Friday 29 March 2019

AIDTOA requests that the following charter of demands be included in the election manifestoes of the political parties.

1.
Take immediate concrete measures to control sky rocketing prices of essential commodities; ban speculative trade in essential commodities; expand and strengthen public distribution system; no compulsory linkage of Aadhaar to avail services of PDS.

2.
Check unemployment through policies encouraging labour intensive establishments; link financial assistance to employers with employment generation; fill up all vacant posts in government departments; lift the ban on recruitment and 3 per cent annual surrender of government posts.

3.
Check outsourcing and contractorisation of jobs of permanent and perennial nature.

4.
Strictly implement equal wage and benefits to contract workers doing the same job as permanent workers, as per Supreme Court judgment.

5.
Strict implementation of equal pay for equal work for men and women as per Indian constitution.

6.
Fix national minimum wage as per the recommendations of 15th Indian Labour Conference and Supreme Court judgment in the Raptakos & Brett case.

7.
Assure minimum pension of Rs 6000 per month and indexed pension to all.

8.
Recognise workers employed in different government schemes, including anganwadi workers and helpers, ASHAs and others employed in the National Health Mission, midday meal workers, para teachers, teaching and non teaching staff of National Child Labour Projects, etc as workers and pay minimum wages, social security benefits including pension etc to all of them.

9.
Immediately revoke ‘Fixed Term Employment’ which is in violation of the spirit of ILO Recommendation 204 which India has ratified.

10.
Stop disinvestment of public sector undertakings.

11.
Revoke the decision to privatise railways, defence, port and dock, banks, insurance, coal etc. Immediately revoke decision allowing commercial mining of coal mines.

12.
Immediately resolve the issues of the central government employees related to the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.

13.
Scrap NPS and restore the Old Pension Scheme.

14.
Stop anti-worker and pro-employer amendments to the labour
laws. Ensure strict implementation of the existing labour laws.

15.
Implement paid maternity leave of 26 weeks, maternity benefit  and crèche facilities for women workers.

16.
Strict implementation of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act.

17.
Ratify ILO Conventions 87 and 98 on freedom of association and right to collective bargaining along with the ILO Convention 189  on domestic workers.

18.
Strengthen bipartism and tripartism; no decision should be taken on any issue related to labour without consensus through  discussion  with trade unions/Associations.

19.
Cut the subsidies given to the corporates.

20.
Minimum support price as per the recommendations of
Swaminathan Commission recommendations; strengthen public procurement system.

21.
Loan waiver to farmers.

22.
Comprehensive legislation covering social security and working  conditions for agricultural workers.

23.
200 days of work under MGNREGA. Enact similar legislation to cover urban areas. Fix minimum wages not less than minimum  wages of the state.

24.
Ensure effective implementation of Article 51 A of the      constitution that calls upon all citizens to promote harmony, spirit of common brotherhood, diversities and to transcend religious, linguistic, regional and sectional culture and to denounce policies derogatory to the dignity of women.

25.
Enact legislation to protect couples opting for inter caste  marriages.

26.
Ensure strict punishment for all guilty of rape and other cases of  violence against women.

27.
Strict implementation of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.

28.
Ensure filling up of all posts reserved for OBC, SC /STs.

29.
Free education to all children up to Class XII along with technical  education.

30.
Free health care for all. Strengthen health infrastructure. Increase government expenditure on health to 5 per cent of GDP.

31.
Right to work as fundamental right by amending the constitution.


The country has adequate resources to meet the above demands. The neoliberal agenda being aggressively pursued by the Governments has aggravated concentration of wealth in a few hands at the expense of the workers and peasants who created the wealth of the country. It has widened disparities to vulgar heights. The struggle against the neoliberal policies should continue whichever government came to power after the elections, if it indulged in pursuing the same policies.

The governments are totally insensitive to the genuine demands of workers, employees & officers. They sought to further perpetrate the attacks on the working class and all sections of toiling masses to facilitate amassing of wealth by a few corporates and business houses. Whichever government comes to power should know that the working class will not tolerate continuation of the neoliberal regime any more and pro-people and pro-worker policies should be implemented.

Let’s continue the fight for alternative policies.

Monday 25 March 2019

AIDTOA demands for comprehensive review of DRTC and regularisation of TO 'D' post immediately.

DRTC Cadre review can be considered by Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance only after regularisation of TO 'D' post.

    In February 2018 itself  Dept. of Expenditure stated that the Administrative Ministry has to first settle the introduction of Technical Officer 'D' without their approval. Inspite of best efforts of AIDTOA parallelly with the help of CCGGOO, till now the issue was not settled.

AIDTOA demanded that as an immediate relief to the DRTC personnel, MACP benefits should be extended to all the eligible Technical Officers w.e.f 01.01.2006. DHRD officials informed that the case for MACP for entire DRTC cadre is under consideration of MOD (Fin) and it was being pursued on priority.

AIDTOA requested that Variable Increments at enhanced rates should be given w.e.f 01.01.2016 along with arrears.

DRDO Hq officials said that the case has been turned down by Ministry of Finance. On persuasion, they have assured that it will be taken up again.

Wednesday 20 March 2019

Request to include demands in Election Manifestos :Recognised Political Parties Participating in 17th Lok Sabha General Election


All Recognised Political Parties, National/ State Level are requested to include the demands/ issues of Defence Civilian Employees in their manifestos of 17th Lok Sabha General Election.

The issues are as under

1. Self Reliance in Defence Preparedness through State Owned Defence Industries viz Ordnance Factories, DRDO, Army Workshops, Ordnance Depots, Supply Depots, DGQA etc.

As you are well aware with the issue, State Owned Defence Industries are facing serious challenges/ threats these days. It is prime responsibility of Govt to safeguard the existence of these industries in interest of the Nation and take steps so that it may flourish and provide job opportunities to citizen of India. But of late Govt made various decisions regarding these establishments led to total destruction of these industries.

Burning Issues/ Challenges of Industries

1. Categorization of more than 275 products being manufactured in the Ordnance Factories as “Non-Core”.

2. Transfer of technology developed by DRDO to Private Sectors depriving
Ordnance Factories & DPSUs.

3. Large scale outsourcing of work of more than 1.5 lakh Civilian Posts depriving Young generation with Permanent Job.

4. Induction of 100% FDI in Defence Sector.

5. Privatization of Defence Industries by adopting various models like GOCO etc.

6. Denial of Job to trained Trade Apprentices.

7. Closure of various defence establishments like Ordnance Depots, Military Farms, Army Postal Establishments etc.

8. Inclusion of Third Party Inspection at the cost of DGQA/ DGAQA etc.

Our Proposal that is to be included:

“To achieve self reliance in defence expand, develop and strengthen the state owned Defence Industry and to ensure full capacity utilization of these Industries.”

2. National Pension System

Govt introduced a contributory pension system under National pension system for all Central Govt employees recruited on or after 01.01.2004 and deprived them of very elementary benefits of old age social security by denying CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 to them. The employees have been opposing this pension system since its introduction because it lacks the following essential benefits.

1. No guarantee of any Minimum Pension under this scheme.

2. No safeguard from Price rise in absence of element of Dearness Allowance.

3. Absence of additional Pension on attaining the age of 80 Years/ 85 Years/ 90 Years/ 95 Years/ 100 Years.

4. No safeguard to Missing employees.

5. Absence of Compulsory Retirement Pension, Compassionate Pension etc.

Both Legislative Body and Executive Body are responsible for well functioning of Administration. Both get their dues from Consolidated Fund of India. It is discriminatory that Executive Body has been deprived of its old age security especially lower rung employees would suffer the most.

Our Proposal to be included:

National Pension System will be scrapped and CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 will be implemented for all Central Govt Employees.

3. Appointment on Compassionate Grounds

The appointment on compassionate ground is an exception to the equality clause under Article 14. If an employee dies while in service then according to rule framed by the Central Government or the State Government, appointment to one of the dependants shall not be considered violation of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution because this exception has been provided through various rules only to mitigate the hardships of deceased employee family suffering from scarcity of very trivial things of daily life due to the death of sole bread winner of the family and sudden misery faced by the members of the family of such employee who serves the Central Government or the State Government.

A lot of Employees working under MoD are dealing with hazardous and risky operations. Because they are exposed to various hazardous chemical and other materials, they are developing various illness sometimes led to their deaths.

Proposal to be included:

One time relaxation would be provided to offer appointment on compassionate grounds to all the applicants waiting for years in MoD.

5% ceiling would be removed and 100% appointment would be made on compassionate ground.

Employees who die/ incapacitate in accident while performing their official duties, Compassionate appointment would be made straight away without any delay.

Friday 15 March 2019

NJCA letter to National & State level Political parties to scrap NPS

PROPOSAL TO INCLUDE IN THE ELECTION MANIFESTO  WITH REGARD TO THE SCRAPPING OF THE NATIONAL PENSION SYSTEM WHICH HAS TAKEN AWAY THE PENSION RIGHT OF THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES ....



Monday 4 March 2019

AIDTOA & CCGGOO rededicate themselves to the cause of safety, health and protection of environment.

On the eve of National Safety Day, AIDTOA & Confederation of Central Govt. Gazetted Officers' Organisations wishes you and your family a Safe and Healthy year.

AIDTOA & CCGGOO rededicate themselves to the cause of safety, health and protection of environment.

Hearty fraternal wishes for a happy, cheerful and dynamic International Women’s Day 2019.


Type of ship     :     A small mini-ship.
Location           :     High seas, in the South Pacific Ocean.
Between Lyttelton (New Zealand) and Falkland Islands   (Argentina)
Climate             :    Rough weather, stormy winds, extremely cold climate.
Ocean waves of 7 metres height. Wind speed of 60 knots (i.e.112 km/s – speed of Rajdhani express)
Nearest port    : 5000 kms away, on both sides, at least 20 days to reach.
Crew                :     Only six members on the mini ship.

Friends, this is not a story of fiction. And we are not talking about a voyage of Magellan, about whom we studied in history text books, as the first person who sailed around the world. We are talking about 6 women, who sailed around the world, in a small ship, from Sep 2017 to May 2018. Braving storms on high seas in treacherous oceans. The total strength of crew is 6, and all 6 are women. Vartika Joshi, Pratibha Jamwal, Aishwarya Boddapati, P Swathi, S Vijaya Devi, Payal Gupta. These 6 women sailed on INSV Tarini and circumnavigated the world in 9 months. Let me repeat, only 6 crew members on the ship, all 6 are women.

This display of nerves of steel, steely resolve, resolute determination, determined steadfastedness – these are attributes that each and every woman is born with. Except that these qualities are not recognized. Even by herself.

As the famous story goes, an eagle’s egg was placed with hen’s eggs and hatched. Eagle baby grew up with hens, thinking that it is a hen. When it sees an eagle flying high, it thinks –if God blesses, I will be born as an eagle in next birth.

A woman is conditioned to think that she does not have the bouquet of abilities that she is born with. Stereotypes are created, projecting women as weak, meek, fragile, dependent, and delicate. In households, peer groups, societies, films, advertisements, mass media, and every facet of life that women encounter - as a budding girl, a teenager, a young lady and a woman. It gives immense satisfaction when women break these stereotypes, and emerge as courageous, path breaking icons.

There is no shortage of such path breaking icons. On Jan 4 2019, when Arunima Sinha climbed Mount Vinson in dead-chilly Antarctica, she covered all the highest peaks in all seven continents. She is an amputee, lost her leg when she was pushed from running train while she fought robbers. She was also the 1st female amputee in the world to scale Mount Everest.

Justice Indu Malhotra became the 1st woman judge to be elevated as a Judge to Supreme Court directly from the Bar. For the 1st time, we have three women Judges in the Supreme Court. Flight Lieutenant Avani Chaturvedi became the 1st Indian woman pilot to fly solo in a MiG-21 Bison fighter jet. Manika Batra led India to gold in Table Tennis in the 2018 Commonwealth games, defeating Singapore, which never lost in Commonwealth games since table tennis was introduced in 2002. She was featured on cover of July 2018 Femina. 

Indra Nooyi became 1st independent female director of International Cricket Council (ICC). Debjani Ghosh became 1st woman President of NASSCOM, organisation which champions the $ 167 billion Indian IT services industry. Anny Divya from Vijayawada became world’s youngest woman commander to fly a Boeing 777. Himadas, daughter of a farmer from Assam, became 1st Indian sprinter to win a gold medal at an international track event. She is India’s 1st ever youth ambassador of UNICEF. Jayshree Ullal, CEO & President of Arista Networks, is one of just 72 self made women billionaires globally. For the 1st time, an all women contingent of Assam Rifles, oldest paramilitary force in the country, walked down Rajpath on Republic Day 2019, led by Major Khusboo Kanwar, daughter of a bus conductor in Rajasthan.

We need to recount, applaud and celebrate these icons, who broke the stereotypes, and proved that women can excel in any given field. Many of them came from middle class and poor livelihoods. But today, they are rich trailblazers to a generation of young eager women trying to explore their potential, trying to make a mark in the world, in their individual fields.

It is this trail that is the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, as given by UN Women: THINK EQUAL, BUILD SMART, INNOVATE FOR CHANGE.

The motto of THINK EQUAL is what churned the organised working women movements around the world. Historically, women are not paid equal pay to equal work. Even today, in the words of Chidi King, Director of the Equality Department of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the main international trade union organization representing the interests of working people worldwide, and a member of UN Women and ILO’s Equal Pay Champions initiative, women across the world still get paid 23 per cent less than men. From ages, women kept waging struggles against such discrimination, but these struggles were routinely ignored or crushed. The exploitation did not weigh them down, it made them think, made them organised. One of the first sparks flew at Massachusetts in 1834.

Women workers at Lowell Cotton Mills in Massachusetts worked for 14 hrs per day. The working conditions were filthy, there was no ventilation, they worked in confinement, noise, and the air was filled with lint. The wages were 1/3rd as compared to men. When these wages were also cut, they felt enough is enough; they organized and went on strike. Women in several other mills joined them. Management crushed the strike within a week, but it stood out as the first organised women workers’ movement in history.

In 1836, when management of the same Lowell Textile Mills announced a rent hike to be paid by textile workers living in company boarding houses, the female textile workers formed Lowell Factory Girls Association and organised a strike. This went on weeks, and eventually, Board of Directors withdrew the rate hike.

In 1845, the workers started Lowell Female Labour Reform association, which was the first working women’s association. It was started with 12 operatives, but membership grew to 500 in 6 months, and continued to expand rapidly. The association was run completely by women, held their own meetings, set up branches in other mill towns. They ran huge petition campaigns and political action, asking the Massachusetts state legislature to cap working hours in mills at 10 hours. In 1847, New Hampshire became the 1st state to pass a 10 hour working day. This was the first success for organized working women in any part of the world. This success fuelled organized women movements throughout the world’s working class. Today, we remember that struggle with a sense of pride and honour.

The first National Women’s Day was held in New York in 1909 to commemorate the 1908 garments workers strike. On 8th March 1908, 15000 women garment workers marched through Union Square to demand economic and political rights. The three month strike against Triangle Shirtwaist and other mills became hugely successful. This success was celebrated throughout Europe and Soviet. Clara Zeitkin, a German socialist proposed designating a day as ‘International Women’s Day’ at International Socialist Congress in Copenhagen in 1910. From 1911, we are observing International Women’s Day. From 1975, UNO began celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8th.

Friends, it is because of such glorious struggles in all parts of world that we could secure statutory framework that protect from discrimination against women.

The Convention concerning Equal Remuneration for Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value, or Equal Remuneration Convention was framed by the ILO in 1951. The Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly. It is often described as an international bill of rights for women. India is a signatory to both.

Movements of working women have also ensured that statutory safeguards were included in Maternity Benefit Act 1961, Factories Act 1948, Equal Remuneration Act 1976, Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 etc. None of these acts were made by way of compassion, but were a result of prolonged struggle of the working women.

After struggling through restricted opportunities in education and employment, having to work 24 x 365 as a mother, wife, sister, daughter, having to run to office after attending to household chores and run back from office to attend house chores again, balancing multiple roles, the least a woman expects is respect in workplace. If she is subjected to sexual harassment, there is nothing more cruel than that. But it is everybody’s knowledge that women are subject to sexual harassment of varying degrees, in varying forms, and they are expected to comply or be silent. It is only in 2013 that the latest Act against sexual harassment at workplace was passed. It was not passed out of voluntary compassion, but as a result of protracted legal struggle resulting in Supreme Court issuing guidelines in the Visakha case. We should keep this in mind that nothing could be achieved unless we organize and wage struggles. We should realize that, though the working women’s movement has achieved significant results, there is a significant lot more to be achieved.

As working women, as much as we are concerned about our working conditions, we are as much concerned about our girl children and fellow women in society, and obstacles they face in their journey to emancipation. The obstacles to equal emancipation are many. If we look at some trends, among students who stopped studies after primary education, 70% are females. Most of the girls are not facilitated to study till higher education. If family size increases, schooling will be provided to boys, girls are compelled to drop out. These conditions result in lack of education, which leads to lack of opportunities. If such obstacles to education are removed, evidence shows that women excel exceedingly. In a report published by American Enterprise Institute (AEI), for a ninth time in a row, women earned more doctoral degrees (Ph.Ds) awarded at US Universities in 2017, than men. Though this is a matter of satisfaction to show that women will excel given a chance, yet a detailed analysis shows the effect of stereotypes: the ratio of Ph.Ds between men and women is 75 : 25 in Maths and Computer Science, 76 : 24 in Engineering. The ratio is 39 : 61 in social and behavioural sciences, 31 : 69 in education, 30 : 70 in health sciences. In the technology areas of maths, engineering, computer science, women Ph.Ds are very less. In health sciences too, we have more women in dental, physiotherapy, gynaecology, obstetrics etc. In niche and high visible areas women are conspicuous by their absence. Women are not into specialities like cardiology, oncology, orthopaedic surgery. Remember when you have heard about a female cardiologist who did an angioplasty or a bypass surgery? In areas regarded are technologically superior, even today, women do not find encouragement to enter, mainly because of stereotyping. Women have a long way to go, to unshackle these stereotypes that women are suitable for such and such jobs only. Women need to think that they are eagles, and fly high. We are confident that we will realize and release the eagle in us.


Women not only have to THINK EQUAL, they need to BUILD SMART. This aspect of BUILD SMART is more critical in these times of revolutionary changes in technology. We need to see more and more women talking enthusiastically about Internet of Things, Crypto currency, Block chain, Data Mining, Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, Machine Learning -the future of employment is in sectors like these. These new technologies are called ‘disruptors’. They disrupt the way we work. The skills, the technologies, the methods, that we are using in our workplace are suddenly becoming defunct. We see boys flocking to computer institutes to learn these skills. Unless girls focus on BUILD SMART i.e., building such skills smartly, there will be a huge gender gap in employment. Men will be doing all technologically suave jobs which pay more, and women will be relegated to less paying non-tech jobs. In this context, the UN Women motto of THINK EQUAL, BUILD SMART AND INNOVATE FOR CHANGE is compellingly relevant. 

Today is the day to think about the road travelled and about the road to be travelled. Working women’s movement made spectacular advances, we are proud of it. At the same time, we are also vigilant about the challenges. We are conscious of the frame work to achieve that :

a. Maintain a gender parity mindset (question any lack of women’s participation, identify alternatives that are more inclusive, nominate women for opportunities, always include and support women, think 50/50 as goal),

b. Challenge stereotypes and bias (question assumptions about women, challenge statements that limit women, always use inclusive language, work to remove barriers to women’s progress, buy from retailers who position women in positive ways),

c. Forge positive visibility of women (identify ways to make women more visible, extend opportunities to women first, assume women want opportunities until declined, select women as spoke-persons and leaders, support visible women),

d. Influence others’ beliefs/actions (supportively call-out inappropriate behaviour, campaign for equality in meaningful ways, lead by example via inclusive actions, be a role model for equality, actively contribute to change the status quo) and;

e. Celebrate women’s achievements (believe achievement comes in many forms, value women’s individual and collective success, ensure credit is given for women’s contributions, celebrate women role models and their journeys, support awards showcasing women’s success).
Courtesy:bonepalliusha@gmail.com, Chairperson of the Women’s Committee of Confederation of Central Government Employees