Merger of DA, Interim Relief and Retirement Age to 62: Hopes faded

Merger of DA, Interim Relief and Retirement Age to 62: Only today's date is in hand after that all these hopes have died down. The schedule for the Lok Sabha polls will be announced by the Election Commission on today as media reported. The schedule will be announced at a press conference by Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath along with Election Commissioners H.S. Brahma and S.N.A. Zaidi.

With the announcement of poll dates, the Model Code of Conduct for governments and political parties will come into force with immediate effect. The government will no longer be able to take or announce any major decisions which will be considered as sops to woo voters. This brings an end to all hopes of benefit to the government employees. Earlier there were lot of expectations from the central government employees that government will roll out sops. There were talks of DA merger, interim relief and hiking of retirement age to 62. Even various union leaders had expressed views that some of these may be implemented. 

The employees especially at lower levels reeling under the impact of rise in prices of essential commodities had considered these demands as genuine and expected the government to do something. The only thing that the government did was announcement of the seventh pay commission. And, it is not only election gift this announcement also was in accordance to 13th Finance Commission's recommendations and demands from various employee union / federation. 

All hopes are now going in the goal of newly constituted 7th CPC and employees have to wait its Interim Report as Govt approved terms of 7th CPC with condition to give interim reports if any. However the recommendations of 7th CPC to be implement after Govt approval all these exercise will take more time and expectation for merger of DA/DR from 7th CPC in view of coming pay revision is also an illogical fact. Then what about Interim Relief? The word "Interim Relief" is not mentioned in 7th CPC terms of reference approved by Govt. Now 7th CPC have to invite Organisation/Employee Union for representation/discussion and merger of da and interim relief may be approved in this way. Implementation of main recommendations of 7th CPC is not expected before 2016. As per media hype the government has given another election rarity as announcement of 10% DA hike. All employees knows that this is only a procedure that will be automatically done once in 6 months and is based on inflation data. 

Meanwhile the confederation have issued a circular expressing the dissatisfaction over the Cabinet approval of the Finance Ministry’s proposal on terms of reference of the 7th CPC. Demonstrations are planned on March 7th across the country and indefinite strike after elections. ( Read Government Refused to accept the main demands: Confederation Circular No. 13)