A BRIEF narration of NJCA actions and result:

FORMATION OF NJCM: 

National Council( JCM) representing the employees in Central Govt sector- Income Tax, Audit etc, Postal Employees, Defence Employees and Railway Employees jointly conducted a convention at New Delhi on 11.12.2014 and adopted a joint declaration demanding the Central Government to settle the ten point charter of demands also against the anti workers policies. Subsequently National Joint Council of Action (NJCM) was formed. Due to various reasons strike action was delayed.

FORMATION OF 7th CPC:

04.02.2014 – The then Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh gave approval for constituting the 7th Central Pay Commission under the chairmanship of Justice A.K.Mathur, a four-member Pay Commission committee was formed 1). Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur, Chairman; 2). Vivek Rae, Member; 3). Dr. Rathin Roy, Member; and 4). Mrs. Meena Agarwal, Secretary

The report, which was supposed to be submitted in August, was delayed when the Pay Commission, on 27.08.2015, asked for an extension of four months to complete its report.

NJCA organised a massive Dharna in front of Jantar Manthar, New Delhi on 19.11.2015 demanding release of 7th CPC report, same day CPC submitted their report to Government

IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS of 7th CPC

1. DATE OF EFFECT – 01.01.2016            JCM Staff Side demand – 01.01.2014 - Rejected

2. MINIMUM PAY – 18000                          JCM (SS) demand – 26000 – Rejected

Dr. Aykroyd Formula of 15th Indian Labour Conference for calculation of Minimum wage distorted by 7th CPC to deny the eligible minimum pay.

3. FITMENT FORMULA – 2.57 TIMES      JCM (SS) demand – multiplication factor 3.7 (26000/7000)

4. FIXATION ON PROMOTION – NO CHANGE – ONLY ONE INCREMENT IN THE OLD SCALE                                                     JCM (SS) demand – Minimum two increments fixation.

5. ANNUAL INCREMENT – 3% NO CHANGE               JCM (SS) demand – 5%

6. MODIFIED ASSURED CAREER PROGRESSION – NO CHANGE – 10, 20, 30

Conditions made more stringent. Bench mark “Very Good” required instead of “good”. Examination for MACP proposed. Hierarchial promotion restored.

JCM (SS) demand: Five promotion – 8,7,6,5,4 (30 years)

7. PAY BAND, GRADE PAY SYSTEM ABOLISHED

New Pension Structure called “Matrix based open ended pay structure” recommended. Total span of the scale 40 years.

JCM (SS) demand: Abolish pay band, Grade Pay system and open ended pay scales should be introduced.

8. MAXIMUM PAY INCREASE – 14.29%      JCM (SS) demand – Minimum 40% increase for all employees.

9.COMPARISON BETWEEN MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM PAY – 1:11.4 (18000 : 205400)

Demand of the JCM (SS) – 1:8

10. NUMBER OF PAY SCALES – NOT REDUCED - NO DELAYERING

JCM(SS) demand – pay scales with grade pay 1900, 2000, 4600, 8700 and the pay scale 75500-80000 to be abolished.

11. ALLOWANCES – NO IMPROVEMENT

Commission recommended abolition of 52 existing allowances such as Assisting Cashier Allowance, Cash Handling Allowance, Treasury Allowance, Handicapped Allowance, Risk Allowance, Savings Bank Allowance, Special compensatory (Hill Area) Allowance, Cycle Allowance, Family Planning Allowance etc.

12. HRA REDUCED TO 24%, 16% AND 8% FOR X, Y AND Z CITIES

JCM (SS) demand – Existing HRA of 30% (for X class cities with population 50 lakhs and above), 20% (for Y class cities with population of 5 lakhs to 50 lakhs) and 10% (for Z class cities with less than 5 lakhs population) may be increased to 60%, 40% and 20%.

ACTIONS BY NJCM: 

NJCM organised, Massive Dharna in different parts of country19, 20 & 21 Jan, 2016. Government forced to form Empowered Committee 

FORMATION OF EMPOWERED COMMITTEE:

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for setting up an Empowered Committee of Secretaries under the Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary, in order to process the recommendations of 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) in an overall perspective.

NJCM Declare INDEFINITE STRIKE:

NCJA declared indefinite strike from 11.04.2016, but due to elections for 4 states it deferred to 11.07.2016

Important Demands:

CPC:

Settle the issues raised by the NJCA on the recommendations of the 7th CPC sent to Cabinet secretary vide letter dated 10th December 2015:

The meagre increase of 14% recommended by the 7th CPC is the lowest ever any pay Commission has made. It was the similar recommendation, made by the 2nd CPC that triggered a confrontation of an unprecedented nature, leading to a strike action which lasted for five days in the year 1960. In the background of the fact that the 5th and 6th CPC recommendations had resulted in the wage rise of 31% and 54% respectively, the anger, anguish and frustration of the employees are the natural outcome. Unless the minimum wage is re-determined with all consequential benefits, the discontent will not be capable of being addressed effectively.

The Staff side had computed the minimum wage as on 01.01.2014 at Rs. 26,000, taking the commodity price at Rs. 11344. (7th CPC recommended Rs.18000) The rates were taken on the basis of the actual retail prices in the market as on 01.01.2014(average prices of 8 Cities in the country) substantiated by the documentary evidence of Cash bill obtained from the concerned vendors. As on 01.01.2016, the minimum wage work out to Rs. 29339, rounded off to Rs. 30,000. 

Revise the rate of increment to 5 % and Grant two increments in the feeder cadre levels as promotion benefit.

Here when the minimum basic increased Loco Running Staff also benefited.

NPS:

Scrap the PFRDA Act & NPS and grant Pension/family Pension to all CG employees under CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 & Railways Pension Rules, 1993.

Against NPS, AILRSA started its protest from the very beginning. In 2010 AIRF President was there in the NPS trust. (later due to protest from many corners he resigned) While distributing a notice against NPS at EMD Shed, Hubli AILRSA, NREU & DREU leaders were attacked by AIRF leader. After some time AIRF reversed their stand and started talking against NPS. It is a welcoming move.

Running Staff is the most affected employee due to NPS, since 55 % pay element on retirement benefits is no more there. A fight against NPS cannot be succeeded unless there is a mass unity. Initially AIRF was supporting NPS but later they changed their stand. Many leaders of Recognized unions are corrupt and join hands with management, but there is major number of employees unknowingly going behind them, by repeated campaign we can bring some changes. AILRSA or any other categorical associations could not bring a change in these common issues. We cannot join with German or Sri Lankan workers to fight against these issues which are common for the Central Govt Employees, Postal, Defence and Railway workers. In past, many times Central Govt employees (except Railway employees) gone for agitations and strikes. Unfortunately both the federations kept themselves away citing some reasons.

Other Demands: 

Other issues are FDI, Privitisation, amendment in labour laws etc which are also common for all working class.

AILRSA Decisions:

AILRSA Central Working Committee meeting of Secunderabad on 21st and 22nd February 2015 unanimously decided to participate in Strike of Central Govt Employees .CWC held at New Delhi on 03.05.2015 confirmed the decision.

“The Central Working Committee meeting of AILRSA held at Nagpur on 30 & 31 August 2015 whole heartedly welcomes the decision of AIRF and NFIR to struck work indefinitely, jointly with other Central Government employees from 23rd November 2015 on the joint demands of Central Government employees. We appreciate the leadership of AIRF and NFIR for taking the correct course of workers’ agitation depending on the might of the working class, which alone will compel the Government to come out of the grip of Capitalist forces and to do justice to the working class. We call upon all democratic forces to strive hard for the success of the proposed strike.”

“The Central Working Committee of AILRSA held at Jodhpur on 11th and 12th February appreciate the welcome move of giving call for an indefinite strike from 11th April 2016, in protest against the Govt. policies adversely affecting the working class and general public such as I) Weakening of public sector by way of privatisation, disinvestment, outsourcing and even closing down of units. II) Amending the labour rules to wipe out vast majority of labourers from the protection of various Acts and rules framed earlier and to weaken the trade union movement as a whole and III) Denial of just and fair play to the workers and employees of Central Govt. through the inadequate and unjust pay scales recommended by the 7th CPC by i) wrongly fixing the minimum pay at Rs.18000 instead of Rs.26000, ii) a low fixation formula of 2.57 times against 3.71, iii) keeping low rate of annual increment of 3% instead of 5%, iv) maintaining minimum number of financial upgradation to 3 instead of 5 (MACP), etc.

This CWC decide to join the proposed strike. We also plead the NJCA to convene a National Convention to amalgamate and consolidate the various agitating forces and also bringing together all the supporting forces to form a common platform similar to NCCRS with which the 1974 Railway strike could happen.”

“The central working committee meeting held at Nagpur on date 22nd and 23rd June 2016 has once again held threadbare discussion and unanimously endorsed the decision taken at the previous CWC meeting at Jodhpur held on 11th& 12th Feb 2016 which was already communicated to Hon’ble MR and to chairman of railway board through speed post, to support the strike call of central government employee and now strike call given by the central government employees from 11 July 2016 and hence resolved to join the strike if the charter of demands placed the government of India are not addressed. “

Pages from HISTORY:

Whenever AILRSA is going for agitations Federations were back stabbing us.

1st August1973 AILRSA started mass sick movement which brought the train services a grinding halt throughout India. The Railway Minister forced to call AILRSA leaders for negotiation. After 4 days conciliation some acceptable formula worked out and Labour Minister had to sign the agreement, after which the strike was called off. AIRF and Railway Board opposed any settlement with AILRSA. But the unity of Loco men in the struggle and amount of public support had forced the Railway Minister to seek a settlement (10 hrs duty). After the successful strike of 1973, Railway Board and AIRF leadership tried to sabotage the agreement. Even after this bitter experience AILRSA took an active part in Historical Railway men’s strike in 1974. 

We should understand the fact that Recognised Federations are elected by Railway employees through secret ballot. They are representing major portion of employees, some of their leaders are corrupted and join hands with management, but there are sincere leaders also.

AILRSA is committed to fight against injustice, whether it is of Loco Running Staff in particular or Railway Employees in General or entire working class of India, by keeping away all barriers of religion, caste, region and politics.

Details Regarding strike negotiation and settlement:

The National Joint Council of Action (NJCA) met at the Staff Side office, JCM, New Delhi today at 11:30 AM as scheduled. During the discussions, the Convener received an invitation from the Honourable Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh. The following members of the NJCA met the Home Minister in a delegation.

1. Dr. M. Raghavaiah (NFIR), 2. Shiv Gopal Misra (AIRF), 3. Rakhal Dasgupta (AIRF), 4. Guman Singh (NFIR), 5. K. K. N. Kutty (Confederation), 6. C. Srikumar (AIDEF), 7. M. Krishnan (Confederation), 8. Ashok Singh (INDWF), 9. R. Srinivasan (INDWF), 10. M. S. Raja (Confederation), 11. J. R. Bhosale (AIRF), 12. Bhatnagar (NFIR), 13. R. N. Parashar (NFPE), 14. Giriraj Singh (NFPE), 15. Satish Chander (FNPO), 16. Shiv Kumar (FNPO), 17. N. Kannaiah (AIRF).

The issues in the Charter of demands were discussed with special reference to the 7th CPC related demands. The delegation brought to the notice of the Honourable Home Minister that the NJCA has not received a communication from the Government over the assurances held out on 30th June, 2016, when the NJCA delegation met the Honourable Home Minister, Finance Minister and the Railway Ministers. On 30th June 2016, the Government had assured to refer the revision of Minimum wage and fitment formula to a Committee. The Finance Minister has also clarified that the Government has taken the decision to implement the recommendation of the 7th CPC to bring about parity between the past and present pensioners. They added that such a communication in confirmation of the assurances will enable them to take a decision over the strike action which is to commence from 11th July, 2016.

The Honourable Home Minister assured the delegation that the Government will honour the assurances held out to the NJCA leaders on 30th June, 2016 and accordingly the Honourable Finance Minister,Shri Arun Jaitly will issue a Press Statement today, with copy to NJCA.

Finance Minister Press Statement

Government assures Representatives of Unions representing employees of the Central Government that the issues raised by them relating to the pay scales and other recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission would be considered by a High Level Committee

Representatives of Unions representing employees of the Central Government had met the Home Minister Sri Rajnath Singh, the Finance Minister Sri Arun Jaitley and the Minister for Railways Sri. Suresh Prabhu in the evening of 30th June, 2016.

They had requested that certain issues raised by them in relation to the pay scales and other recommendations of the Pay Commission be allowed to be raised before a Committee of Secretaries looking into different aspects of grievances of employees in relation to the Pay Commission recommendations.

The Ministers assured the Union leaders that the issues raised by them would be considered by a High Level Committee of Ministers.

NJCA UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVES TO DEFER THE INDEFINITE STRIKE

After the meeting with the Home Minister today by the NJCA and further developments leading to issue of a Press Release by the Government of India assuring consideration of the issues raised by the Staff Side relating to the pay scales and other recommendations of the Pay Commission by a High Level Committee, the NJCA has decided to defer the Indefinite Strike in the background of meetings with the Ministers and the assurance by the Government of India.