Should
the GRADE PAY STRUCTURE continue in the 7th CPC too?
Once
every 10 years, the Central Government revises the pay grades of its employees.
It is common knowledge that the Cabinet had ordered the formation of the 7th
CPC (CENTRAL PAY COMMISSION) and has also given its approval to the TERMS OF
REFERENCE.
The
Central Government has, until now, constituted six CPCs. The 6th CPC has the
distinction of having introduced the GRADE PAY STRUCTURE. Until then, there was
only the PAY SCALE. It was the 6th CPC that changed it to PAY BAND, GRADE PAY
and PAY IN THE PAY BAND. It was then said that the reconstitution was made to
reduce the number of categories in the PAY SCALE. They also explained how GRADE
PAY was calculated.
Until
then, it was difficult to immediately deduce an employee’s BASIC PAY. It was
often explained on the Government’s behalf that, after the 6th CPC, the BASIC
PAY would amount to the sum of GRADE PAY and PAY IN THE PAY BAND.
Since the
difference between each GRADE PAY was not uniform, the employees came under lot
of stress. Between 1900 and 2000, the difference was just Rs. 100. But, after
Rs. 2800, the next GRADE PAY was Rs. 4200. These differences continue to remain
unacceptable.
‘GRADE
PAY HIERARCHY’ was introduced as a crowning feature of it all. For years, each
CENTRAL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT has its own ‘PROMOTIONAL HIERARCHY’ in place.
Promotions were given only on the basis of this sequence. Based on their
PROMOTIONAL HIERARCHY, in the 5th CPC, each employee was given an ACP (ASSURED
CAREER PROGRESSION). ACP is a scheme under which those who didn’t get any
promotions for 12-24 years were given financial upgradations. This didn’t
create any big problem.
The 6th
CPC introduced MACP (MODIFIED ASSURED CAREER PROGRESSION) in the place of ACP.
A scheme was introduced to give FINANCIAL UPGRADATION to those who weren’t
given any promotions in 10, 20 or 30 years. This was where the Government
ordered that promotions should be given only on the basis of GRADE PAY
HIERARCHY.
The
confusion that began with implementing the GRADE PAY HIERARCHY, which was
common to all, instead of PROMOTIONAL HIERARCHY for promotions continues, and
remains unresolved until now.
There is
no doubt that most of the anomalies created after the 6th CPC related to MACP
stem from the ‘GRADE PAY HIERARCHY’.
Central
Government employees now wonder if the ‘GRADE PAY’ method is even required in
the first place.
