The Central Excise and Customs Association has written a letter to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley expressing their disappointment over career, pay and other service matters.
Ravi Malik, Secretary General, All India Association of Central Excise Gazetted Executive Officers, has in the letter to Jaitley said, "Nothing is left to be happy in the life of the Central Excise Superintendents in relation of career, pay or any other service matter."
"Despite total demoralisation, disappointment, job dissatisfaction, de-motivation, humiliation and frustration, the revenue targets are regularly being achieved above the set target by the sincere, committed and dedicated efforts of these officers," said Malik.
"Under the present circumstances, these officers are forced to retire at a PB2 post with only single promotion in the service career after joining as Inspector whereas their common entry counterparts are easily enjoying PB4 levels after getting 5-6 promotions," he added.
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Malik pointed out that the Central Excise Superintendents are getting promotion (if any) merely to Junior Time Scale while their counterparts of CPWD, CSS, CSSS, AFHQS, Railway Board, UPSC, CVC, MEA, MPA, Rajya Sabha Secretariat and many others like Administrative Services, Police Services, Forest Services, Engineering Services, State Services etc. to Senior Time Scale.
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"The employee grievance redressal mechanism has totally failed. These poor officers are also forced to work under the extreme juniors of Customs belonging to the same cadre. Not only it, the Central Excise Superintendents are also deprived of the due pay scale in comparison to their analogous counterpart," said Malik.
"The rights to grow, make progress and live with dignity have been snatched from them. There is no change in the scenario regarding their career prospects despite of the repeated representations & requests made to the administration. If career prospects were disclosed at the time of the recruitment, these officers would have never joined this job," he added.
Malik further said it seems that nobody is worried about the prospects/survival of this actual workforce of CBEC.
"The direct IRS officers have been ensured up to 9 promotions to upgrade them within the standard residency periods prescribed by DOPT by creating the posts at Apex, HAG+ etc. levels in the higher scales even without availability of the eligible officers but no measures are being taken for the Central Excise Superintendents & Inspectors to promote/upgrade them within the standard residency periods prescribed by DOPT," said Malik.
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"Our counterparts of Income Tax (CBDT) and the Assistants of CSS under the same Department of Revenue are able to reach the post of Commissioner and Joint Secretary. Almost all other counterparts of ours are also reaching the PB4 levels. Central Excise Superintendents are forced to retire merely after one promotion in the career barring one percent. The CBEC is even unable to conduct the DPC for promotions from Group 'B' to Group 'A' at prescribed intervals for this one percent. Nothing has been done for our poor officers for decades to improve their career prospects. We are given false assurances but nothing has ever happened," he added.
Malik further said the cadre restructuring or Central Pay Commission has also done nothing for us.
"Now under the prevailing circumstances, we have no option other than the revival of the Satyagraha programme in the form of working in offices with bearing of black badges on 27.11.15 as next step requesting for due pay scale, immediate DPC for the post of Asstt. Commissioner and taking concrete measures independent of cadre restructuring to retire all of our officers also in PB4," said Malik.
"In view of the above, our officers will bear black badges on 27.11.15 working peacefully in the offices as next step of Satyagraha with the request to fulfill our demands as per the charter of demands enclosed herewith. Next step of Satyagraha will be intimated in the due course," he added.
The charter of demands:
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A. Immediate conducting of DPCs up to 2015-16 panel year for the post of Asstt. Commissioner as our officers are regularly retiring without promotion despite of a huge number of promotional vacancies being in hand.
B. Scheme to improve the career prospects of our officers independent of cadre restructuring to bring parity with common entry counterparts of CSS etc. to retire our officers at PB-4 level by granting at least 5 functional promotions, batch to batch Non Functional Financial Upgradation to our officers at par with the best placed counterparts of CSS etc. and upgradations in accordance of the residency periods prescribed underDOPT OM No. AB-14017/61/2008-Estt.(RR) dt.24.03.09.
C. Pay scale to Central Excise Superintendent at par with DSP of CBI etc. w.e.f. the date of grant of same to later along with other perks as being granted to later one, implementation of CBEC circular issued vide F. No. A-26017/44/94-Ad II (A) Dt. 08.03.95 regarding arrears of pay, retrospective implementation of pay scale revision of Central Excise Superintendent at par with NCB Superintendent & implementation of para 7.15.24 of 6th CPC report.
D. Next promotion of Central Excise Superintendent to STS post like other group 'B' gazetted officers of Central as well as State Governments.