The National Federation of Postal Employees (NFPE), Odisha State Coordination Committee has termed the Finance Ministry’s recently-announced festival packages for employees as “squeezing of existing benefits” and demanded early withdrawal of DA and DR freezing orders and declaration of bonus without further delay.
Of the two packages, grant of advance is not a new benefit since this facility was available to the Central Government employees till the implementation of 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations. Employees have been demanding the Government to modify the 7th CPC recommendations and retain the facility of festival advance. But the Government snatched away the benefit of eight interest-free advances, including this festival advance.
Instead of restoring the festival advance as a permanent measure, the Government has now declared the package as a one-time measure till March 31, 2021.
The special cash package equitant in lieu of leave travel concession is nothing but extraction of money of Central Government employees by way of spending three times more the amount to be sanctioned by Government under the package. That means to get 1/3rd amount , the employee has to spent 2/3rd amount from his pocket, that too for compulsory purchase of goods and services with a GST of minimum 12% or above.
The Government should have extended the LTC facility for the current block year 2018 - 21 for one or two years, taking into consideration the Covid -19 pandemic situation.
The Central Government has frozen the dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) of the employees and pensioners from January 1, 2020 to June 30. Instead of imposing further restrictions on the existing LTC benefits of employees, the Government should have withdrawn the freezing of DA and DR. Further, the bonus, which is declared in the first half of October, has not been declared yet. DA due on July 1, 2020 has also not yet declared.
“Instead of imposing more adverse conditions on the existing benefits of the Central Government employees, the Government should immediately withdraw the DA/DR freezing orders and declare the bonus for the current year without any further delay,” demanded NFPE, Odisha State CoC chairman Bruhaspati Samal.