While the 7th Pay Commission report recommendations have been a source of joy for hundreds of thousands of government employees, for the national trade unions linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left, the hike has not been high enough and they have not kept quiet about it.
Trade unions have protested
vehemently against the 7th Pay Commission and are looking for redressal
of their grievances and contemplating action. They have also looked at
strong industrial action to indicate their unhappiness and will be
indicating soon what their future course of action can be. Here are the
top 10 reasons why, they say, they are angry with the Seventh Pay panel
report:
1. Proposed 7th Pay Commission hike
is lowest in many decades and not in sync with inflation - least hike
(proposed) in the last 30 years. Considering the inflation, it is
unsatisfactory.
2. 7th Pay Commission has recommended a 16 per cent hike in net pay against projected 23.55 per cent.
3. There is a huge gap in maximum and minimum pay in the 7th Pay Commission report recommendations.
4. The gratuity ceiling recommended
by 7th Pay Commission has been raised from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh, the
benefit of this will go to senior officials only.
5. 7th Pay Commission report has
ignored sharp increase in prices justifying substantial upward revision
in HRA and other allowances. Instead the commission has reduced rates of
HRA from 30 per cent to 24 per cent of the basic pay in A Class cities
and corresponding decrease in other cities which is a retrograde
recommendation.
6. Doubts about the way the 7th Pay
Commission has calculated the figures. For example, they calculated
House Rent Allowance (HRA) at 3 per cent against the mandated 7 per
cent.
7. As per commodity prices on
Agriculture Ministry's website and on the basis of Labour Bureau data,
the Basic Pay comes at Rs 11,341 while 7th Pay Commission calculation
shows it at Rs 9,218. There is a lot of gap.
8. There is no clarity in the 7th Pay
Commission report on the pay revision for lakhs of contract workers in
government ministries as well as 3 lakh Grameen Dak Sewaks.
9. 7th Pay Commission is the only
commission, which has reduced the allowances and due to which the growth
in net income is only 14.28 per cent. (PTI).
10. 7th Pay Commission report is
totally disappointing and beats logic. Employees and workers will meet
on November 27 to protest against the recommendations of the 7th Pay
Commission and discuss the issue.
NOTE: The 900-page report of the 7th
Pay Commission headed by Justice A K Mathur was presented to Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley with a recommendation that the new scales be
implemented from January 1, 2016. The panel recommended a 14.27 per cent
increase in basic pay, the lowest in 70 years. The previous 6th Pay
Commission had recommended a 20 per cent hike, which the government
doubled while implementing it in 2008.
