NOTE ON DISCUSSIONS WITH JS(ESTABLISHMENT) & JS(PERSONNEL) ON THE AUDIT AND ACCOUNTS PAY SCALES

RECORD NOTE ON DISCUSSION WITH JOINT SECRETARY (ESTABLISHMENT) & JOINT SECRETARY (PERSONNEL) ON THE AGENDA ITEM 28 OF NATIONAL ANOMALY COMMITTEE HELD ON 30-07-2012

The following issues raised were discussed with JS (Estt) and JS(Per) on 30-07-2012. The Staff side was represented by Coms. S.K.Vyas, KKN Kutty, M.S.Raja and T. Satyanarayana.

1. Grant of PB-2 Rs.9300-34000 with Grade Pay of Rs.4200 to Auditors/Accountants: VI Central Pay Commission has recommended revised Pay Bands/Grade Pay for posts of Sr. Accountants /Senior Auditors; Section Officers/Assistant Accounts/Audit Officers; Audit/Accounts Officers; Senior Accounts/Audit Officers in Chapter 7.56 IA&AD Para 8 & 9. In Chapter 7.56 Para 10 the Commission has stated that they have separately recommended parity between Secretariat and non Secretariat Organizations in Chapter 3.1 of the Report. These recommendations will also extend to the posts in IA&AD (Organised Accounts as well). The Staff Side therefore demanded that Auditors/Accountants who are in the pre-revised pay scale of Rs.4500-7500 may be granted Pay Scale of Rs.6500-10500 (i.e. PB-2 with Grade Pay of Rs.4200) as per table below Para 14 of Chapter 3.1.

The Official Side stated that they have been allotted PB-1 with Grade Pay of Rs.2800 which is the corresponding Pay Band/Grade Pay for pre-revised Pay Scale of Rs.4500-7000. The recommendations in Chapter 3.1 Para 14 being applicable only to Ministerial Office employees and not to others like Auditors/Accountants. The Staff Side has stated that it may be noted that the Auditors/Accountants were U.D.Cs up to 3rd Central Pay Commission. On functional consideration they were re-designated as Auditors. The  V CPC had upgraded Pay Scale of Clerk Grade-I  of Ministerial Offices in Railways(UDCs) from Rs. 4000 – 6000 to Rs.4500-7000 on the consideration that 33% of these Clerk Grade-I/UDCs were direct recruit graduates. As UDCs/Auditors/Accountants of IA&AD and Organized Accountants were direct recruits to the extent of 50% to 80% of their posts, they too had been granted upgraded Pay Scales of Rs.4500-7000 and therefore they continue to be office (Ministerial) Staff and the recommendation in Para 14 of Chapter 3.1 is applicable to them and they should be placed in PB-2 with Grade Pay of Rs. 4200.

The Joint Secretary(Per)stated that IA&AD authorities had not placed this demand before the Implementation Cell at the time these recommendations were being discussed for implementation.

2. Grant of PB-2 Grade Pay of Rs.4600 to Senior Auditors/Accountants: The Staff Side explained the background of this demand. The then Comptroller & Auditor General in his memorandum to 3rd CPC had intimated that he had decided to upgrade the Pay Scales of 1/3rd of Auditors at par with that of the Assistants of Central Secretariat after the Report of the 3rd CPC was out (in 1972).

The Joint Secretary (Per) Shri S.C.Mahalik in his D.O. letter No.11/1141/178-Es-I dated 21-09-1983 offered that 80% posts of Auditors would be placed in the Assistant Grade (Rs.425-800) if Audit & Accounts Cadres are separated and the Staff Side withdraw their case before Board of Arbitration. This was implemented and thus principle of parity was conceded. Later the VI CPC recommended the same Pay Scale of Rs. 1400-2600 both to the Assistants of Central Secretariat and Senior Auditors/Accountants on the basis of the fact that promotion to these posts are made more or less similar levels and other merits. This was accepted by the Government.

Earlier as a result of job evaluation undertaken by Administrative Staff College, Hyderabad at the instance of 3rd CPC it had been established that post of Auditors/Accountants carried point rating of 563, whereas the post of Assistant of Central Secretariat carried point rate of 556 only.

The Government too had granted the Pay Scale of Rs.5500-9000 to the Senior Auditors/Accountants notionally from 01-01-1996 and actually from 19-02-2003, thus conceding parity in Pay Scales with the Assistants of Central Secretariat.

The Board of Arbitration has given an Award to grant Pay Scale of 1640-2900 w.e.f. 01-01-1986 and Rs.5500-9000 w.e.f. 01-01-1996 notionally and actually with effect from --------, thus again conceding parity.

The comment of VI CPC that Government had never conceded the principle of parity between Assistants in Central Secretariat Services and Senior Accountants/Auditors is not thus factual, as is apparent from above developments.

Once again the Government has placed Assistants of Central Secretariat in PB-2 Grade Pay of Rs.4600 w.e.f. 01-01-2006, thus again introducing the disparity. As had been done in the past i.e. 01-01-1996, this disparity has to be undone by grant of PB-2 Grade Pay of Rs.4600 w.e.f. 01-01-2006 to the Senior Auditors/Accountants.

The Official Side wanted to know the views of IA&AD in this matter and agreed to obtain comments from IA&AD. Thereafter, this demand would again be discussed in a joint meeting in which representatives of IA&AD would also participate.

3. Grant of PB-2 with Grade Pay of Rs.5400 after 4 years of Service as Section Officers: Section Officer has been granted upgraded pre-revised Pay Scale of Rs.7500-12000 (i.e.PB-2 with Grade Pay of Rs.4800) by Government on the basis of VI CPC recommendations.

This has resulted in a very piquant situation in as much as the Senior Auditors/Accountants and Supervisors whose work is supervised by the Section Officers have been granted 3rd MACP placing them in the PB-2 Grade Pay of Rs.5400. The result is that Section Officer is getting lesser Transport Allowance and lesser Travelling Allowance than such Senior Accountants/Senior Auditors, Supervisors.

The Staff Side demanded that this anomaly may be rectified by granting PB-2 Grade Pay of Rs.5400  by way of stepping up where their subordinates have been placed in Grade Pay of Rs.5400 by way of 3rd MACP. Various CATS have also given such directions based upon Supreme Court judgment. Alternatively, the Grade Pay of Rs.5400 may be granted to all Section Officers after rendering 4 years of service.

4. Grant of PB-3 Grade Pay of Rs.5400 to Assistant Audit/Accounts Officers & Audit/Accounts Officers: The VI CPC in Chapter 7.56 Para 9 has observed that “the post of Section Officer will be placed in the next higher grade carrying the Grade Pay of Rs.4800. This upgradation will place posts of Section Officer and Assistant Accounts/Audit Officer in an identical Pay Scale, thus necessitating the up-gradation of the latter category.”

The Pay Commission therefore recommended that “the post of Assistant Accounts/Audit Officer, should therefore be merged in the post of Audit Officers carrying the pre-revised Pay Scale of Rs.7500-12000.”

However, in sub-Para © of Para 1(x) of the Resolution No.1/1/2008-IC dated 29-08-08, it has been stated that “In IA&AD & all Organised Accounts Cadres, posts of Section Officers and Assistant Audit/Accounts Officers will be merged and placed in PB-2 with Grade Pay of Rs.4800 as recommended by the Pay Commission.”

Pay Commission in fact recommended that the post of Assistant Accounts/Audit Officers necessitated up-gradation and should therefore be merged with the posts of Audit/Accounts Officer carrying the pre-revised Pay Scale of Rs.7500-12000.

Obviously, the decision in the Resolution is erroneous and has to be suitably amended.

It may be pointed out that 20% posts of Divisional Accountants had been up-graded at par with the pre-revised Pay Scale of Accounts/Audit Officers carrying the Pay Scale of Rs.7500-12000. The VI CPC in Para 14 of the Chapter 7.56 has consciously up-graded their Pay Scale to Rs.8000-13500 (assigning PB-3 along with Grade Pay of Rs.5400).

In order to maintain this parity the post of Assistant Accounts/Audit Officers be merged with the post of Audit & Accounts Officers and assigned the up-graded pre-revised Pay Scale of Rs.8000-13500 (i.e. PB-3 along with the Grade Pay of Rs.5400).

The Official Side indicated that they would seek comments from IA&AD and then discuss this demand also in the joint committee in which representatives of IA&AD Organized Accounts too would be invited.

Senior Accounts/Audit Officers in the light of these demands and with a view to maintain the vertical relativities shall have to be placed in PB-3 Grade Pay of Rs.6600.

The detailed explanatory Notes submitted by the Staff Side on the basis of which the issues have been discussed have been placed in the website.