MASS DHARNA at PORT BLAIR........

NEWS ITEM

In support of the Parliament March held in New Delhi by central government employees’ organizations today (26^th July, 2012) on the 14-point Charter of Demands, the Non-Gazetted Govt. Officers’ Association, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which is affiliated to the Confederation of Central Govt. Employees & Workers, New Delhi,   has organized a Mass Dharna from 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in front of Secretariat gate at Port Blair.   Inaugurating the Mass Dharna at a well-attended function, Shri KG Das, former General Secretary of the Association  said that the central government is  pushing through various  anti-employee  policies. He said that the introduction of the New Pension Scheme was a great blow on the fate of  lakhs of  government employees who joined service after 1.1.2004.  Shri B. Chandrachoodan, General Secretary, CITU, A & N State Committee, Shri Mohammed Raza, former President of the Association,  Shri Sadanand Rai, Vice President and Shri TS Sreekumar, Assistant General Secretary of the Association also addressed the  gathering.  A large number of government employees and workers from different departments under the Administration participated in the Mass Dharna. 

In the evening, addressing the participants in the Mass Dharna and others who were present at the Secretariat Gate,  Shri D. Ayyappan, General Secretary of the Association, quoting from leaders of  the Confederation of Central Govt. Employees and Workers, New Delhi, that thousands of central government employees  marched through the Parliament Street in New Delhi  today.  He said that  it  was announced in the Parliament March in New Delhi that  central government employees and workers  throughout the country will go on a one-day strike on 12^th December, 2012 in support of the 14-point charter of demands. He said that campaign among the  government employees and workers in a wider way will be carried out by the Non-Gazetted Govt. Officers’ Association in these islands from  till 12^th December, 2012.      

The 14-point charter of demands is - 1.    Revise wages of Central government employees with effect from 1.1.2011 by setting up the 7^th CPC and every five years thereafter 2.    Merge DA with Pay for all purposes including pension with effect from 1.1.2011; 3. Scrap the New Pension Scheme and extend the statutory defined benefit pension to all Central Govt. employees irrespective of the date of recruitment 4.    Remove restriction imposed on compassionate appointment and end the discrimination on compassionate appointments between the Railway workers and other Central government employees, 5.    Revive the Joint Consultative Machinery.  Convene the meeting of the Departmental Councils in all Ministries/Departments. Settle the anomalies raised in the National Anomaly Committee as also in the Departmental Anomaly

Committees.  Remove the MACP Anomalies. Convene the National Council meetings as specified in the JCM Constitution, 6.   Fill up all vacant posts and create posts on functional requirements,7.  Stop downsizing, outsourcing, contractorisation, corporatisation and privatization of Governmental functions; 8.   Stop price rise; strengthen the PDS 9.     (a) Regularize  the daily rated workers, contingent and casual workers  and bring in a  permanent scheme of  regularization, (b) Promote all eligible Gramin Dak Sevaks of Postal Department against 50% Postmen vacancies and 100% MTS vacancies without resorting to direct recruitment from the open market. Raise the bonus ceiling of GDS employees on par with other workers in the country.   10.    Stop the move to introduce the productivity linked wage system; Performance related pay; introduce PLB in all Departments; remove the ceiling of emoluments for bonus computation, 11.   Revise the OTA and Night duty allowance and clothing rates of uniforms, 12.  Implement all Arbitration Awards, 13.    Vacate all Trade Union victimizations, 14.   Make the right to strike a legal right and stop curtailment of Trade Union rights.

The local demands highlighted during the Mass Dharna are (1) To extend the upgraded Grade Pay for the left-out categories of  teachers/miscellaneous teachers viz., H.M., PETs, Librarians, CIs, PSRTs etc.  (2) Upgraded Grade Pay for LGCs and HGCs and (3) Immediate Restructuring of Forest Clerical Cadre, Amalgamated Stenographic Cadre and Amalgamated Statistical Cadre, etc.