Additional Demands proposed by IRTSA for inclusion in the Memorandum to 7th CPC by JCM Staff Side

1. Improved Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme (MACPS) – with a financial upgrading after every 8 years of service – with consequential benefits of higher Grades – to provide adequate motivation and to ensure optimum efficiency.

2. MACP on promotional hierarchy instead of Grade Pay hierarchy as per judgment of various Courts.

3. Treatment of Dearness Allowance as Pay whenever the Cost of Living Index exceeds 50% over the Base Index at which the Pay Scales are prescribed and may please be counted for all purposes – including for calculation of all Allowances and Retirement Benefits etc.

4. Periodical revision of H.R.A. to compensate for rise of Rents.

5. Counting of D.A. for grant of H.R.A or D.A. be treated as D.P. after (every) rise of 50% of Price Index to compensate for escalation of Rents.

6. Reduction in Rate of Interest on House Building Advance (HBA) – to 4% to 5% as in the Financial Institutions and Public Undertakings like Banks and LIC etc.

7. Increase of Amount of HBA periodically to keep pace with rise of cost of land and construction.

8. Reduction in Rents for Government accommodation – which have been substantially increased over the years, putting the employees in great hardship. Raising Rent for Railway Quarters should be stopped specially for the over 30 years old houses for which the Government had already recovered the cost many times over.

9. Increase in Housing satisfaction level to atleast 50% in case of Non-Technical Staff and 100% in case of Technical Staff and Engineers – keeping in view exigencies of their service.

10. Rural Area and Sub-Mountainous Area Compensatory Allowance be paid as available in some of the States to the Employees posted in such areas respectively to compensate for higher cost of living in these areas on account of inadequate transportation and infrastructural facilities and increased dependency on urbanized areas due to change of Socio-Economic conditions.

11. Disturbed Area Allowance: Disturbed Area Compensatory Allowance be paid to Employees posted in areas which are disturbed due to unstable Law and Order situation, terrorist activities or intense Army / Police action to maintain the Law and Order etc.

12. Special / Additional Insurance Cover for the Employees posted in Disturbed / Border areas.

13. Over Time Allowance for actual number of extra hours put in due to exigency of work, be allowed, irrespective of the category or pay range – both under the Factories Act and the Hours of Employment Regulations etc.

14. Removal of limits of admissibility for National Holiday Allowance, All the employees be allowed the N.H.A as and when they are essentially required to attend to the work on National Holidays, due to exigencies of work and to keep the trains and systems running.

15. Rates of TA / DA and Mileage / Conveyance Allowance be adequately enhanced and the same be linked with Price Index and Dearness Allowance should be counted for determining the rates of TA / DA admissible to the Employees on tour – Periodic revision of TA/DA.

16. Grant of adequate FMA (Fixed Medical Allowance) to at least Rs.2500 PM as per average expences per patient per month on OPD Treatment under CGHS and periodical revision thereof for day-to-day Medical Treatment to employees & Pensioners posted & residing in far flung areas – away from CGHS Dispansories & Railway Hospitals.

17. Free Treatment of Central Government Employees, including Railways Employees & Pensioners in Specialised Government Hospitals like AIIMS / NIMS / NIMHANS / JIPMER / CMC / PGI – especially, since these Hospitals are run by the Union Government.

18. Empanelment / recognition of more Specialised Private Hospitals for Treatment of Central Government & Railway employees & Pensioners – on Cashless Billing system in Emergency and on Reference by CGHS / Railway Doctors.

19. Revision of Incentive for acquiring higher Profesional qualifications (not revised after Sixth Pay Commission.

20. Removal of unfair & unjust wage ceiling limit of Rs.3500 for payment of Productivity linked Bonus

21. Weightage for Night Duty Allowance ( NDA ) be given for hours of Duty between Sunset to Sunrise ( i.e from 6 PM to 6 AM instead of from 10 PM to 6 PM – at present).

LEAVE

22. Abolition of limit on maximum accumulation of leave as had been done in case of many of the State Government Employees OR Limit of accumulation of Leave may be raised to 15 months (450 days), to improve Attendance in the Offices and Industrial Establishments.

23. Encashment of Leave be allowed during service – without restriction.

24. Half a Day’s L.A.P / Earned Leave be allowed to attend to the exigencies to avoid wastage of full day’s leave when not required – particularly if there is no Casual Leave to the credit of an Employee.

25. Commutation of Half Pay Leave may be allowed without Medical Certificate, in case of emergency.

26. Restoration of 12 days of Casual Leave – unjustly curtailed after 5th CPC..

27. Prefix or Suffix Casual Leave with other type of Leave

28. Accumulation of Casual Leave may be allowed and the un-availed Casual Leave in a calendar year be credited to the Earned Leave Account, as permitted in some States and some Public Undertakings (like L.I.C. etc.).

29. Exclusion of Sundays and holidays during counting of no. of days in case of leave availed as LAP.

30. Adequate quantum of advances as per market rates and periodic revision thereof – irrespective of Pay or Scale of Pay – including House Building Advance, Vehicle Advance, Festival Advance, Computer Advance, Furniture & Household effects Advance etc.

31. Advance for suitable type of cloth and stitching charges, to get the Uniforms stitched properly. The previous Pay Commissions had also recommended the grant of this facility, but it had not been properly implemented

32. Vehicle Advance: Limit for Vehicle Advance should be increased to Rs. 80000/- for Motor Cycle & Scooter; Rs. 6 Lakhs for Motor Car, and Rs. 8000/- for purchase of a Bicycle. This limit should be revised from time to time according to the rates of the vehicles in the market.

33. Amount of Group Insurance cover should be enhanced to at least Rs.15 lakhs in view of heavy inflation as per New Scales of Pay proposed by the Pay Commission.

INCENTIVE FOR SMALL FAMILIES

34. Incentive Increment for Family Planning for promoting Small Family Norms should be paid as per New Scales of Pay both to those who had adopted Family Planning Norms prior to the Pay Commission as well as to those who adopt them later on and the same should be counted for all purposes as done earlier.

35. Exemption of all allowances from Income Tax (including DA, HRA & Transport Allowance etc.) – as recommended by Fifth Pay Commission.

36. Raising of Exemption Limit for Income Tax to Rs. 5 Lakhs for Salaried Class, Rs. 7 Lakhs for Senior Citizens and Rs. 10 Lakhs for those above 80 years;

37. Linking of Exemption Limit of Income Tax with inflation and annual revision thereof accordingly.

38. Demands of Pensioners proposed to be added, are attached herewith please .

1. Full Parity of Pension to Pre & Post 2006 Pensioners with Post 7th CPC Pensioners – retiring from the same post.

2. Full Pension after 20 years of Service to Pre 2006 Pensioners – at par with Post 2006 Pensioners.

3. Proportionate Pension for less than 20 years of service for Pre 2006 as for Post 2006 Pensioners

4. Full Pension @ 65% of pay plus D.A. last drawn or average of last 10 months pay – whichever is higher -– after 20 years service. Restoration of commuted value of Pension in 12 years – as recommended by Fifth Pay Commission and as the amount gets recovered in less than 12 years – with interest thereon, on reducing balance.

5. Pay last drawn or average of last 10 months (whichever is higher) plus full D.A. last drawn for grant of Death-Cum-Retirement Gratuity / Special Contribution to Provident Fund.

6. Rates of Family Pension may be revised as under :-

7. NPS: New Pension Scheme should be withdrawn for Post 2004 appointee Central Government / Railway employees and they should be covered under the existing Pension Scheme.

8. Gratuity: One month’s pay plus D.A. last drawn or average of last 10 months – whichever is higher as Death-Cum-Retirement Gratuity / Special Contribution to Provident Fund, instead of half month’s pay for each year of qualifying service as at present.

9. Ex-gratia Pension of at least Minimum Pension/ Minimum Wages to the surviving PF Optees.

10. Option to PF Optees: One time Option to all PF Optees to join Pension Scheme by refunding Contributed Provident Fund with interest thereon.

11. Additional Pension / Family Pension: 10% Additional Pension should be granted every 5 years from the age of 65 to 75 years; 20% every 5 years from 80 years onwards and 100% after 90 years of age – to meet with additional expanses on Medicines, health care and other exigencies of old age. (Recommendation of Sixth Pay Commission for grant of 100% additional Pension after 100 years of age was illusionary and unjust in view of far lesser prevailing life expectancy).

10% additional Pension/Family Pension after 65 years of age,

20% Additional Pension/Family Pension after 70 years of age 30 % additional Pension/Family Pension after 75 years of age, 50% additional Pension/Family Pension after 80 years of age,

70% additional Pension/Family Pension after 85 years of age and 100% additional Pension/Family Pension after 90 years of age

12. House Rent Allowance to Pensioners: Pensioners should be granted the House Rent Allowance as granted to serving employees – since most Pensioners are unable to build a House due to exorbitant rise of land & property.

13. Re-employment in appropriate fields to utilize valuable experience and expertise of suitable and talented Technical, Professional and Specialised Personnel against Supernumerary posts – through a suitable mechanism of selection – as required – without any favour or bias.

14. Grant of adequate FMA (Fixed Medical Allowance) and periodical revision thereof for day-to-day Medical Treatment to employees & Pensioners posted & residing in far flung areas – away from CGHS Dispensaries & Railway Hospitals.

15. Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) to Pensioners and Family Pensioners be increased to at least Rs.2500 PM (with periodic revision thereof) for outdoor treatment – where no such facility is available nearby.

16. Waiver or at least adequate reduction of Contributions by the Pensioners / Retiring Employees for CGHS & RELHS (Railway Employees Liberated Health Scheme) – with balance contribution by the Government / Railways – keeping in view the true spirit of Social Responsibility towards the Pensioners – as defined by the Apex Court in Nakra’s Case.

17. Free Treatment of Central Govt Employees, including Railways Employees & Pensioners in Specialised Government Hospitals like AIIMS / NIMS / NIMHANS / JIPMER / CMC / PGI – especially, since these Hospitals are run by the Union Government.

18. Empanelment of more specialised Private Hospitals for Treatment of Central Govt. & Railway Pensioners – on Cashless Billing system in Emergency and on Reference by CGHS / Railway Doctors.

19. Exemption of all allowances – including DA/DP – from Income Tax – as recommended by Fifth CPC.

20. Raising of Exemption Limit for Income Tax to Rs. 5 Lakhs for salaried Class.

21. 50% tax rebate to the Senior Citizen between 60 years and 65 years, 75% tax rebate for senior citizens above 65 years and 100% after 80 years of age.

22. Exemption of Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) from Income Tax – as it is a reimbursement of expenses for day-to-day Medical Treatment.

23. Grant of Interim Relief of at least 40% of the Pay/Pension + D.A to all Central Government Employees & Pensioners w.e.f 01.01.2014 – pending finalization & implementation of of recommendations of the Pay Commission, to mitigate the sufferings of the employees and Pensioners – to compensate them, at least partially, for the large-scale erosion of their Pay / Pensions due to heavy inflation and long gap between two successive Pay Commissions.

24. Merger of 100% DA/DR with Pay & Pension w.e.f. 1-1-2014.

25. Continual Revision of Wages at least every 5 years (like all PSUs) OR whenever the Dearness Allowance rises above 50 per cent.

Harchandan Singh

Source: www.irtsa.net

[http://www.irtsa.net/pdfdocs/Additional_Demands_for_Inclusion_in_JCM_Memorandum_to_7th_CPC.pdf]