RECORD
NOTE ON DISCUSSION WITH JOINT SECRETARY (ESTABLISHMENT) & JOINT
SECRETARY (PERSONNEL) ON THE AGENDA ITEM 28 OF NATIONAL ANOMALY
COMMITTEE HELD ON 30-07-2012
The
following issues raised were discussed with JS (Estt) and JS(Per) on
30-07-2012. The Staff side was represented by Coms. S.K.Vyas, KKN Kutty,
M.S.Raja and T. Satyanarayana.
Grant of PB-2 Rs.9300-34000 with Grade Pay of Rs.4200 to Auditors/Accountants:
VI Central Pay Commission has recommended revised Pay Bands/Grade Pay
for posts of Sr. Accountants /Senior Auditors; Section
Officers/Assistant Accounts/Audit Officers; Audit/Accounts Officers;
Senior Accounts/Audit Officers in Chapter 7.56 IA&AD Para 8 & 9.
In Chapter 7.56 Para 10 the Commission has stated that they have
separately recommended parity between Secretariat and non Secretariat
Organizations in Chapter 3.1 of the Report. These recommendations will
also extend to the posts in IA&AD (Organised Accounts as well). The
Staff Side therefore demanded that Auditors/Accountants who are in the
pre-revised pay scale of Rs.4500-7500 may be granted Pay Scale of
Rs.6500-10500 (i.e. PB-2 with Grade Pay of Rs.4200) as per table below
Para 14 of Chapter 3.1.
The
Official Side stated that they have been allotted PB-1 with Grade Pay
of Rs.2800 which is the corresponding Pay Band/Grade Pay for pre-revised
Pay Scale of Rs.4500-7000. The recommendations in Chapter 3.1 Para 14
being applicable only to Ministerial Office employees and not to others
like Auditors/Accountants. The Staff Side has stated that it may be
noted that the Auditors/Accountants were U.D.Cs up to 3rd
Central Pay Commission. On functional consideration they were
re-designated as Auditors. The V CPC had upgraded Pay Scale of Clerk
Grade-I of Ministerial Offices in Railways(UDCs) from Rs. 4000 – 6000
to Rs.4500-7000 on the consideration that 33% of these Clerk
Grade-I/UDCs were direct recruit graduates. As UDCs/Auditors/Accountants
of IA&AD and Organized Accountants were direct recruits to the
extent of 50% to 80% of their posts, they too had been granted upgraded
Pay Scales of Rs.4500-7000 and therefore they continue to be office
(Ministerial) Staff and the recommendation in Para 14 of Chapter 3.1 is
applicable to them and they should be placed in PB-2 with Grade Pay of
Rs. 4200.
The
Joint Secretary(Per)stated that IA&AD authorities had not placed
this demand before the Implementation Cell at the time these
recommendations were being discussed for implementation.
Grant of PB-2 Grade Pay of Rs.4600 to Senior Auditors/Accountants: The Staff Side explained the background of this demand. The then Comptroller & Auditor General in his memorandum to 3rd CPC had intimated that he had decided to upgrade the Pay Scales of 1/3rd of Auditors at par with that of the Assistants of Central Secretariat after the Report of the 3rd CPC was out (in 1972).
The
Joint Secretary (Per) Shri S.C.Mahalik in his D.O. letter
No.11/1141/178-Es-I dated 21-09-1983 offered that 80% posts of Auditors
would be placed in the Assistant Grade (Rs.425-800) if Audit &
Accounts Cadres are separated and the Staff Side withdraw their case
before Board of Arbitration. This was implemented and thus principle of
parity was conceded. Later the VI CPC recommended the same Pay Scale of
Rs. 1400-2600 both to the Assistants of Central Secretariat and Senior
Auditors/Accountants on the basis of the fact that promotion to these
posts are made more or less similar levels and other merits. This was
accepted by the Government.
Earlier as a result of job evaluation undertaken by Administrative Staff College, Hyderabad at the instance of 3rd
CPC it had been established that post of Auditors/Accountants carried
point rating of 563, whereas the post of Assistant of Central
Secretariat carried point rate of 556 only.
The
Government too had granted the Pay Scale of Rs.5500-9000 to the Senior
Auditors/Accountants notionally from 01-01-1996 and actually from
19-02-2003, thus conceding parity in Pay Scales with the Assistants of
Central Secretariat.
The
Board of Arbitration has given an Award to grant Pay Scale of 1640-2900
w.e.f. 01-01-1986 and Rs.5500-9000 w.e.f. 01-01-1996 notionally and
actually with effect from --------, thus again conceding parity.
The
comment of VI CPC that Government had never conceded the principle of
parity between Assistants in Central Secretariat Services and Senior
Accountants/Auditors is not thus factual, as is apparent from above
developments.
Once
again the Government has placed Assistants of Central Secretariat in
PB-2 Grade Pay of Rs.4600 w.e.f. 01-01-2006, thus again introducing the
disparity. As had been done in the past i.e. 01-01-1996, this disparity
has to be undone by grant of PB-2 Grade Pay of Rs.4600 w.e.f. 01-01-2006
to the Senior Auditors/Accountants.
The
Official Side wanted to know the views of IA&AD in this matter and
agreed to obtain comments from IA&AD. Thereafter, this demand would
again be discussed in a joint meeting in which representatives of
IA&AD would also participate.
Grant of PB-2 with Grade Pay of Rs.5400 after 4 years of Service as Section Officers:
Section Officer has been granted upgraded pre-revised Pay Scale of
Rs.7500-12000 (i.e.PB-2 with Grade Pay of Rs.4800) by Government on the
basis of VI CPC recommendations.
This
has resulted in a very piquant situation in as much as the Senior
Auditors/Accountants and Supervisors whose work is supervised by the
Section Officers have been granted 3rd
MACP placing them in the PB-2 Grade Pay of Rs.5400. The result is that
Section Officer is getting lesser Transport Allowance and lesser
Travelling Allowance than such Senior Accountants/Senior Auditors,
Supervisors.
The
Staff Side demanded that this anomaly may be rectified by granting PB-2
Grade Pay of Rs.5400 by way of stepping up where their subordinates
have been placed in Grade Pay of Rs.5400 by way of 3rd
MACP. Various CATS have also given such directions based upon Supreme
Court judgment. Alternatively, the Grade Pay of Rs.5400 may be granted
to all Section Officers after rendering 4 years of service.
Grant of PB-3 Grade Pay of Rs.5400 to Assistant Audit/Accounts Officers & Audit/Accounts Officers:
The VI CPC in Chapter 7.56 Para 9 has observed that “the post of
Section Officer will be placed in the next higher grade carrying the
Grade Pay of Rs.4800. This upgradation will place posts of Section
Officer and Assistant Accounts/Audit Officer in an identical Pay Scale,
thus necessitating the up-gradation of the latter category.”
The
Pay Commission therefore recommended that “the post of Assistant
Accounts/Audit Officer, should therefore be merged in the post of Audit
Officers carrying the pre-revised Pay Scale of Rs.7500-12000.”
However,
in sub-Para © of Para 1(x) of the Resolution No.1/1/2008-IC dated
29-08-08, it has been stated that “In IA&AD & all Organised
Accounts Cadres, posts of Section Officers and Assistant Audit/Accounts
Officers will be merged and placed in PB-2 with Grade Pay of Rs.4800 as recommended by the Pay Commission.”
Pay
Commission in fact recommended that the post of Assistant
Accounts/Audit Officers necessitated up-gradation and should therefore
be merged with the posts of Audit/Accounts Officer carrying the
pre-revised Pay Scale of Rs.7500-12000.
Obviously, the decision in the Resolution is erroneous and has to be suitably amended.
It
may be pointed out that 20% posts of Divisional Accountants had been
up-graded at par with the pre-revised Pay Scale of Accounts/Audit
Officers carrying the Pay Scale of Rs.7500-12000. The VI CPC in Para 14
of the Chapter 7.56 has consciously up-graded their Pay Scale to
Rs.8000-13500 (assigning PB-3 along with Grade Pay of Rs.5400).
In
order to maintain this parity the post of Assistant Accounts/Audit
Officers be merged with the post of Audit & Accounts Officers and
assigned the up-graded pre-revised Pay Scale of Rs.8000-13500 (i.e. PB-3
along with the Grade Pay of Rs.5400).
The
Official Side indicated that they would seek comments from IA&AD
and then discuss this demand also in the joint committee in which
representatives of IA&AD Organized Accounts too would be invited.
Senior
Accounts/Audit Officers in the light of these demands and with a view
to maintain the vertical relativities shall have to be placed in PB-3
Grade Pay of Rs.6600.
The
detailed explanatory Notes submitted by the Staff Side on the basis of
which the issues have been discussed have been placed in the website.
