CONFEDERATION OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES & WORKERS
(Central Head Quarters)
1st Floor, North Avenue Post Office Building, New Delhi - 110001
CIRCULAR NO. 8/2013 DATED – 28.09.2013
IMPORTANT CIRCULAR
CONFEDERATION NATIONAL SECRETARIAT WILL MEET
ON 23.10.2013 TO DECIDE FUTURE COURSE OF ACTION
STRIKE BALLOT DEFERRED
Dear Comrades,
The National
Secretariat of the Confederation congratulate the affiliates and State
Committees for the strenuous efforts put in by them to propagate and campaign
amongst the mass of the employees of the need for an immediate wage revision
and setting up of the 7th CPC and enlist the massive participation
of the Central Govt. employees for a long drawn out struggle, which commenced
in 2011 and the first phase of which was culminated on 12th
December, 2012 in a one day strike action.
We are proud of the fact that our efforts has borne fruit as the Government had to announce the setting up of the 7th
CPC on 25th. Confederation,
as you are aware, had always been in the forefront in formulating demands of
the CGEs, presenting and articulating the issues in spearheading struggles and
negotiating the demands to reach settlement.
This time also Confederation was the organization which raised the
setting up of the 7th CPC and wage revision; demanded that the 7th
CPC’s recommendation must be effective from 1.1.2011; insisting that the tenure
of the recommendation of the 6th CPC must be ended on the expiry of
the five years on par with the wage tenure of the Public Sector undertaking
workers as early as in 2010. It could
justify the demands with facts and figures of the unprecedented erosion of the
real value of the wages of the Central Government employees due to the high
rate of inflation in the economy and shooting up of the prices of all essential
commodities. The campaign and propaganda
unleashed by us together had its salutary impact on the thinking process of
other sister organizations, compelled them to take note of the growing
discontent amongst the rank and file of their membership and to realize the
fact that the wage structure had become incapable of making both ends meet
especially for those employees at the lower levels of the hierarchy. They had
to perforce take up the issue of wage revision
and setting up the 7th CPC due to the ambience created by the
Confederation and its affiliates by organizing series of struggles during the period and at the same time spurning
every of our attempt for a joint action. We are quite aware that sanctions
cannot be generated without joint and united action of the workers. This dichotomy practiced by the predominant
organizations in the JCM inflicted irreparable damage to the cause of the
Central Government employees.
We are happy that the
Government of India having realized that the large majority of the Central
Government employees have become mentally attuned to the path of an inevitable
struggle on wage revision decided to
avert a confrontation by announcing the setting up of the 7th
CPC. We must, however, realize that the
decision of the Government tantamount to
a post dated cheque which is capable of encashment only after a long period of
two and half years. We must not take it
lying down. The agony and sufferings of
the employees, especially those at the lower levels cannot be mitigated by
promises and assurances. There must be a
rise in their emoluments to make them capable of meeting the ever increasing cost
of essential needs. The Government must
be told categorically and compelled to agree for the merger of DA with pay; and
interim relief, which had all along been the case ever since the advent of the
system of Pay Commission for wage revision.
We must bring home the fact that there will be no question of any
arrears arising from the recommendation of the 7th CPC as the
Commission is mandated to make its recommendation before the crucial date of 1st
January, 2016.
Even though, it is
stated that the terms of reference would be finalized in consultation with all
stake holders, the question of inclusion of GDS within the ambit of the Pay
Commission, in all probabilities would be resisted by the Government. In the
light of the passage of the PFRDA Bill in the Parliament, the Government might
not agree to include the retirement benefits in the terms of reference. This apart, the Government will now refer all
pending matters, be it at the National Anomaly Committee, National Council or
various Departmental Councils or taken
up through inter departmental references
to the 7th CPC. In
other words for the next two and half years none of the issues of the CGEs will
be either discussed or settled. We must
not allow the Government to succeed in this nefarious objective.
We must note that the
present announcement of setting up of the 7th CPC has also the hidden
political agenda, for many States
including Delhi are to go to polls in the next few
months. The National Secretariat of the
Confederation will meet on 23.10.2013 at Delhi. Formal notice is being sent
separately. The Sectt. will decide upon the future course of action. In view of
the present announcement of the Government setting up the 7th CPC it
is necessary that we should defer the strike ballot decision, which is
scheduled to be held on 11th to 13th November, 2013. It is however, our considered opinion that
unless we trade the path of struggle the demand for merger of DA with pay, date
of effect, inclusion of GDS within the ambit of the 7th CPC and
other issues in our charter of demands will not be settled at all. The campaign chalked out must, therefore, be
carried out with determination and understanding that we will succeed. We request the leaders of the affiliates,
State Committees and National Sectt. Members to ensure that the campaign
programmes are implemented as planned.
With greetings,
Yours fraternally,
(K. K. N. Kutty) (M. Krishnan)
President
Secretary General
