30 Tuesday Aug 2016
Posted in CG Employees, General
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The Government issued orders increasing the Bonus ceiling from Rs. 3,500 to Rs. 7,000. It is a great achievement for the CG Employees. Our Hearty Congratulations!
30 Tuesday Aug 2016
Posted in CG Employees, General
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A MAJOR VICTORY OF THE STRUGGLE OF CENTRAL GOVT EMPLOYEES:
Confederation of central Govt Employees & Workers have been continuously fighting against pension reforms implemented by Govt in tune with the neo-liberal policies and demanding SCRAPPING OF THE NEW PENSION SYSTEM (NPS). Further we have been demanding that those employees who are covered by NPS should be eligible for payment of Death cum Retirement Gratuity (DCRG) and Family Pension and also Govt guaranteed Minimum Pension and Compensation for price rise (Dearness Relief). Now the Govt has conceded one of our demand. Govt of India has issued orders to extend the benefit of Gratuity to all NPS Employees. Further the Cabinet has decided to constitute a committee for streamlining the implementation of NPS. We shall present the remaining issues before that Committee also. Scrapping of NPS is one of the main demand of 2016 September 2nd General Strike also. No struggle will go in vain. Let us make the strike a grand success. (Courtesy:Confederation News)
30 Tuesday Aug 2016
Posted in General, TU News - India
CIYU Hasissued the following statement on the Press Release issued by the Government:
30th August 2016
The Group of Ministers headed by the Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley, and comprising Labour Minister, Petroleum Minister and Power Minister held a Press Conference today on 30th August 2016 to tell the nation that the Govt had accepted major demands of the trade unions and hence they should not go in for strike on 2nd September 2016. CITU considers the statement of the Govt nothing but a mockery meted out to workers.
The Statement of the Finance Minister that the Govt has accepted the recommendation of the Minimum Wage Advisory Committee is totally untrue. The Minimum Wage Advisory Committee met on 30th August 2016 at 3 pm and ended inconclusive while all the workers’ representatives reiterated their demand of Rs 18000/-. Such mis-statement by Govt is a deliberate ploy to mislead and confuse the workers before the strike.
Govt’s offer of a floor level minimum wage of Rs 350/- per day, i.e., Rs 9100/- per month (26 days) is cruel joke by the Govt making a posture of accepting the demands of workers. Trade unions reject such a mockery in the name of offer with the contempt it deserves.
Releasing previous year’s bonus for the central govt employees is not something about Govt’s magnanimity. Govt did so to implement the enhanced ceiling as per the Payment of Bonus Act for them, which they should have done much earlier. Now they have released in order to deceptively pose that the Govt has been considering so many things. So far as the court cases on implementation of Payment of Bonus Act is concerned, it is the responsibility of the central govt to defend and implement the Act passed by Parliament, for which they cannot claim any special credit. But this NDA Govt should better note that it is the BJP Govt in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan etc have withheld implementation of the Bonus Act for the year 2014-15 on their own citing the High Court Orders in Kerala and Karnataka which were not binding on them. That makes the real intention clear.
Govt also stated that they will issue advisory to state governments to ensure registration of trade unions within 45 days. Advisory is not having binding impact. What is required is to make statutory arrangement. But in their proposals on labour reforms, Govt has already put so many conditions that would make registering trade union virtually impossible.
On being asked in the press conference about the right to minimum wages for the central Govt Scheme workers like Anganwadi, Mid-day-meal, ASHA etc , The Finance Minister brushed the questioner aside saying that scheme workers are all volunteers and not workers. He must recall that the 46th Indian Labour Conference held during NDA regime has unanimously reiterated the recommendation of the previous ILC that the Scheme workers should be recognized as workers with right to minimum wages and attendant benefits.
The Minister further stated that the scheme workers will be covered by the Social Security benefits for which a committee will be constituted. Almost same statement was uttered by him one year before on 26-27 August 2015, prior to previous general strike. Nothing has been done yet. Rather ESIC has offered extremely partial ESI benefit to Anganwadi and mid-day-meal workers on payment of Rs 250/- per month which amounts to 8.33% of the paltry earning of the anganwadi workers, 16% of the anganwadi helpers and 25% of the mid-day-meal workers; whereas the workers covered by ESIC Act are to contribute 1.75% of their wage for full ESI benefit. Such proposal is dubiously designed to deny them the social security benefit and this deceptive game is going on.
In reality, Govt’s announcement in the press conference on the charter of demands of the workers is nothing but a hoax and must be rejected outright. This is game to confuse and mislead people just on the eve of strike. Such deceptive and dubious ploy of the Govt must be combated through making the 2nd September 2016 a massive success.
23 Tuesday Aug 2016
Posted in CG Employees, General, VISIT THE PAST
When was the first Central Pay Commission formed and who were the members?
The First Pay Commission for the Central Government employees was formed on 10-5-1946, when the British were the rulers of India. The following were the members of the CPC:
Chairman : Justice Justice Srinivasa Varadachariar, Justice of the Federal Court.
Members : 1. Mr. Hussain Imam, Member Council of State 2. Mr.N.V.Gadgil, B.A.LLB, MLA, 3. Mr. Frank Anthony, MLA 4. Lt. Col. Dr. J.C.Bhatacharjee, MLA 5. Mr. N.M.Joshi 6. Mr. C.V.Srinivasa Rao.
The Commission submitted its report on 30th April 1947.
23 Tuesday Aug 2016
Posted in General, VISIT THE PAST
Very clear and detailed information are not available about the formation of the first trade union in India. But there are some indications in the old records, papers etc. Accordingly the following information is given:
This information was published in an article in Times of India (1958).
Indian Telegraph Association was formed in 1908 by Henry Barton, Postal Clubs which got converted in to All India Post and RMS Union(including Burmah) was formed by Babu Tarapada Mukherjee at the same time and All India Postmen and Lower Grade Staff Union was formed in 1919 by V.G.Dalvi. Merging all these and other existing unions National Federation of P and T Employees was formed on 24th November 1954.
P and T Unions have been some of the first Unions formed in India. The first central trade union, AITUC was formed in 1920.
23 Tuesday Aug 2016
BSNL Employees Union CHQ has called upon its Branches/SSAs to organise powerful protest demonstrations on 24th August 2016 against the cowardly attack on BSNLEU W.Bengal Office by the Trinamool goons a few days back. The union office, which is inside the CTO Building, Calcutta has been ransacked and the workers there attacked. The BSNL Management has to immediately file FIR against these goons as also bring this to the notice of the Central government since a crucial office under security has been gate-crashed and union office ransacked.
Organise the demonstrations with massive participation and explain to the workers the attacks on the trade unions in W.Bengal by the Trinamool goons. It is also clear that the police is not taking action probably on the directions of the government.
We will not tolerate attack on our union and union workers! The government and the BSNL Management should take immediate action against the culprints and esnure the security f the workers.
16 Tuesday Aug 2016
The PSU Banks in the country are having NPA or the bad loans not returned of Rs. 5,39,995 crore as in 2016. For the last 15 years, the NPAs have been increasing every year. These are loans of crores of rupees given to big corporates, business barons and so on. Neither the government nor the PSU Banks are taking any serious action to recover these loans. These are companies who are having sufficient funds to repay. This is a conspiracy between the management of the banks, corporates and ruling political parties.
There is a need to expose all of them. The Banks should publish the list of these corporates. They should be shamed. Government should take serious action against all those involved. It is the people’s savings that have been swindled.
15 Monday Aug 2016
Posted in General
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Controller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has stated after its audit, now presented in the Parliament, that the Central Government owes Rs. 81,647.70 crores to the states from its proceeds during the period 1996 to 2015.
Whether this will be paid to the States Government by the Centre? The chances are very less. The Finance Minister has already told that the veracity has to be compared with the Budget papers. It is to be noted that the Central Government has always kept the states under hook on the fund allotment to the latter.
15 Monday Aug 2016
Posted in General, Uncategorized
“King Gorge VI is the King of England and the Emperor of India”, was the heading of the first lesson in the English Text Book, when I was studying in VI Standard. Though India has got independence by that time, the text book had not changed. It took a few years more to change it.
But even after almost six decades many hangovers of the British rule continue. While coming back from Kozhikode to Delhi by flight, I saw the letters ‘VT’ prominently painted on the body of many aeroplanes. What is meant by ‘VT”? It is ‘Viceroy’s Territory’, which used to be the identification mark of Indian planes during the British rule. Even after 69 years the name continues as such.
Large number of historical artifacts and souvenirs of India are still in the custody of British. Many of them are exhibited in the British Museum etc. including the famous Diamond ‘Kohinoor’. They all have been looted from India, during the British rule. The government of India should demand for heir return. There need not be any embarrassment for demanding return of our property.
14 Sunday Aug 2016
Posted in General
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70th Anniversary of Independence Day falls on 15th August 2016. It was on 15th August 1947 that India won Independence from the British. Though it was a smooth transfer of power, there lay continuous sustained struggle of about two centuries against foreign domination. At the initial stage, great patriots like Pazhassi Raja, Tippu Sultan, Kunhali Marakkar and many others fought to stop the British from conquering the country. The First War of Independence (Sepoy Mutiny as the British called it) almost made an end of the British rule, but the higher military power of the British and and its dirty politics won them the day. Within three decades, the Indian National Congress was formed under whose leadership the struggle for freedom continued. The leadership of Mahatma Gandhi turned the struggle in to new and uncharted routes. The Quit India Movement, the weakening of the colonial powers during the II World War and the rise of the soviet power – all these compelled the British to vacate India. Thousands and thousands of people sacrificed their lives for the freedom of motherland. Sacrifices of revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Sukh Dev, Raj Guru, Chandrasekhar Azad, Udham Singh and many others inspired the entire country. The Communists, Socialists – nobody was behind. The cases against the communists filed by the British like Meerut Conspiracy case, Lahore Conspiracy cased etc. and arrests of all the top communist leaders, many of who were still in the jail like Com. A.K.Gopalan when the Independence dawned on the country, shows us the great struggles organised for getting freedom.
On this Independence Day my hearty greetings to all our comrades, friends and well wishers! Let us build an India where poverty is abolished and all get equal opportunities!
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