Shri.Ajay Maken, Union Minister has recently addressed a letter
to Prime Minister for early setting up of Seventh Pay Commission.
The following
is the full Text of Letter dated 14th March, 2013 to Prime Minister by
Shri Ajay Maken, Union Minister regarding request to early setting up of
Seventh Pay Commission.:--->
It is with a sense of pride that I seek to underline that about
3,2 million Central Government Employee and an equal number of
pensioners inducting service personnel, hold you in high esteem and think of
you as one amongst them. They look up to you as a leader who would not only
empathize with their concerns but ensure deliverance as well. It was you who
had constituted the Sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC) in 2005 which should
have been set up in 2003 by the NDA Government.
2) Central Government Employee who are inducted in Government
through a process of rigorous screening and testing as also stringent
evaluation of a job performance are supposed to be the brightest.
With globalisation and multi-national corporation coming into the country,
we have at hand a two fold challenge:
(a) do have a
personnel pool with high acumen to deal with these MNCs,
(b) simultaneously a
dress the challenge of high attrition on which in itself is a result of MNCs
having come in. In order to attract as also retain the brightest minds in Government
employment it is but necessary that Central Pay Commission are set up
regularly to look into and evaluate their pay structures and submit
recommendations.
3) Ever since the setting up of the second Central Pay Commission
all pay commissions have been set up in the 3rd year of every decade baring the
one time when the NDA Government did not do so in the year 2003. The pay
commissions are then required to submit their recommendations/reports
in three years time. However, you had set up the sixth pay commission in 2005
and submitted its report in an year and half, much to the relief and succour of
Government employees. We are again in the third year of the on-going decade and
Central Government Employees are justifiably looking forward to the Seventh Pay
Commission that would look into their needs. The present wage structure of
the Central Govt. Employees has been made on the basis of the Sixth Central Pay
Commission’s recommendations, which were implemented with effect from 11.2006
in the case of Pay and in the case of allowances with effect from 1.9.2008. The
erosion of real wages owing to the degree of inflation in the economy is
hurting these employees very badly. The retail prices of those
commodities, which go into the making of minimum wage, have risen by about 160%
between 1.1.2006 to 1.1.2011, in comparison to D.A. compensation, which on that
date had been just 51%. It is also an acknowledged fact that the 6th CPC had
computed the minimum wage by suppressing the retailprice of these
commodities in the market on the specious plea that official statistics of the
retailprices of these commodities were not available. They therefore,
computed the retail price by increasing the wholesale price by
20% for each of the commodity whereas the actual retail price in the
market was 60% more than the wholesale price.
4) Broadly, one’s
-emoluments should be adequate enough to commensurate with boundless and
limitless assignments and to his duties and responsibilities in a better, effective
and honest manner. The same has also to place, an employee to be in a position
to fulfil his social and family obligations, such as education
of children, their marriage, maintenance of a reasonable living standard for
himself and his family members expected of Government servants and also to take
care of his post retirement life.
5) The basis of fixing wages in the past
was largely a consumer need related, which was considered at a bare minimum
like the minimum nutritional level, minimum clothing, housing etc. But today
life is more complex and living standards are not based on simple living and
the same cannot be restricted to only for the working class. The producer of
wealth being the consumer oriented also requires consumers, including the
Central Government employees.
6) These employees are also placed in a
disadvantageous situation vis-a-vis their counterparts in Central Public Sector
undertakings, in whose case, the wage revisions normally takes place after
every five years through Collective bargaining. The wage revision of the
Central Government employees if not after five years it must be after every ten
years and the Government needs to consider setting up of the Seventh Centra1
Pay Commission immediately. While conceding the fact that the Central Pay
Commission is founded only in every 10 years, however with the coming of the
year 2011, prices of most of the products needed in day to day life
is increasing.
7) In brief the following decision need to he taken on Priority
so that a positive message goes among serving Central Government
Employees, Pensioners and Service and Para Military Personnels, the decision
will also have bearing upon State Governments Employees:- A notification for
constitution of 7th Central Pay Commission is the need of the hour, which is
bound to have bearing upon about 20 million employees, which are opinion
makers. Therefore the issues may please be considered by the concerned
Ministries on Priority and appropriate decision is taken.
Sir, I will be
extremely obliged if the above submission is considered favourably in larger
interest of government employees as well as the party.
Source : Hindustan
Times{Collected by Milind Phadke}
Milind Phadke
+919890317557
