ADVERSE IMPACT OF UNIFORM DATE OF ANNUAL INCREMENTS

INDIAN RAILWAYS TECHNICAL SUPERVISORS ASSOCIATION
(Estd. 1965, Regd. No.1329, website http://www.irtsa.net )

Secretary,
Department of Personnel & Training,
Chairman, Anomalies Committee,
National Council (JCM),
Government of India,
New Delhi.

Dear Sir,

Subject: Adverse impact of UNIFORM DATE OF ANNUAL INCREMENTS

Ref: F. No. 1/1/2008-IC, Ministry of Finance, Dept of Expenditure, Dated 13th September, 2008

Due to introduction of uniform date of increment on July 1st, employees whose increments fall between February and June are being deprived of their legitimate increment which get postponed / withheld by up to 5 months on a recurring basis. In case of initial fixation and subsequent increment, the loss for those employees whose increment falls between February and June will be permanent and they will be deprived of the lost money for ever which will not be restored at any time; affecting their entire service life as well as the retirement benefits. In case of fixing the increments on promotion after 1.1.2006, the employees whose promotion falls between February and June will to lose their part of promotional increment up to July of that year (they will be paid the Grade pay attached to the promotional post). From July only they will be paid their 3% promotional increment.

Uniform increment date might have been introduced with the aim of reducing ministerial work. But a large number of the employees will suffer without any purpose or justification which is against the rule of natural justice.

This anomaly has occurred due to the erroneous clause in rule 10 of RS (RP) Rules 2008, which provides that employees who have availed six months or more in their slab of increment in revised scale of pay as on 01.07.2006 will get his first increment on 01.07.06. However, this provision has not been made for those whose increments fall due in the months of February to June. Thus an employee whose date of increment lies on 01.01.06 gets one extra increment on 01.07.06. This is quite discriminatory with those whose increments fall due in the months of February to June every year as their increments will rather get deferred.

A few examples given in enclosed Annexures on loss of Pay and Dearness Allowance due to uniform date of Increment show that an employee will loose between Rs 2000 to 3000 PA or even more on this account, whether he gives Option I (for Revised Pay from 1.1.06) or option II (for Revised Pay from date of next increment). The loss will be even more when other allowances are also taken into account. Similar loss is there in all the Pay Bands.

It is, therefore, requested that the uniform date of increment system should be withdrawn forthwith & existing system be restored.

Yours faithfully,

Harchandan Singh,
General Secretary, IRTSA

Encl – 6 Annexure

Copy for information & necessary action to:

1. Member Staff, Railway Board & Member, Anomalies Committee, National Council (JCM), Rail Bhawan, New Delhi


Source - IRTSA