Sixth Pay Commission: Armed forces take pay panel grievances to PMO

Sixth Pay Commission: Armed forces take pay panel grievances to PMO

6 Sep 2008, 0237 hrs IST,TNN

NEW DELHI: The armed forces have now taken the raging battle over the 6th Pay Commission right till the PMO, seeking direct intervention from the country’s top political leadership in restoring their parity with their civilian and paramilitary counterparts.

Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, in his capacity as the chairman of the chiefs of staff committee (CoSC), made a representation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday about their grievances with the August 29 gazette notification of new pay scales.
‘‘Apart from briefing the PM on his recent visits to Japan and South Korea as well as the rescue operations in flood-hit Bihar, Admiral Mehta presented a written brief to PM about the demoralisation in the three Services due to the new pay scales,’’ said a source.

To ensure that this unprecedented action is not seen as mutinous in any way, the armed forces have reposed their ‘‘full confidence’’ in the Union Cabinet in the latest letter written to defence minister A K Antony by the CoSC chairman.

The forces, in fact, want the pay notification to ‘‘be kept in abeyance’’ till the Union Cabinet considers the ‘‘core issues’’ and issues corrective directions to ensure that its officers are not downgraded, in terms of pay and status, in comparison with other civil services and paramilitary forces, including the IPS.

If this is not done, it will lead to ‘‘despondency’’ among the ‘‘badly demoralized’’ officers of the three Services. Moreover, it will seriously jeopardise ‘‘operational’’ and ‘‘functional’’ harmony between the armed forces and the paramilitary forces whenever they operate together, warned Admiral Mehta, in his letter.

The main grouse of the forces revolves around the fact that the ‘‘extant parity’’ of Lt-Colonel rank officers has been lowered by retaining them in Pay Band-3 (Rs 15,600-39,100), while raising similarly placed civilians and paramilitary officers to PB-4 (Rs 37,400-67,000). The forces have also sought restoration of parity in grade pay for lower and middle rung Service officers with their civilian counterparts, who are going to get more as per the new pay scales.

Then, of course, the armed forces are also angry at the fact that all directors-general of police and their equivalents have been placed over Lt-Generals by the creation of a new ‘‘higher administrative grade-plus’’.

The ‘‘lowering of status’’ of Lt-Cols and their equivalent ranks in IAF (Wing Commander) and Navy (Commander), who constitute the bulk of the fighting force among officers, is of course the most painful for the forces.


Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/