LDC/UDC ISSUE : Going through the comments of the viewers

More than two dozen comments have been posted on the JCM Staff Side memorandum, recommending upgradation of Grade Pay of LDC, published in this web site. Most of the LDCs working in various Departments, posted comments are stated that they are doing duties of higher posts with Rs. 1900 Grade pay. A person who is working in the KVS has written that in his Organization LDCs are doing duties of UDC and LDC both because in maximum offices single LDCs are posted and they are compelled to complete the work by sitting extra time. (Our opinion is that the Staff Associations of the KVS should demand for increased sanction of Administrative Staff in accordance with the work load and also for an immediate cadre restructuring for the Administrative Staff. According to the recommendations of the Central Pay Commissions cadre restructuring should be done in every five years).

It is no doubt that LDC & UDC are the backbone of the Government Offices especially the subordinate offices and they should get a respectable pay scale. Since the 6th Pay Commission has raised the Educational and technical qualification for the post it has become an anomaly and that is why this Association has taken up the issue to the higher authorities and as such the issue gained popularity. Resultantly, Confederation and JCM Staff Side was forced to recommend upgraded grade pay for LDCs in their Memorandum to the 7th Pay Commission. Moreover, Department of Expenditure was compelled to issue a common circular for upgradation of Grade Pay of LDC & UDC at Department level through restructuring. But the said order was not adequate to meet the demand and as such we have filed a case in CAT Jabalpur.  Some of our friends proposed to take up the issue to the Prime Minister & Finance Minister again. Several of our friends writing comments have proposed to call a strike on the issue of upgradation of the Grade Pay of LDC & UDC. Both are not the demand of the time, I think. As regards to writing letter to Prime Minister, we had already written a letter to the then Prime Minister and same was forwarded to the DoPT and what action has been taken on it by the DoPT, JCA & Ministry of Finance, all are before us. If we sent another letter to the present Prime Minister it will also go through the routs in which our previous letter was travelled. As regards the calling of strike it is only possible when there is a Federation of Ministerial Staff Association representing the entire Ministerial Staff persists and taking a decision unanimously. You all are aware that I had requested all our friends to come to Delhi in support of the Confederation Dharna on 9th January 2014 so that we may put up the issue effectively before the Confederation. But nobody except some leaders of Delhi State Government Administrative Staff Association has come to attend the Dharna. Thus conducting a strike, even a Department level strike, is not as easy as the comment writers think.

Some of our friends have written that large number of posts of LDC & UDCs are lying vacant in their Department and is not filling up the vacancy by the authorities. This should be tackled at their Department level itself. Staff Associations of the respective Department should take initiative for the same.

As regards the case filed by us in the CAT Jabalpur, we have filed the same with an intention to send a message regarding the seriousness of the issue to the Government, 7th Pay Commission and the JCM Staff Side. As a result JCM Staff Side has discussed the matter and accordingly the recommendation for the upgradation of the Grade Pay of LDC has been sent to the Pay Commission. In order to defend the payment of Rs. 2400 Grade Pay to DEO, DoPT has recently issued a revised model recruitment rule for the DEO. And yet, I am sure, 7th Pay Commission will definitely consider the upgradation of Grade Pay of LDC in its report. The case filed in the CAT Jabalpur will go on for a favorable decision so as to get the upgraded Grade Pay to LDC w.e.f. 1.1.2006.

As regards granting of Rs. 4200 Grade Pay to UDCs, all Associations are requested to send the proposal in their memoranda to the 7th Pay Commission on the ground that UDCs are assigned with the duties of Assistants in most of the subordinate offices as the sanctioned posts of Assistants in these offices is far less than the actual requirement.

Confederation has proposed to submit a separate Memorandum to 7th Pay Commission. Even though the LDC & UDC issue, submitted by us have been incorporated in the JCM Staff Side Memorandum, any Association is willing to put up anything new regarding to the upgradation of the LDC/UDC and issues related to other administrative Staff and the cadres of common category including MTS may please send their proposal to the Confederation in the following e-mail id by 14th of this month.

With greetings

TKR Pillai

General Secretary