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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

C.H.Q appeals Hon'ble Minister of State Shri. Gurdas Kamat on pending major issues.


Ref: P/1-1/AIC Dated – 29.12.2010

To,

Shri. Gurdas Kamat

Minister of State

Communications & Information Technology

Camp at Mumbai - 400001

Respected Sir,

We record our immense pleasure for the kind gesture of the Hon’ble Minister of State for Communications & I. T. accepting our invitation to grace the 28th All India Conference of this union with his valuable oration in the open session scheduled to be held in the forenoon of 09.01.2011 at Alandi Pune.

We record our sincere thanks to the Hon’ble Minister and we assure our fullest cooperation in the improvement of service to public. We further desire to bring the following issues which are pending for a long to the kind notice of Hon’ble Minister requesting his kind intervention for the mitigation of the same.

(1) Counting of Past Services of erstwhile RTP for promotion.

The Postal Assistants who were recruited during 1980 to 1984 under the category of Reserved Training pool as per the PA Recruitment Rules were absorbed late in the regular posts only after completion of three to four years due to ban on filling up of posts introduced in 1983 and reduction of staff to the extent of 5% in operative and 15% in supervisory posts at the time of introduction of TBOP promotion as matching savings.

Some officials approached CAT and their service as RTP were counted as regular service for all purposes. Similarly all the RTP Postal Assistants deputed to Army Postal service were also extended the same benefits for promotion under TBOP/BCR.

There is a discrimination prevailing about the extension of benefits among the similarly situated persons. As the RTPs were recruited as per the Postal Assistant Recruitment Rules and fully engaged as Postal Assistant in between 1982 to 1987, there is every justification to treat their RTP period as regular service for all purposes.

The Department’s contention that there was a Supreme Court decision in 1996 becomes obsolete after the issue of various judicial pronouncements on the subject. Many senior employees are deprived of their promotions due to non counting their past RTP service as regular service for promotion under MACP scheme and other benefits.

(2) Creation of System Administrators cadre & extend other facilities

A rapid modernisation takes place in the department and around 1872 crores have been allotted for further extension of modernization. To modernize the existing Post offices, the roles of the existing System Administrators are laudable. They are working from dawn to dusk for the efficient functioning of Pos in computers. ‘System Assistant’ cadre with Grade Pay of Rs.4200/- is existence in other Government departments. Similar kind of System Assistant may please be created in the department and all the existing personnel may please be absorbed against those vacancies.

(3) Denial of three MACP benefits to the Promotees in the Department of Posts

As the promotion to Postal Assistant acquired by writing competitive examination is equated with one MACP promotion, the senior promotees even after acquiring 30 years of service in Postal Assistant cadre could not get the benefits of Rs.4600/- Grade Pay under MACP, where as their juniors are reaching the benefits.

Similarly the Group ‘D’ promoted to Postmen and then appeared for Postal Assistant examination and becoming Postal Assistant could avail only up to Rs.2800 Grade Pay whereas he was earlier availed 4200 Grade Pay under the BCR Scheme. This has caused resentment among the postal employees and they may be discouraged to write promotional examination if this anomaly is not sorted out. It is requested to kindly consider that in the case of promotees, if they completed 10 years service in the cadre continuously they shall be accorded MACP promotion with next grade Pay.

Further application of bench mark shall be deleted up to pay band 2 levels as in the Postal there is no provision of review of C. R. entries at divisional level and whatever be the entry made by the divisional superintendent, it becomes final. It is requested to consider deletion of bench mark application in case of officials up to pay band 2 level in the Department of Post.

(4) Withdraw the orders fixing responsibility on DDOs/APM Accounts for over Payment of Pay & Allowances to Postmen on Account of fixation under RP Rules 1996.

Any excess drawal made due to irregular fixation, as per rules, shall be recovered from the persons. But strange, the Department has issued orders to recover the entire amount of excess drawal made to the Postmen due to unclear orders at the time of Fifth Pay Commission from the APM Accounts who have prepared the Bills. For example, the APM Accounts, Pune City, who was having a clean record in his service could not draw the Pensionary benefits over two years as he did not agree to Pay Rs. 7,27, 671. 61 towards excess payment drawn to Postmen. Similar is the case in many circles. In A. P. Circles, recovery orders were issued against Postmasters & APM Accounts for excess drawal of bonus arrears to GDS. The action of the Department is arbitrary and against to the rules and orders and against to the spirit law and natural justice. We seek the intervention of Hon’ble Minister to withdraw the orders fixing responsibilities on DDOs/APM Accounts.

(5) Stepping up of pay of seniors with juniors as on 01.01.2006 & thereafter

The Ministry of Finance vide its clarification under U. O. No. 10/1/2009-IC dated 14.12.2009 stated under para 3 that stepping up of pay can be considered where a senior Government servant is drawing lesser pay than his directly recruited junior borne on the same gradation list.

Based on the clarifications, the Directorate of Income Tax vide its letter No. F. No. HRD/CM/1754/2010-11/858 dt. 02.11.2010 has issued clarifications. The DOPT vide its OM No. 7/7/08-CSI (A) dt. 22.12.2010 has also, communicated the MOF orders dated 14.12.2009 and confirming the admissibility of stepping up of pay.

There are many senior officials promoted to higher cadres were deprived of their benefits in postal. It is requested to expedite clarifications on the similarly line in the department providing stepping up of pay to the entire senior official at par with their juniors.

(6) Departmentalisation of GDS in the Department of Posts

It is heartening to note that Hon’ble Minister of Communication has sought information from the Department to know about the expenditure involved in regularizing all the GDS into departmental service. It is learnt that the Department has also furnished the requirement around Rs.3000 crores for this purpose.

The Departmentalisation of GDS is possible and requests to consider the following suggestions.

(i) Whenever vacancy arises in GDS cadre, the duties can be merged for making full time departmental post.

(ii) At present there are more than 10% of GDS BPM Posts having the work hours of six hours and more which can be straight away converted into departmental status.

(iii) Since all the branch offices are proposed to be provided with computers and introducing various services, it is possible to maintain the following important functions of the Government of India through its rural net work

(a) Collection of census figures, modifications and maintenance.

(b) Issue of citizen’s identity card by Pos and maintenance of records through its BOs & Centralised computers.

(c) Extensions of MG NREGS work through post offices by providing work norms for the work instead of incentive as at present extended.

(d) Introduction of various new services to the BOs and enhance its work hours to that of departmental offices.

(e) Various new schemes introduced by the Government as policy will be reached to the village level through these net work spread over the nation.

It is suggested that the existing BOs may be converted in to departmental post offices extending more counter services and other facilities to public and looking after of all the postal related works in the villages and maintenance of all records etc. They may be paid with minimum pay scale provided to the departmental servants. It is requested to kindly consider our proposal for the departmentalization of GDS.

Notwithstanding our request for departmentalisation of GDS, it is requested to consider three promotions to the GDS as if in the pattern of MACP with fixation benefits.

(7) Stop harassing staff on contributory factors for simple and flimsy reasons by misusing the provision of ‘unbecoming of Government Servant’ deviating the ruling contained in Volume III, FHB etc.

The Directorate guidelines issued vide letter No. 6/8/59-Disc dt. 9.7.1959, 25/49/60-Disc dt.30.11.60 and 15-9/74-1NV dt. 10.2.75, and subsequent orders have been violated and the officials have been proceeded with charge sheets under contributory negligence factors for flimsy reasons and awarded with huge recoveries.

The provisions contained in Rule,106,107, 108 & 111 of Postal Volume III and the provision of honest errors can be condoned contained in Rule 204 A (1) vol II and the provision of Rule 58, Appendix 4 of F.H.B. volume I in dealing of recovery have been totally ignored and sidelined.

The main intention of the Government while deciding the degree of an officer’s pecuniary liability, it will be necessary to look not only to the circumstances of the case but also to the financial circumstances of the officer, since it should be recognized that the tendency should not be such as to impair his future efficiency violated has been totally deviated and violated in almost all the cases. There are more than twelve references like this, we made to the Department.

Suitable & proper guidelines is required to arrest the menace of fixing responsibilities on innocent officials under one pretext or the other and protect the officials from the harassment on contributory factors. We seek the Ministers intervention to protect the officials from the misuse of this provision.

(8) Grant of Minimum Pay to the casual labourers working in postal department

Despite crystal clear orders in existence to grant the minimum of Group ‘D’/Postmen Pay to the casual labourers engaged in their absence minimum the as per the Sixth CPC report has not been extended so far only in the Postal department. The file is being tossed from pillar to post. There is an inordinate delay in releasing the orders.

We request the Minister’s Intervention in this case.

We seek the intervention of benign Hon’ble Minister of state on the above said items for the immediate settlement of these problems for which we will ever be grateful.

We assure our fullest cooperation in the improvement of service and providing better customer satisfaction to the public.

With profound regards.

Yours sincerely,

(K. V. Sridharan)

General Secretary

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