ gazetted officers.
5. A pay scale equivalent to the Grade Pay of
Rs. 5400/- in PB3 to the Superintendent of Central Excise w.e.f. the date of
the grant of the same to the counterparts of IB, CBI etc. alongwith other perks
as being granted to the analogous counterparts of IB & CBI.
6. Seniority benefit on promotion to
group ‘A’ in lieu of the service rendered in group ‘B’.
7. Fulfilment of the commitments made during the presentation on cadre
restructuring on 18.01.11.
8. Non-functional time scale in PB3 instead of PB2 to Superintendents after 4 years of
service.
9. Promoting
all Superintendents completing 1.5 times of qualifying service on the lines of
CSS.
10. Accept the terms of reference of 7th CPC to
examine the existing structure of pay, allowances & other benefits/facilities,
retirement benefits like pension, gratuity & other terminal benefits; to
work out comprehensive revised pay packages for the employees; determination of
pay structure, benefits, facilities, retirement benefits etc. based on the need
to provide minimum wages as on 01.01.14; to determine the Interim Relief needed
to be sanctioned immediately to the employees; to determine the percentage of
Dearness Allowance/Dearness Relief immediately to be merged with pay &
pension; to revive effective employee grievance redressal mechanism for all; to
work out the improvements needed to the existing retirement benefits like
pension, death cum retirement gratuity, family pension & other terminal
or recurring benefits maintaining parity amongst past, present &
future pensioners as well as family pensioners including those who entered
service on or after 01.01.04; to recommend methods for providing
cashless/hassle-free medicare facilities to the employees & pensioners.
11. Ensure every five year revision of wages
of Central Government Employees in future.
12. Ensure statutory pension for all.
13. Removal of restrictions imposed by
Government on compassionate appointments.
14. Stop victimization of office bearers of
staff Associations.
15. Ensure right to strike.
16. Stop the move to introduce performance related pay (PRP) system
& extend PLB bonus for all removing bonus ceiling.
17. Revision & grant of OTA, night duty allowance rates &
clothing rates to all.
18.
Regularisation of ad hoc promotions based on the rules existing on the date of
regularisation.
19. Fill-up all vacant posts and creation of
new posts wherever justified.
20. Stop
downsizing, outsourcing, contractorisation and privatization of Government
functions.
21. Undoing of the MACP irregularities.
22. Implement arbitration awards.
23. Counting of regular service as per
F. No. A/60/13/RTI/2006-Ad.IIIB Dt. 26.05.06 of CBEC.
24. Merger of group ‘B’
Executive non-gazetted as well as gazetted categories under CBEC into one.
25. Parity between the officers of headquarters organisations
& field offices.
26.
Conversion of temporary posts of Asstt. Commissioner created in the cadre
restructuring to regular/permanent posts keeping the same intact for promotee
officers forever.
27.
Time scale after every 7 years to the officers after joining the job as
Inspector.
28. Deletion of the clause in cadre restructuring
notification that the officers promoted against the temporary posts of Asstt.
Commissioner would not be entitled for further promotion.
29. No senior officer of
Central Excise should work under the junior officer of Customs.
30. Minimal direct recruitment of group A “maximum upto 25%” as also in
the Indian Postal Service.
31. Share of Central Excise to be kept intact to prevent
its distribution among the officers of Customs.
32. Qualifying service/residency period in accordance of
DOPT OM No. AB-14017/61/2008-Estt.(RR) dt. 24.03.09.
Therefore AIACEGEO appeals to all it members to conduct Stayagrah as per programme and make the programme a grand success.
