The Seventh Pay Commission’s recommendation to link the annual salary hikes of Central government employees to their performance may be good in theory but tough to execute without reforming the appraisal system which has degenerated to a farce
One of the worst recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission is with regard to withholding of increment if one fails to earn a regular promotion or financial upgradation under Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) in a span of 20 years of service.
As of now, one can earn promotion if his/her annual appraisal is rated as "average". But for MACP it is "good".
The 7th CPC proposes to change the condition for MACP revised to "very good." It also proposes, for the government to consider, of holding of any examination etc. The reason advanced is that 'non performers' need not take things for granted. The question is who is 'non performer' and who will decide it ? What are the criteria? Our experience is that the annual appraisal reports are quite prejudiced.
In a country like India, where caste, religion and region plays a role in every activity (though nobody would like to accept it publicly), such a system will have a very negative impact on the personnel at lower and middle level. Women personnel could be subjected to harassment. Further, the first victims would be those non-corrupt, principled personnel and also workers, activists and leaders of employees/officers unions/associations. It will be grossly misused. Even today, many of the union activists are arbitrarily proceeded against. This is an easy way to ease out non-pliable elements. A compulsory retirement under the guise of voluntary retirement !
Performance Related Pay has already been discarded by OECD (organisation for economic co-operation and development) countries as unworkable, being negative impact on performance. This is totally unacceptable and we will fight it out.
The entirety of the central government employees up to Grade B officers are totally disappointed with the recommendations of the 7th CPC. Each and every demand put forward by the Staff Side, JCM on common issues and the Association and Federations on the Departmental issues have not been considered by the 7th Central Pay Commission,
If this were the report to be submitted, why it took nearly 20 months wasting public money and lot of man hours is the question that arises in the minds of the employees. This could have been done in a month's time.
We had reservations and objections on many issues that were recommended by the previous pay commissions. But this is the first time that a Central Pay Commission headed by a retired Judge of Supreme Court has played such a cruel joke on the expectations and genuine aspirations of the whole of central government employees.
As usual, the Government and the media have started a blitzkrieg against the employees starting with the blatant lie that the employees would get an increase of 23.5% in their monthly emoluments. The influence of the government of the day is very well visible in the report of the 7 CPC throughout. The CPC has failed to discharge its duties as an expert body, independent of government's pushes and pulls. It has succumbed to the diktats of the government - a cursory reading of the report make it clear to one and all from the arbitrary conclusions written there-in.
The 4th CPC had proposed half hour increase in working hours for civilians following which nearly one lakh posts were abolished. Over 3 lakh posts were lost when the 5th CPC proposed abolition of all existing vacancies. The next pay commission brought in contractor system resulting in abolition of 3.5 lakhs posts. Now the 7th CPC has proposed easing out of 'non-performers' - net result is yet to be seen. The employees have no option but to fight these obnoxious recommendations and continue the fight till anti-employee, anti-society recommendations are corrected.
While the commission has strongly recommended performance related pay and annual increments, it has turned a blind eye to many of the demands raised by employees. Special pay for arduous nature of work and for higher responsibility, maternity leave 240 days and paternity leave 30 days have not been included. Child care leave, LTC for foreign travel, five promotions in a career, Promotion: 5 in a career, full pension for the first 10 years in case of death of the pensioner and aterwards 50% pension, no condition for mentally or physically disabled family pensioners, extending family pension to widowed daughter-in-law, for son, family pension up to the age of 28. None of above demands have been included.
The commission has failed to recommend removal of all distinctions and treat all pensions equal and as one class. Our demand for recognition of all NABH accredited multi-speciality hospitals under CGHS, setting up of hospital regulatory authority and CGHS should follow ESIC medical care practices too has been ignored by the commission.
(Author is Working President, Confederation of Central Government Employees & Workers & Secretary General, All India Audit & Accounts Association)
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