7th cpc meeting at Mumbai on 07.11.2014

CALL LETTER FROM 7^TH CENTRAL PAY COMMISSION TO OUR GENERAL SECRETARY SRI.R.K.TANDON TO ATTEND SPECIAL MEEETING EXCLUSIVELY TO DICUSS OUR DEMANDS ON 07.11.2014 AT 17.00 HRS AT MUMBAI

Dear Shri Rakesh Tandon,

With reference to your request for making an oral representation to the Seventh Central Pay Commission during its visit to Mumbai, you are informed that your request has been agreed to. You are informed that your entity has been allocated 15 minutes time at 1720 hours on 7.11.2014. The venue will be Sahyadri State Guest House located at B G Kher Marg, Malabar Hill, Mumbai.  You may be present at the venue one hour before the allotted time.  The contact person shall be Shri Sudhir Sharma, Under Secretary, 7^thCPC at 08447442466(sudhirspeaking@gmail.com).

7 CPC

New Delhi

Copy of the letter submitted to the Chairman Shri Mathur  CHQ Lr.No: AISBCEU/7^th CPC meeting at Mumbai/11A-2014 Dated at Lucknow - 226003   the 05.11.2014

                                                                        

To,

The Chairman,

7^th CPC

Camp at Mumbai.

Respected Sir,

Sub : Request to offer Organized Accounts Cadre to SBCO staff of  Department of Posts.

         Ref: 1. CHQ Lr.No: AISBCEU/7^th CPC Memorandum/11-2014 Dated at Lucknow- 226003   the 29.05.2014

                  2. MOF Department of Expenditure [E-III B Branch Lr.No: 6/82/E.III [B]/91 [E.III-B  Branch] New

                      Delhi, the 28^th Feb 2003 that

            First of all I , on behalf of our Union thank the 7^th CPC for giving its valuable time to our union to put up our grievances before it. My introduction is that I am President of All India Savings Bank Control Employees Union, CHQ at Lucknow as well as Circle Secretary of All India Savings Bank Control Employees Union, Maharashtra Circle Branch, Head Quarter at Mumbai.

This union is representing more than 85 % staffs of the SBCO cadre in Department of Posts. The total number of staff in SBCO cadre is approximately 3500 in all over the 900 Head Post Offices in India. One SBCO branch is established with minimum staff strength of 2 to 7 officials to audit   the daily Savings bank transactions of Head Offices and Sub Offices. But this branch has not been given status of Organized Accounts cadre as referred in the above reference under Sl.2 above letter Dt:28.02.2003 issued by the  MOF - Department of Expenditure.

Our Union made a representation to the Secretary [P] to implement the revised pay scales recommended to the organized accounts cadre by the Ministry of Finance  with the comparative statement of SBCO cadre and Postal Accounts cadre pay scales is given below to your kind information. Our demand is rejected by the Department vide DG[P] Lr.No:1-25/2003 Dt.13.06.2005 that as the recruitment rules, pay scales, promotional avenues of SBCO staff differ from the Postal accounts cadre, SBCO staff have no relation with the accounts cadre of the Department of Post.

Before merging our cadre of LDC/UDC in the year of 1991 as Postal Assistant [SBCO] placed in the scale of Rs.4000-100-6000 equivalent to UDC scale., the basic qualification for UDC post is Degree and at the time of merger more than 70% of staff were working in UDC cadre and the remaining LDCs who were in seniors due for  UDC promotion. The merger was done in the interest of service for implementation of MACP/TBOP. Hence, the reply given by the Department was not a genuine consideration.

As stated in the memorandum submitted by this union on date 29.05.2014 this union had requested Hon,ble CAT Kolkatta Bench under O. A. No. 793 of 2006 to declare our cadre as Organized Accounts Cadre. The Hon,ble CAT at Kolkatta delivered its judgment on date 15.01.2008 and directed to approach to Honourable 6^th  CPC as it was the right body to decide this case. As such our union approached to 6^th CPC vides our union letter No. CHQ/SBCO/Postal/153/2008 dated 22.02.2008. Since the judgment was delivered after finalization of 6^th CPC report, our views were remained unheard.

 In this connection we have submitted our detailed memorandum to Honourable 7^thCental Pay Commission on date 29.05.2014. The work of auditing and accounting of Post Office Savings Bank transaction was previously done by Postal Accounts Office i. e. Director of Postal Accounts.  In the year 1965 this work has been decentralized to Head Post Office level and SBCO i. e. Savings Bank Control Organisation has been formed in each Head Post Office.

Even though, our cadre is declared as identity cadre for auditing the Savings Bank transactions, the staff of this section is under the administrative control of Postmaster and Sr. Supdt. / Supdt. of Post Offices instead of auditing officers of Director/Chief Accounts Officer [Accounts].

As per present status, Sr. Postmaster/Postmaster  or Sr. Supdt. Supdt. of Post Offices is the head of Postal Savings Bank. The SBCO staff is auditing the savings bank work which is being done under control of Sr. Postmaster or Sr. Supdt. / Supdt. of Post Offices. In this case the SBCO staff could not perform their auditing duties effectively as they are working under the administrative control of Head of the Savings Bank i. e  Postmaster or Sr. Supdt. / Supdt. of Post Offices.  In other words we are auditing /checking the work of our boss.  .  In this present situation, lot of pressure/torture/threatening is given by the administrative officers of Sr. Postmaster or Sr. Supdt. / Supdt. of Post Offices  on our staff not to raise objections/point out the mistakes to show our good picture of the Division /Office. This hampers the very purpose of checking and auditing. It is therefore necessary from audit point of view that the staff of SBCO should not be under administrative control of Head Postmaster or Sr. Supdt. / Supdt. of Post Offices

            Hence, now our Union takes up this matter with Seventh Central Pay Commission to consider of demand in favour in view of the following reasons

1.      Before bifurcation our cadre from Director of Postal Accounts in 1965, which work was attended by the audit office staff regarding the Savings Bank Transactions, the same is being continued in SBCO branch under the control of Accounts Officer placed in Internal check Organization called as ICO in each PMGs office. Here, the Accounts officer is the Postal Accounts cadre staff. If we are not doing the auditing work, what is the necessity to appoint an accounts Officer to supervise our auditing work.

2.      In the SB-7 voucher [Withdrawal Form] , a separate square fox is printed as Auditor to place our signature to ensure the auditing voucher.

3.      In our cadre name, it is called as SAVINGS BANK CONTROL ORGANIZATION [SBCO] , if we are not organized cadre, there is no need to specify the name  as Control Organization.

4.      In the recent our Department CBS implementation, our role is defined as Auditor for controlling the daily Savings Bank Transactions.

5.      In the Departmental of Expenditure memorandum Dt:25.02.2003, there is no specific condition was given for not applicable to postal wing, instead it is clearly mentioned that it may be extended to the corresponding categories in all the organized Accounts cadre.

6.      Hence, the revised scale recommended by MOF for organized account cadre may please be recommended to SBCO cadre w.e.f 1.1.1996 for re-fixation and the pay benefit from 19.02.2003 like other auditing staff.

7.      Our cadre must be declared as Organized Accounts cadre w.e.f  retrospective from 28.02.2003 and the SBCO may be brought under direct control of DAP through CAO (SB) and re designated as Auditor, Sr. Auditor, Chief Auditor and Jr.Audit Officer and Audit officer ( PA, MACP - I, II, III respectively) as given in our memorandum.

Unless, the SBCO staff is brought under the control of auditing officers of Director/Chief Accounts Officer [Accounts]  other than Postmasters and Divisional Heads,  then only they can discharge their audit duties without fear. In present setup Postmasters and Divisional Heads are the disciplinary authorities of the SBCO staff.   

            This union therefore requests your kind honour to consider our views and declare SBCO cadre as Organised Accounts cadre in the public interest to render our auditing service properly.  

            Thanking you, Sir.                                            

 Encl: As referred above                                                           (R.K.TANDON , GENERAL SECRETARY)

Copy of the MOF Department of Expenditure [E-III B Branch Lr.No: 6/82/E.III [B]/91 [E.III-B Branch] New Delhi, the 28^th Feb 2003 that

“The undersigned is directed to say the Government had approved grant of higher scales for the Accounts staff of Railways on notional basis w.e.f. 1.1.1996 with actual payments being made prospectively.  Keeping in view the fact that pay scales of corresponding categories in various organized Accounts cadres have traditionally been on par, it has been decided that the dispensation approved in case of the Accounts Staff of Railways may be extended to the corresponding categories in all the organized Accounts cadres.”

DESIGNATION	PAY SCALE PRIOR TO 1.1.1996	EXISTING PAY SCALE	PAY SCALE TO BE EXTENDED NOTIONALLY W.E.F. 1.1.1996 WITH ACTUAL PAYMENTS BEING MADE PROSPECTIVELY
AUDITOR/ ACCOUNTANT	1200-30-1560-40-2040	4000-100-6000	4500-125-7000
SR.AUDITOR/ SR.ACCOUNTANT	1400-40-1600-50-2300-60-2600	5000-150-8000	5500-175-9000
SECTION OFFICER	1640-60-2600-75-2900	5500-175-9000	6500-200-10500
ASST.AUDIT OFFICER/ ASST.ACCOUNTS OFFICER	2000-60-2300-75-3200	6500-200-10500	7450-225-11500

The above scales were implemented in all audit & accounts cadre except to SBCO cadre, since we are placed in the Head Post offices as a separate branch with distinct category.

                SD: [ISHA MATTUR], Joint Secretary to the Government of India

 MINUTES OF THE 7^TH CPC MEETING HELD ON 07.11.2014 AT 17.00 HRS AT MUMBAI

             Today meeting was held with Honorable Chairman 7^TH CPC at Mumbai. Since I could not attend the meeting with in short spell, I requested our President Sri.P.A.Mathre to attend the meeting.  Mr.P.A.Mathre and  Shri G. D. Kamble, CWC Member of Maharashtra Circle Branch attended the meeting. Official side consisted Hob,ble Chairman Shri Mathur Sir and six other members.

            Our Union discussed the issue of Organized Accounts cadre to SBCO staff in detail. The Chairman took my representation with copy of Kolkatta CAT Judgment. The Chairman told me that the CPC will ask our Department to explain why the SBCO cadre is left from granting benefit of Organised Accounts Cadre and take necessary decision.

            The meeting ended with thanks to CPC committee. Copy of the representation submitted to CPC is also attached herewith.

            With lot of regards,

R.K.TANDON , GENERAL SECRETARY