Date:01/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/01/stories/2008020160441200.htm

National

DA merger deceptive: CITU

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has described as “arbitrary and deceptive” the decision of the Government to merge 50 per cent of industrial dearness allowance (IDA) with basic pay for the employees of the profit-making Central Public Sector Enterprises.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, CITU president M.K. Pandhe said the Government had cleared merger from January 1, 2007 and not from January 2004, the date from which the central government employees had been extended this facility.

For the PSU employees the effective date for the merger should have been at least from January 1, 2005, the date on which the PSU employees DA touched 50 per cent of their basic pay.

If the Central govt. employees can be extended the DA merger benefit from 20 months prior to the expiry of the tenure of their wage scale, there cannot be any reason why the Public Sector Undertaking employees should not be treated on a par by way of extending DA merger benefit to them at least from January 2005, the letter said.

The mass of the public sector employees are severely resenting such discriminatory treatment against them, Mr. Pandhe said while appealing to Dr. Singh to review the decision and grant similar benefit to PSU staff in the interest of fairness and justice.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the National Confederation of Officers Association has described the merger as a “meaningless” exercise and demanded the merger be made effective from January 2005 — the day on which the DA had crossed 50 per cent of basic pay.