Executives of Coal India Ltd and its subsidiaries including WCL, ECL, NEC, NCL, BCCL, SECL, CCL, CMPDIL, ECL, and SCCL have recently released an online petition seeking better pay for them. According to the executives, they are highly demotivated and disappointed as they will continue to draw much lower salary compared to not only their peers in other Maharatnas (like ONGC, BPCL etc.) and Navratnas (like NALCO) but even with their subordinate staff, due to lower basic salary offered in the 3rd Pay Revision.
Some of the executives said that they are facing injustice despite the fact that Coal India is not only one of the most profitable Maharatna but also the highest dividend payers amongst other corporates. In addition, to the fact that role of junior executives in resurgence of company has been acknowledged many a times by the management, but not much in pay revision, they said.
Resentment among junior executives particularly E1 to E-5 grade of Coal India and its subsidiaries is brewing since November 2017, they said. They have lodged their protest by tweets, wearing black ribbons at work place, participating in candle march, organizing blood donation camps etc and now the online campaign has been initiated. Ironically, their concerns, which were endorsed at every level within CIL earlier somehow, remained unaddressed while issuing pay revision orders.
Some of the executives said requesting anonymity that several guidelines related to wage negotiations issued by the Department of Public Enterprise (DPE) stand violated as on date in CIL. These guidelines approved by Cabinet stipulate that the management of the CPSEs has to ensure that negotiated scales of pay of workmen do not exceed the existing scales of pay of executives/officers and Non-Unionized Supervisors. Another clause stipulates that the management of CPSEs with five years periodicity have to ensure that the negotiated scales of pay of two successive wages negotiations do not exceed the existing scales of pay of executives/officers and Non-Unionized Supervisors for whom 10 years periodicity is being followed, the executives informed.
The highest entry basic of staff cadre has been fixed to Rs. 54969 per month from July 2016 while for officers it stayed at 16,400 per month, then and been fixed to Rs 40,000/- from January 2017. Many junior officers find this a cause of concern, they said.
The officer association, CMOAI, had tried to highlight the issue of pay anomaly several times, which is mainly due to different periodicity. While the executives got a 15 per cent fitment benefit after ten years for the staffs it was 20 per cent for five years revision of pay, which is again due in 2021 & 2026 whereas for executives it will only be done in 2027.
For early redressal of various grievances the officers association has served a formal notice to Coal India Ltd and ministry for nationwide protest including blackbands from Sept 10 to 26, subsidiary HQ demonstration on September 19 demonstration at CIL HQ September 26.