UPDATE

The July 26^th 2012 March to Parliament on the call of the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers was a resounding success with several  thousands of participants from all over the country from various Central Government Departments, in support of the 14 Point Charter of Demands including immediate constitution of VIIth Pay Commission, Merger  of DA with Pay on it crossing 50% , easing of norms and cap for Compassionate Appointments to the kin of Employees dying in harness  and  comparable minimum of five assured promotions for all groups of Central Government  employees like their Group A Officers, scrapping of the PFRDA Bill and other anti –employee measures . The first positive development is that the time limit of 3 years  for Compassionate Appointments has been now done away with.   The Government has been informed by way of a memorandum submitted that the action has to be taken within three months on the Charter of Demands , failing which a Nationwide Strike in all Central Government Departments would be held on  December  12  2012.

The Joint Action Committee  comprising of  Staff Associations in the CBEC organized a massive day long Dharna at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi  on 27^th July 2012. In a demonstration of unprecedented unity and resolute action, hundreds of Group C and B employees of our Department   from the Customs as well as Central Excise sides, including the Executive,  Ministerial  and  Telecommunications streams converged in the National Capital from every nook and corner of the country essentially to demand implementation of Cadre Restructuring in CBEC forthwith without any cuts and in a manner matching the aspirations of the lower level cadres of the Board. The Dharna was addressed by Shri  Basudev Acharya, Hon’ble Member of Parliament(Lok Sabha) who empathized with our  situation of poor promotional avenues and continued exploitation of government employees barring the elite few.He also assured that he would be raising these issues including that of the long pending  Restructuring in Parliament. Secretary General of the Income Tax Employees Federation(ITEF), Com. Rajagopalan, Convener  of the Co-ordination Committee of Associations/ Federations in Department Of Revenue  Com.Vrigu Bhattacharjee,General Secretary Co-ordination Committee of Central Government Employees and workers New Delhi,  Com. Ashok Kannojia Additional Secretary ITEF,  Secretary General of All India  Central Excise Gazetted Executive Officers  Shri Ravi Malik and several other National level leaders also spoke at length on the various issues confronting the  Department and its employees, most important being the pathetic  career prospects of the Group C and Group B cadres. There were also addresses by all National and Regional level leaders of Associations comprising the JAC, interspersed with vigourous and frequent slogan shouting.

Sri Ravi Malik along with Superintendent Association New Delhi attended the meeting, he requested to include the points extended by his association in the charter, in reply to that Secretary General AICEIA stated that it is decided in the JAC meeting at Kolkata that the Gazzetted Officers Association and other organizations who have not yet joined the JAC are free to join along with their own points.

In the afternoon a communication addressed to the Prime Minister of India was handed over by leaders of the JAC to officials of the PMO, and copies of the same were also forwarded to Revenue Secretary.

The show of strength and unity at New Delhi on 27^th July 2012 augurs well for Association activities and we have to take it further to sustain this struggle till we achieve all our just and  genuine demands.

A delegation comprising the President, Secretary General, Working President and Asstt. Secretary General of the AICEIA met the Director, DoP&T and had discussions on the CBEC Restructuring Proposals, the revised version of which has been submitted by the Board to the  DoP&T. It was informed by the Director that the file is presently with the Secretary DoP&T  and it would be sent to the Committee of Secretaries very soon.

A meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the AICEIA is tentatively scheduled for 24^th of August at Bhubaneswar. Circular to this effect will be issued soon.