Cadre Restructuring of Group-C Employees of India Post

 Dear Comrades,

Since publication of the news by NFPE yesterday regarding approval of the Cadre Restructuring Proposal by Finance Ministry, we have been receiving a number of telephone calls regarding the benefits  of Group-C Postal Employees after implementation of the proposal. Sine the proposal was rolling over for years together our members have started forgetting the concept.

Thus, we think it right to reproduce the proposal of both the Staff Side and Official Side for information of our members.

Department’s Proposals

The Committee constituted by the Department on cadre restructuring of Group ‘C’ employees vide No. 25-04/2012-PE I dated 23^rd Oct 2013 held its discussions on 04^th Feb 2014 at 1500 hours & on 05^th Feb 2014 at 1430 hours under the Chairmanship of Shri V. P. Singh, DDG (Personnel). The following were present: -

OFFICIAL SIDE	STAFF SIDE
1. Shri V. P. Singh, DDG (P) – Chairman 2. Shri Alok Saxena, Secretary PSB – Member 3. Ms. Trishaljit Sethi, DDG (E) – Member 4. Sh. Surender Kumar, ADG (PCC) – Member Secretary	1. General Secretary, AIPEU Group ‘C’ 2. General Secretary, NAPE Group ‘C’ 3. General Secretary, AIRMS & MMS 4. General Secretary, NU RMS & MMS Group ‘C’ 5. General Secretary, AIPEU, Postman & MTS 6. General Secretary, NUPE, Postman & Multi Tasking Employees

2. The Committee had earlier met on 27^th Nov. 2013.

3. The representatives of the Staff Side informed that Postal Assistant cadre officials are getting promotions in promotional hierarchy to Grade Pay of Rs. 2800/- (PB-1) in Lower Selection Grade at a time when they are already placed in the Grade Pays’ of Rs. 4200/- (PB-2) or Rs. 4600/- (PB-2) on award of financial up-gradation(s) under MACPS. At this, the official side asked Staff side to furnish copies of the orders on above lines from few Circles to corroborate the above claim. The Committee recommends that before processing these recommendations, Establishment Division may obtain the same from Staff Side.

After discussions, the following recommendations in respect to the cadre restructuring of Group ‘C’ employees were agreed to by the Department.

(a)   The post of SPMs in Single Handed Post Offices and Double Handed Post Offices will be placed in the Grade Pay of Rs. 2800/- in the Pay Band PB-I.

(b)   The Post of Sub Postmasters in Triple Handed Post offices and LSG Post Offices will be placed in the Grade Pay of Rs. 4200/- in the Pay Band PB-II.

(c)    The post of HSG-II Head Postmasters and Sub-Postmasters will be placed in the Grade Pay of Rs. 4600/- in the Pay Band PB-II.

(d)   After the implementation of the above restructuring, the officials in the Grade Pay of Rs. 4600/-, who have completed 4 years of regular service, will be granted the Grade Pay of Rs. 4800/- in the Pay Band-II on non-functional basis after following the usual procedure of non-functional up-gradation(s)

(e)   Cadre ratio as per the agreed position mentioned at (a) to (d) above, will be worked out and the ratio so worked out will be replicated to the SA cadre of RMS, PA cadre of Circle & Administrative offices as also to the PA cadre of SBCO.

(f)     In the light of peculiar situation of Postman/mail Guard cadre where the work for bulk of the cadre continues to remain the same; as a special case the Committee recommends the ratios as worked out in pursuance of (e) above may be considered for implementation for these cadres as well and that the cadre so restructured may concurrently get the benefit of MACP also. The Committee further recommends that a proposal may be considered for submission to the 7^th CPC to have a percentage based promotion scheme for this cadre akin to the scheme of Staff Car Drivers.

Staff Side proposal:

( Extract from Staff Side JCM Departmental Council letter No. JCM (DC)/Cadre Review/Staff Side/2014 , Dated - 05.02.2014  submitted to Shri. V. P. Singh, DDG (P) & Chairman, Cadre Restructuring Committee for Group ‘C’, Department of Posts, Dak Bhawan, New Delhi – 110001)

Kindly recall the discussions we had with you in the Cadre Restructuring Committee meeting held on 27.11.2013, 04.02.2014 and 05.02.2014.

While appreciating the positive attitude taken on some of our proposals submitted to the Cadre Restructuring Committee, we are totally disappointed and feel let down by the way in which certain valid points raised by us has been simply brushed aside and rejected by the Administration side in a pre-decided manner, even without examining the merits or demerits of our suggestions. Outright and summary rejection seems embarrassing.

We are once again constrained to submit the following proposals and modifications for your judicious and dispassionate consideration and acceptance, with a fervent hope that the same will receive due consideration.

1.           GENERAL LINE POSTS:

While upgrading the existing LSG posts (GP 2800) to HSG-II posts (GP 4200) only the LSG posts of Sub Postmasters is taken into account. All the other posts in the LSG grade such as Asst. Postmasters in Head Post offices and above, Asst. Sub Postmasters in certain major sub post offices, etc. are avoided. This will result only in marginal increase in the number of HSG II post (GP 4200) as below:

(a)	Total number of triple handed Postmaster’s post to be upgraded	3732
(b)	Total number of LSG posts including Asst. Postmasters Posts	6989
(c)	Total Posts	10721
(d)	Out of this LSG posts carved out for creation of Postmasters Grade-I to be deducted	2097
(e)	Remaining Posts for upgradation to HSG II	8624
(f)	Out of this LSG Asst. Postmasters and ASPMs posts are to be deducted	4000 (Correct figure not available with staff side, it will be more than 4000)
(g)	Net posts remaining for upgradation to HSG II (GP 4200)	4624

Now we are having 4892 LSG Posts in General line (6989-2097 PM Cadre). Even after upgrading ‘A’ class Postmasters as HSG-II (GP 4200) the number of Posts available for up-gradation to HSG-II will be less than the number available now and employees are not going to be benefited, if only those posts are upgraded. Hence our request for up-gradation of all existing LSG posts (not only Postmasters posts) to GP 4200 along with Postmaster posts of ‘A’ Class offices. Similarly all posts in HSG-II (other than Postmaster Posts also) may be upgraded to 4600/-.

2.           PROMOTION CHANCES OF ACCOUNTANT QUALIFIED OFFICIALS:

At present PO & RMS exam qualified officials are posted as Accountants. Officials working as Asst. Postmaster (Accounts) should posses Accountant qualification. There is no separate channel of promotion for qualified Accountants above the post of APM (Accounts). As per the proposal of the Administration side those Asst. Postmaster posts will remain as LSG (GP 2800) only and further those APM (Accounts) posts which are now in HSG-II (GP 4200) will remain as HSG-II (GP 4200) without any further up-gradation. In fact there is no up-gradation for Accounts line posts and the qualified officials have to move out of their Accountant/Asst. Postmaster (Accounts) posts if they want promotional up-gradation, thereby the Department will be loosing the services of qualified officials to work in Accounts Branches. Nobody will be willing to work as Accountants and Asst. Postmaster (Accounts).

Hence it is once again requested to upgrade all the posts of PO & RMS Accountants to LSG (GP 2800) and LSG APM Accounts posts to HSG II (GP 4200) and at least 20% of the posts in upgraded GP 4200 may be further upgraded to HSG-I APM Accounts (GP 4600). Thus Accountant qualified officials will have their own channel of promotion. Regarding promotion to GP 4800/- the conditions applicable to General line officials may be made applicable to them also.

3.           POSTMASTER CADRE:

At present norm based LSG Postmasters posts are upgraded as Postmaster Grade-I. When LSG Postmaster posts are upgraded to 4200 GP (HSG-II), the Postmaster Grade-I posts shall also be automatically upgraded to the Grade Pay of 4200/-. Otherwise a glaring anomaly will arise. Their counter parts working in general line LSG post offices will be in GP 4200 where as they will remain in GP 2800. The benefit of up-gradation should be made equally applicable to Postmaster Grade-I, Grade-II and Grade-III officials also by suitably upgrading the posts in Postmaster Cadre.

4.           SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS:

In the JCM Departmental Council meeting held on 27.08.2010, JCM (DC) standing Committee dated 18.12.2012 and 23.08.2013 it was decided that the demand for creation of a separate cadre for system Administrators will be considered by the Cadre Restructuring Committee.

But to our dismay, surprisingly the Department informed in the JCM Departmental Council meeting held 23.08.2013 that creation of separate cadre is not feasible.

We are totally in disagreement with the above stand taken by the Department. it seems that the Department has already made up its mind not to create a separate Cadre. We are not repeating the unstinted yeomen service done by the existing System Administrators since the inception of computers in Postal Department by converting it from a wholly computer illiterate department to the present fully computerized status. We have already explained in detail all the points which justified a better treatment for system Administrators and also for creation of a separate cadre as a promotional cadre of qualified PA/SAs. In spite of all our best efforts, it is quite unfortunate that the Department is taking a totally unreasonable and negative attitude towards the SAs and their claim for better treatment has been mercilessly rejected.

The role of existing System Administrators in total computerization and also in core banking Solutions must be recognized. They are very much frustrated and the discontentment is mounting due to the continuous exploitation of these category of officials for the last more than ten years.

Notwithstanding our claim for creation of a separate cadre of System Administrators (System Assistant) with GP 4200, we request the Administration side to consider the following proposal of the staff side:

(a)   At present there is no sanctioned posts of System Administrators and services of officials working in sanctioned posts of Postal Assistant/Sorting Assistant (PA/SA) in various offices are utilized as System Administrators, keeping the PA/SA post vacant. The PA/SA posts already kept vacant due to deputation as System Administrators may be redeployed and converted as Posts for accommodating System Administrators (in the PA cadre itself). This is suggested as matching savings. An amount of 15% special allowance may be sanctioned to the officials who are performing the duties of System Administrators in those redeployed post.

(b)   The official working as SA may be granted eligible promotions in the general line as and when due.

5.      MARKETING EXECUTIVES:

Notwithstanding our demand for creation of separate posts for marketing Executives in GP 4200 we request to create separate PA Posts for marketing Executives on redeployment and grant special allowance to the officials working in those posts. (this is suggested as matching savings).

6.   CHANGE OF NOMENCLATURE:

As already explained by us the present nomenclature for supervisory post viz: - LSG, HSG-II, HSG-I does not exhibit the nature of status of the officials holding the posts to the customers and public and it require change.

7.   SBCO STAFF:

In the case of SBCO Staff the following proposal is submitted.

Present Designation	Proposed Designation	MACPs		Proposed Scale of Pay
PA (SBCO)	Auditor (Entry Level)	-	5200-20200	GP-2800
		MACPS-I	9300-34800	GP-4200
		MACPS-II	9300-34800	GP-4600
		MACPS-III	9300-34800	GP-4800
LSG (Supervisor	Sr. Auditor	-	9300-34800	GP-4200
HSG-II (Sr. Supervisor)	Chief Auditor	-	9300-34800	GP-4600
HSG-I (Chief Supervisor)	Executive Auditor	-	9300-3480	GP-4800
-	Chief Executive Auditor	-	9300-34800	GP-5400

8.   POSTMEN STAFF/MAIL GUARD:

In the case of Postmen/Mail Guard Staff as already suggested by us percentage promotion may be granted and the same may run concurrently with MACP as in the case of staff car drivers of MMS.

9.    MULTI TASKING STAFF:

As the nature of duties of MTS Staff in Post offices/RMS offices is entirely different from their counterparts in other departments of Government of India, we reiterate our request for bringing MTS Staff also under the purview of Cadre Review.

10. MATCHING SAVINGS:

(a)   Even after the above cadre review proposals are implemented none of the existing officials will be benefited-financially as more number of officials are available under MACP in the Grade pay of 2800, 4200 and 4600 to work against the upgraded posts of 2800, 4200 & 4600 because of MACP-I, II & III. At present there are 26000 MACP II officials and 12000 MACP III officials in the Department of Posts. Even after up-gradation as above, more number of officials will be getting MACP-I, II and III, much earlier than their normal promotion to grade pay 2800, 4200 & 4600 (LSG, HSG II and HSG-I). Hence the question of matching savings does not arise at all.

(b)   6% posts in operative cadre and 20% posts in supervisory cadre was reduced as a matching savings when TBOP, BCR scheme was in force. The TBOP/BCR scheme has been scrapped on introduction of MACP scheme. Directorate has issued orders for restoration of justified posts without 6% and 20% cut. But no posts are sanctioned or restored. The cut still remains. If at all any matching savings is required, the above fact may be taken into account and the posts yet to be restored may be adjusted as matching savings.

           Once again request you to consider the above points favourably.