Saturday, September 26, 2009

News Item

19.09.2009

A meeting of the Executive Committee of the South Andaman Teachers’ Branch of the Non-Gazetted Government Officers’ Association was held at Crusade House, Phoenix Bay, Port Blair today (19.09.2009). The meeting discussed various pending issues concerning the teachers and expressed its dissatisfaction over the delay in resolving the issues. The meeting noted that the authorities in the Govt. of India and A & N Administration continue to neglect various genuine demands of teachers viz. (i) grant of Part B Grade Pay to Headmasters and other left-out categories of teachers (ii) ISDA to teachers during summer vacation (iii) allotment of sufficient funds to all DDOs under the Education Department to clear pending Transfer TA bills, (iv) clearing of all left-out cases under earlier ACP Scheme, (v) implementation of Modified ACP Scheme, (vi) regularization of adhoc services of teachers, etc. The meeting decided to go on agitation if the above demands are not settled immediately. Shri D. Ayyappan, General Secretary, Shri TS Sreekumar, Asst. General Secretary, Shri BB Singh, Vice President, South Andaman Teachers’ Branch and Shri Venkat Rama Rao, Secretary, South Andaman Teachers’ Branch of the Association addressed the meeting.



(D. Ayyappan)
General Secretary

News Item

A General Body meeting of the Education Department Group D Sub-Committee of the Non-Gazetted Govt. Officers’ Association was held today (12.09.2009) at Crusade House, Phoenix Bay, Port Blair. A large number of Group D staff of the Education Department from various schools and offices at Port Blair and South Andaman areas attended the meeting. Various issues relating to Group D staff like (i) Implementation of Govt. of India’s order to grant Grade Pay in Pay Band-1 to all Group D staff, (ii) Sanction of Night Duty Allowance (iii) sanction of overtime allowance, (iv) filling up of vacant Group D posts, etc. were discussed in the meeting. The meeting has decided to go on agitation if the above demands are not settled immediately. Shri S.C. Biswas, President, Shri D. Ayyappan, General Secretary, Shri TS Sreekumar, Asst. General Secretary and Shri KG. Samkutty, Secretary Education Deptt. Group D Sub-Committee addressed the meeting.


(D. Ayyappan)
General Secretary

Press Note


The Confederation of Central Govt. Employees & Workers, New Delhi, to which the Non-Gazetted Govt. Officers’ Association, Andaman and Nicobar Islands is affiliated, has included two items/demands in the Notes submitted to the National Anomaly Committee of the Govt. of India. The demands/items are (i) inclusion of the posts of Headmaster (Primary) and Headmaster (Middle) in the Part B of the Central Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2008 and (iii) inclusion of miscellaneous categories of teachers like Physical Education Teacher, Primary School Resource Teachers, Music Teacher, Art Teacher, Librarian, Craft Instructor, Lab Assistants, etc. in the Part B of the said rules. The National Anomaly Committee will consider the above points and will take a decision on it. After the introduction of the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission, it was noticed that Headmasters of Primary Schools and Middle Schools are allowed lower Grade Pay while the teachers working under them are getting higher Grade Pay. Similarly, a number of categories of miscellaneous teachers, as mentioned above, who were treated at par with other teachers by the earlier Pay Commissions, have been left out of the upgraded Grade Pay under Part B by the Sixth CPC. The Association has been demanding rectification of this anomaly ever since the introduction of the Sixth CPC recommendations.


(D. Ayyappan)
General Secretary
Cell: 9434260430
26.08.2009

To

The Director of Education,
Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
Port Blair.


Sub: Non-availability of funds under DTE - regarding.
-----------
Sir,

This Association has been demanding, for the last several years, that adequate provision in the B.E and R.E. stages be made by all the Drawing & Disbursing Officers under the Education Department under the DTE as Transfer TA/Tour TA Bills of teachers were not being processed and settled by the DDOs in time on the reason of non-availability of funds. Our efforts to impress upon the authorities in this regard evoked no fruitful results so far, with a number of bills kept pending for years together by the DDOs.

On the one hand, teachers are stand relieved on a particular date thereby denying them of the opportunity to draw Transfer TA Advances, etc. and on the other, their Transfer TA Bills are kept pending for 1-2 years at the places of their new postings. This has generated a lot of resentment among the teachers over the years.

Now, this Association has received reports from our Branches at various outstations and Port Blair/South Andaman areas that there is no change in the situation and a large number of Tour TA bills, LTC/AFSP bills, etc. of teachers are kept pending for a long period by some of the DDOs under the Education Department on the pretext of non-availability of funds.

I would, therefore, request you kindly to look into this matter and take appropriate steps to ensure that sufficient funds are allotted to all the DDOs under the Education Department to clear all the pending Tour TA bills/Transfer TA bills, LTCF/AFSP bills, etc.

Action taken in the matter may please be intimated to this Association.

Yours faithfully,

(D. Ayyappan)
General Secretary
Cell: 9434260430.
Copy to:
1. The Principal Secretary (Education), A & N Administration, for kind necessary action.
2. The Secretary (Finance), A & N Administration, for kind necessary action.

General Secretary

Various Issues relating to Teachers in A & N Admn.

22.07.2009

To

The Principal Secretary (Education),
Andaman and Nicobar Administration,
Port Blair.

Madam,

While welcoming you to these historic and serene islands, this Association would bring to your kind notice some of the issues/problems concerning the teachers working under the Education Department as under:

1. Grant of Part B Grade Pay to Headmaster (Primary) and Headmasters
(Middle):

Headmasters of Primary and Middle Schools are being denied the enhanced Grade Pay under Part B on the plea that their posts do not find place in Part B of the CCS (RP) Rules, 2008 even though the Primary School Teachers and Graduate Trained Teachers working under them have been given the enhanced Grade Pay. Even the enhanced Grade Pay which the PSTs and GTTs were getting has been lowered once they become Headmasters (Primary) and Headmasters (Middle). This is illogical and unjust, as lowering of Pay on promotion with higher responsibility cannot be accepted at any cost. A decision in this regard may kindly be taken at the earliest so that the Grade Pay of a large number of Headmasters(Primary) and Headmasters (Middle), some of them have already retired from service or on the verge of retirement, can be restored to them.

2. Inclusion of Left-out categories of teaching and miscellaneous staff
in the Part B.

It has been noticed that several categories of teachers and miscellaneous teaching staff have been excluded from Part B of CCS (Revised Pay) Rules, 2008. These categories are Physical Education Teachers, Primary School Resource Teachers, Music/Art Teachers, Librarian, Craft Instructor, Lab Assistant, etc. Till the introduction of the Sixth CPC recommendations, the above categories of staff were equally treated along with other teaching staff. Govt. of India may kindly be moved to consider this case favourably so that hundreds of employees belonging to the above categories will get the benefit of enhanced Grade Pay under Part B.

3. ISDA to teachers during summer vacation:

We have noticed with concern that due to certain misconception and mis-interpretation of the orders/rules, the teachers are not being allowed the newly sanctioned Island Special Duty Allowance during summer vacation. Since the vacation staffs are always treated as on duty and not as on leave during summer vacation, the teachers are eligible for ISDA during summer vacation. However, this allowance has been denied to vacation staff on the plea that they are on leave. In some schools, it has been granted for 15 days and in many other schools ISDA has been completely dis-allowed. Education Department, in consultation with the Pay & Accounts Organisation, should settle this issue so that thousands of vacation staff will get the benefit of ISDA during summer vacation.

4. Fixation of Pay consequent on grant of ACP:

Pay fixation of a large numbers of teachers are yet to be done by several Heads of Offices(DDOs) under the Education Department consequent on the grant of ACP to teachers. Arrears of pay fixation benefits are not being drawn and paid to them. We request that suitable instructions may please be issued to all the DDOs under the Education Department to complete the above work immediately.

5. Non-availability of sufficient funds for Transfer TA:

We regret to bring to your kind notice that despite this Association’s repeated requests, the Education Department/A & N Administration do not earmark sufficient funds for the Transfer TA of teachers. While on the one hand, teachers are stand relieved after their transfer from one station to other and thereby denying them of the benefit of drawing advances of Transfer TA, etc., on the other their Transfer TA bills are kept pending for 2 – 3 years at their new places of postings on the plea of non-availability of funds. We would request you kindly to ensure that sufficient funds are allotted to the Education Department for the Transfer TA, etc. We would also request that action may be taken against the DDOs who do not furnish correct figures while finalizing the Budget Estimates/ RE, etc.

6. Timely supply of textbooks to schools:

It has been observed that every year textbooks are not being supplied to the schools at the time of re-opening of the schools. Many of the textbooks are made available to the book depots/ schools at the middle of the academic session. Poor students are the worst affected due to this delay. Teachers are also facing difficulty to teach in the absence of textbooks for students. This may also kindly be looked into.

This Association would request you kindly to take immediate necessary action to resolve the issues.

Yours faithfully,

(D. Ayyappan)
Cell: 9434260430

ISDA to teachers during Summer Vacation

To

The Chief Secretary,
Andaman and Nicobar Administration,
Port Blair.

Dated 17.07.2009

Sub: ISDA to teachers during summer vacation - regarding.
----------------
Sir,

I am to state that the vacation staff working in the Education Department of the Administration have not been paid the Island Special Duty Allowance during summer vacation-2009. While in some of the schools, the ISDA has been paid to teachers for one month viz. May, 2009 or 15 days only, but in some other schools the same has not been at all drawn and paid to the teachers. ISDA has been granted to the employees with the condition that the same will not be admissible during their absence on Leave/Training beyond 15 days at a time and beyond 30 days in a year and during suspension/joining time, but there is no mention about the summer vacation specifically in the orders of the Govt. of India.

In this connection, your kind attention is invited to FR 82 (b) under which the summer vacation for teaching staff is deemed as duty. This was re-iterated in the Govt. of India’s decision 3 below rule 28 of CCS (Leave) Rules, 1972 wherein Ministry of Finance in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs, have clarified the position. It is, thus, clear that the summer vacation for the teachers is not leave and as such denial of ISDA to teachers during summer vacation on the misconception of being on leave is illegal, arbitrary and unjustified.

I would, therefore, request you kindly to look into this matter and issue necessary instructions to the Education Department and Director of Accounts and Budget to allow ISDA to all the vacation staff of the Education Department during summer vacation and, thus, render justice to thousands of teachers and other vacation staff.

Yours faithfully,


(D. Ayyappan)
General Secretary
Cell: 9434260430.
Copy to:
1. The Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India, North Block, New Delhi – 110 001.
2. Com K.K.N. Kutty, Secretary General, Confederation of Central Govt. Employees & Workers, New Delhi, for necessary action.
3. The Principal Secretary (Education), A & N Administration, for necessary action.


General Secretary

Fixation of Pay to non-metric Group D Staff

To

The Chief Secretary,
Andaman and Nicobar Administration,
Port Blair.


Sub: Implementation of Govt. of India’s order on fixation of pay to non-
Metric Group D staff - regarding.
--------------
Sir,

I am to invite your kind attention to the O.M. No. 1/1/2008-IC dated 24th December, 2008 issued by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India (copy enclosed for kind reference) wherein the points of doubts on the training to be given to Group D staff who do not possess the revised minimum qualification for grant of Pay Band -1 Grade Pay were clarified by the Govt. of India. According to the said O.M., “Each administrative department concerned will design a training curriculum suited to its requirements. As far as possible, the training programme should not exceed 3 months and it may be imparted during working days for not more than 2 hours per day…..” However, it has been noticed that none of the departments under the Andaman and Nicobar Administration has designed any training curriculum, because of which training to non-metric staff is yet to begin.

Your kind attention is also invited to Note 1 below rule 7 of the CCS (Revised Pay) Rules, 2008 (copy enclosed for kind reference) wherein it was mentioned that “(b) Such of those existing Group D employees who do not possess the revised minimum qualifications for entry into PB-1 would be retrained by the concerned Department preferably within a period of six months so that payment of arrears on account of upgradation are not delayed. After retraining, these Group D staff will also be placed in the Pay Band PB-1 with the grade pay of Rs. 1800 with effect from 1.1.2006 and arrears drawn accordingly….” I regret to inform you that almost all the departments have failed to obey the said direction of the Govt. of India even after 11 months of implementation of the said rules. Hundreds of Group D employees of various departments have been denied of the upgraded Grade Pay in Pay Band -1 as recommended by the Sixth CPC and accepted by the Govt. of India due to the inaction on the part of the Heads of Departments under the Andaman and Nicobar Administration.
Discontentment among the above category of employees is increasing and this Association cannot remain silent on this injustice being meted out to them.
Under the circumstances, I would request you kindly to intervene in the matter and issue immediate necessary direction to all the Heads of Departments so that Group D employees working under the A & N Administration who do not possess revised minimum qualification for PB-1 Grade Pay will get their due benefits which were to be implemented long back and, thus, render justice to this lower strata of the workforce in the Administration.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

Encl: As above.
(D. Ayyappan)
General Secretary
Cell: 9434260430.

Copy to:
1. The Secretary (Perl), A & N Administration, for kind information and necessary action.
2. All Heads of Departments under the A & N Administration, for necessary action please.


General Secretary