7th CPC - JCM proposal on CL, Earned Leave, Half Pay Leave, Child Care Leave, and LTC

7th CPC – National Council, Staff side JCM proposal on CL, Earned Leave, Half Pay Leave, Child Care Leave, and LTC

Presently the holidays are deferred for each year by the DOPT. However, they permit the high power welfare committee of each State to finalise, taking into account the local conditions, three among the listed holidays. We suggest that this may be recommended to be increased to six. This apart, we may bring to the notice of the commission that only Government of India has refused to recognise the importance of May Day. May Day is not a holiday for the Central Govt. employees. We request the commission to recommend for the declaration of May days as a holiday.

Casual Leave

The Govt. reduced the Casual leave from 12 to 8. The number of days as 12 was conceived to be a day per month. Taking into account the various contingencies one has to face, the increasing social obligations, we request that the number of Casual leave may be increased to 12 per year.

Special Disability leave

The Special disability leave is sanctioned for treatment in the case of an employee who gets injured in an accident. The Govt. has imposed a ceiling on this leave of maximum of 24 months. During the leave period he will be entitled for full salary for 120 days and rest at half pay rate. Our suggestion in the matter is that such leave must not have any restriction on the number of days bit left to the Doctor treating the employee.

Earned leave

At present there is a ceiling limit for accumulation of earned leave. Govt. employees are entitled for 30 days EL on an average every year. Due to the running of the age of Superannuation to 60 years, generally Govt. employees are in service for 35 year and more. The total EL that goes into the credit of the employee is of the order of 1050 days, 50% of which comes to 525 days. In that background, the ceiling limit of 300 days can be reasonably raised to 450. The Govt. employee may be permitted to encash part of such accumulated leave say 50% to meet certain financial exigencies if he has put in 20 years of service or more.

On a humanitarian consideration, we may make a novel suggestion of gifting leave to needy employees. Due to prolonged illness or hospitalisation requiring prolonged treatment an employee will be unable to attend office and might have exhausted all entitled leave at his credit. We suggest that in such extreme circumstances, either his spouse or is colleagues may get certain number of days leave at his credit to the suffering employee. This will help the suffering employees to take over the financial difficulties which he is compelled to be in leave on medical grounds.

Half Pay Leave

Presently the half pay leave on credit is not allowed to be encashed. This has to be permitted.

Maternity and Paternity Leave

The entitlement may be increased to 240 days in the case of maternity leave and 30 days for paternity leave.

Child Care Leave

There is presently a restriction of the number of times the child care leave can be availed in a year i.e., 3 occasions. This being unnecessary may be removed.

We request the Commission to recommend these suggestions to the Government.

Leave Travel Concession

Leave Travel Concession is a facility extended to the Government employees, which enables them to avail holidays and undertake travel as a tourist with his family. The facility provides him with an opportunity to be away from the monotonous daily routine and be with his family members without the tension of the official duties. It is an established fact that if employee is encouraged to take such holidays they will reform rejuvenated and the employer is benefited through his increased productivity.

Over the years, on representation from employees, the concession has been widened. However, some aspects of this facilities require certain further relaxations/improvements. We enumerate those as under:-

1. Permission for air journey for all categories of employees to and from NE Region.

2. Permission for personnel posted in NE Region for a journey within NE Region.

3. To increase the periodicity of the LTC once in two years.

4. Explore the possibility of allowing an employer to undertake tour outside India once in a service career in lieu of the LTC.

We request the 7th CPC to consider recommending our suggestions for improvements to the Government.