GDS Postal Employees – Wide Gap between GDS Committee report and implementation on pay

NO, GDS/CHQ/11-/CWC/2018         Dated: 11-07-2018

To

Shri Manoj Sinhaji
Hon’ble Minister of State for Communications (IC)
Govt. of India
Sanchar Bhawan
New Delhi-110001

Sub. :-       Recommendations of Kamlesh Chandra GDS Committee on pay structure and service conditions of Gramin Dak Sevaks of the Department of posts.

Respected sir,

The orders, so far issued, by the Postal Directorate shows that there has been wide gap between the recommendations of the committee and implemmtation orders issued by the department of posts. The sanctity of the pay commission or committee has been greatly compromised. We agree that the Govt. does not accept a few recommendations or makes some amendments in other few and mostly in favour of the employees. But, here, the entire report of the Kamlesh Chandra committee has been changed to the detriment of the G.D.S. employees, We discuss hereunder some recommendations as a token:

1.   Date of implementation of the recommendations: The committee recommended, that the report as a whole be implemented with effect from 01.01.2016. We also were assured that the committee’s report would be implemented wef from 01-01-2016. But to our dismay we find that according to the orders issued the recommendations that have been implemented take effect from 01.07.2018. We discuss the adverse effects of such orders below :-

(i)        Pay Fixation: The effect of the recommendation from 01.07.2018 in stead of 01.01.2016 has severely eroded the salary of the GDS employees – the lowest paid employees of the department. The cumulative effect of the same will run into several thousands and even may go up to lacs. The table below shows the effect of the manipulative orders giving effect to pay fixation from 01.07.2018 vis-à-vis fixation with effect from 01.01.2016

Table – I

Pay fixation from 01.01.2016					Pay fixation from 01.07.2018
Sl.	Date	Old Pay	Product of 2.57	New Pay	Old Pay	Product of 2.57	Old Pay with DA	Loss per Month (5-8)	Remarks
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
1	01.01.2016	2790	7170	10,000	2790	7170	6278	3722	DA 125%
2	01.07.2016	2790	7170	10,000	2790	7170	6473	3527	DA 132%
3	01.01.2017	2835	7286	10,300	2835	7286	6691	3609	DA 136%
4	01.07.2047	2835	7286	10,300	2835	7286	6776	3224	DA 139%
5	01.01.2018	2880	7402	10,610	2880	7402	6970	3640	DA 142%
6	01.07.2018	2880	7402	10610	2880	7402	10,000	610
7	01.01.2019	—	—	10930	—	—	10,000	930
8	01.07.2019	—	—	10,930	—	—	10,300	630
9	01.01.2020	—	—	11,260	—	—	10,300	960
10	01.07.2020	—	—	11,260	—	—	10,610	650

The amount shown in col.-9 represents the loss per month. The loss to be suffered over the next ten years may kindly be well imagined.

(ii)       The formula of product of 2.57 is a way of pay fixation and not a way for calculation and payment of arrears. The given formula of the payment of arrears : Calculating the arrears by product of 2.57 results in serious and irreparable loss of several thousands to the GDS employees. The following table-II illustrates the situation:

Table – II

A BPM drawing pay of Rs 4715 in the old pay scale of Rs 4575-85-7125 DNI 01-01-2016

Net matrix = 1500-35480

	Date	Pay	D.A.	Total Pay	New Pay	Due Amount	Old Pay 2.57	Paid Amount	Loss	Loss in 6 Months
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
1	01.01.2016	4715	125	10,609	14,500	3891	12,118	1509	2382	14,292
2	01.07.2016	4715	132	10,932	14,500	3568	12,778	1186	2382	14,292
3	01.01.2017	4800	136	11,328	14,940	3612	12,336	1008	2604	15,624
4	01.07.2017	4800	139	11,472	14,940	3468	12,336	864	2604	15,624
5	01.01.2018	4885	142	11,822	15,390	3568	12,554	732	2836	17,016

2.     (i)   Payment of gratuity : The committee recommended payment of gratuity at the rate of half month’s salary for every completed year of service subject to a maximum of Rs 5 lacs. The maximum of amount of Rs 5 lacs has been, without any justification, sliced down to Rs 1.5 lacs. To illustrate the point we take here an example of a GDS who has rendered 36 completed years of services, and draws pay of Rs 24,000 on the date of his retirement. His gratuity will work out to Rs 4.32000; but will have to be limited to Rs 1.5 lacs. Can this loss of Rs 2.82000 to this particular GDS be justified by any standard of justice. Giving effect to the payment of gratuity from 01-07-2018 denies due gratuity to a number of GDS who have spent the golden period of their life in service of the people on befalf of the Government. If the bureaucracy in the postal Directorate, who gladly receive gratuity on the same lines upto 20 lacs could decide the issue without any justification on ad hoc basis, why the platitude of appointing a pay committee!

(ii)    Pension contribution: The committee recommended that 10% of the pay of the GDS should be recovered towards pension contribution and the Government should contribute like amount towards the scheme. The department has made wonderful unilateral and baseless change that a sum of Rs 300, per month from the GDS and like amount would be contributed by the Government. There cannot be any justification for this baseless change. The recommendation of the committee has to be wholly accepted.

3. Recommend actions the fate of which are not known :-

• Leave :- The committee has recommended that the GDS should be granted 30 day’s earned leave in a year and the unutilized leave should be allowed to be carried forward subject to the maximum of 180 days. The committee also recommended grant of half pay leave and emergency leave. Nothing is known about the fate of these recommendations. Only orders on maternity leave up to 6 months have been issued. The recommendation may kindly be got implemented.

(ii)         Time bound promotions: The committee has recommended that the GDS employees should be granted three promotions on completion of 12, 24 and 36 years of service. We donot know as to the fate of these recommendations. This may kindly be looked into.

(iii)        Children education allowance: The Committee has made specific recommendations on this subject which has still to see light of the day as far as implementation is concerned.

Respected Sir,

These are some to the important issues on which the recommendations of Kamlesh Chandra committee have gravely been manipulated which has made a big whole in the small pay packets of GDS. This has been seriously agitating the minds of the GDS.

We approach your goodself on behalf of 2.60 lacs Gramin Dak Sevaks kindly to look personally into the matter and take necessary action for proper remedy which will earn you or the Government the satisfaction of the GDS employees.

With high regards.

Yours faithfully,

(S.S. Mahadevaiah)

General Secretary

Resolution on payment of Gratuity to Gramin Dak Sevaks.

his meeting of central working committee of the All Indai Gramin Dak Sevaks union in session at Lohaghat (Uttarakhand circle) has given deep thought to the orders issued by the postal Directorate in respect of terminal benefits to the Gramin Dak Sevaks ie grant of gratuity, contribution to the pension fund for the GDS and payment of severance allowance etc. The central working committee notes with grave concern and disappointment that the recommendations of the Kamlesh Chandra GDS committee have been drastically ammended and sliced to refuse to these employees their due share of benefit. This central working committee has especially deliberated on the serious cut applied in payment of gratuity.

• D.S. Gratuity :- The Kamlesh Chandra Committee recommended that gratuity to the G.D.S. employees should be paid at the rate of half month’s pay for each completed year of service, subject to the maximum of Rs 5 Lacs. It also recommended that its recommendations including the one on payment of gratuity should given effect from 01.01.2016. The orders issued by the Department have applied serious cut on both ways: the maximum amount of gratuity to be paid has been sliced down to Rs. 1.5 lacs and effect to this benefit has been given from 01.07.2018. This works to serious disadvantage of low paid Gramin Dak Sevaks. The instance given her under clarifies the position. Supposing a GDS retires after having put in 36 years of completed service drawing at the time of retirement a pay of Rs 24,000/- His gratuity works out to Rs 4,32,000/- but it will have to be limited to Rs 1.5 lacs. The poor employee is robbed of Rs 2,82,000/-. This is one of the greatest injustices perpetrated on the GDS employees.

Similarly giving effect to this benefit from 01.07.2018 means denial of due benefit to those who have retired between 01.01.2016 and 30.06.2018 which cannot be justified on any ground or sound reason of justice

This working committee resolves and demands that the two disadvantages unjustifiably perpetrated on the Gramin Dak Sevaks must be repaired immediately and the loss thus incurred by GDS employees restored.

This CWC believes that the matter should be brought to the notice of the Hon’ble Minister of state for commutations for his personal intervention in the matter in favour of the GDS employees.

This CWC, therefore, resolves and directs the General Secretary to forward a copy of this resolution to the Hon’ble Minister of state for communications and the secretary Department of posts soliciting their urgent personal attention to restore the loss.

Sd/-

President of the meeting

Source: ruralpostalemployees