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National Federation of Atomic Energy
Employees
NFAEE
DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY
Regn.No.17/9615
Recognised by DAE vide DAE OM No. 8/1/2007 – IR&W/95
dated 13th June
2007
NFAEE OFFICE, Opp: NIYAMAK BHAVAN,
Anusaktinagar, Mumbai 400 094
Web site: www.nfaeehq.blogspot.com;
Email address: nfaee@yahoo.com
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ALL INDIA
CONVENTION OF DAE – NPCIL – AIDED INSTITUTION EMPLOYEES/WORKERS
29th June 2013, Multi
purpose Hall,
BARC
Training School Hostel,
Mumbai.
29th June 2013
Dear Comrades,
At the out set on behalf of the Secretariat of National
Federation of Atomic Energy (NFAEE) and the presidium of this convention I
warmly welcome all participants of the All India Convention of
Employees/Workers of DAE establishments – NPCIL – Aided Institutions.
After a long gap pf more than 10 years this type of an All
India Convention of all sectors under Department of Atomic Energy is being
organized and for that warm support has been received from all sectors. It is
proudly can announce that this convention is attending all sector as well as
all section of employees and hope this will be great step for the furtherance
of united movement of DAE Employees.
As a part of this All India Convention We have conducted a
6 sessions of various categories of employees, viz a viz meetings of work
assistants, auxiliary staff, technical staff, scientific assistants,
administrative, accounts, purchase & store staff & round the clock
shift staff on 28th June 2013 at three places. It was great success
and hundreds of employees were participated and debated on issues thread bare.
The findings of those sessions are going to present here in this convention in
the afternoon session, I am not going to elaborating those issues discussed in
the meting held yesterday.
Since this Convention covers employees & workers of
DAE establishments, NPCIL and its Power Stations, Aided Institutions we would
like to present a note on general issues pertaining to those categories and
will debate.
Some of the points came for discussion at various forums
pertaining to the General Issues of DAE Employees are given below:
·
It is pertinent to note here that the
Department of Atomic Energy has been exempted from various general guidelines
issued to other conventional departments, such as in matters of financial
power, recruitment and promotion policies, exemption from CPWD for construction
etc. Even then it is seen that DAE is competing with other Departments for
implementing recommendations of various guidelines of the government to curtail
the facilities available to its employees. To continue the special status in
all respects to DAE this had been considered as a scientific department and
given a special status in comparison with other conventional departments.
·
Systematic downsizing of the work
force & outsourcing of all types of work includes, operational &
maintenance works of nuclear installations are carrying out by the Department.
Denial of adequate man power for operational as well maintenance of nuclear
installations result undue delay of progress of activities as well as inviting
undue incidences unnecessarily.
·
In a bid to intensify the downsizing,
privatization and out sourcing of the Departmental activities, the Department
has adopted the policies of the Central Government of ban on recruitment and
abolition of posts. Some of the units have gone to the extent of handing over
various operational activities to contract and engaging contract labour for operation,
maintenance, supervision, design, and even for execution by appointing helpers,
operators, technicians, scientific assistants, draftsman, and even scientific
officers on contract. Apart from these the Department is trying to their level
best to out source various activities such as transportation, canteen, security
service, cleaning, sweeping, etc by handing over the same to private
contractors. It is pertinent to note here that one way department is being
privatized the security system, on the other hand Government alerts, on every
occasion, about the security threat from the militants and other reactionary
forces and that the first target always are nuclear installations.
·
By compromising man power and
introduction of contractorisation and privatization at various levels,
compromising in safety becomes routine. Various guidelines from International
agencies, AERB norms, BARC Safety guidelines, other statutory directives etc
are being violated by entrusting the related activities to casual labourers or
workers on contract. It is very much essential to retain all type of work in
nuclear installations under regular job scheme and recruit the sufficient staff
in O&M as well as other categories also to ensure the implementation of
nuclear programme in time.
·
Curtailments of the facilities
including social security benefits extended to the employees are also become
agenda for the authorities. Denial and
delaying of the promotional avenues, partiality approach on APAR grading,
delaying the cadre restructuring, etc are the rule of the day in all DAE units
irrespective of the sector for all section of employees such as technical,
administration, auxiliary, purchase & stores and violation of safety norms
etc are some of the examples of the adverse impact of these policies on the
employees in our department.
·
Due to the historical reasons, our
nuclear installations are placed at isolated places and thus the common
facilities such as public transport systems, canteens, hotels, etc are not
reachable to the employees of DAE where other convention departments the
employees are having multiple choices for all those facilities. Thus the out
sourcing of Canteen, transportation, etc effects adversely to the employees.
·
Dr. Homi Bhabha, the father of Indian
Nuclear Science himself had initiated the proposal of our own Contributory
Health Services Scheme (CHSS) and introduced the same for the benefit of the
employees as well as their families because of the gravity of the health
hazards and related issue keep in mind. But, when the Health Ministry and
Finance Ministry initiated steps to replace the Central Government Health
Scheme with Medical Insurance Scheme, our administrative authorities, to get
applause from their bosses at Delhi,
without considering the back ground to the introduction of the CHSS, initiated
steps to privatize our CHSS through medical insurance scheme. Because of the
timely intervention of the employees from all sections, the Department was
forced to shelve the proposal for privatization of CHSS at least for time being.
But the threat is always there, and any time the authorities may come out with
new tricks. Now as the department could not go for outsourcing the medical
system fully, indirectly trying to downgrade the medical facilities. The
complaints on negligence or proper treatment are coming very often. In the
recent past two fatal cases were reported from BARC Hospital.
There are number other false reports on X ray and other test. Playing with the
life of employees are cruel one and this is a very important issue for
concern.
·
Another area of concern, in general,
is the restriction introduced by the Department on compassionate ground
appointment. In the Public Sector Units (PSUs) like NPCIL and IREL the
Department has introduced ‘one time financial aid’ to the tune of Rs 2.5 lakhs
to Rs 5 lakhs to the dependents of deceased employees in lieu of compassionate
appointments. Most of the time, these amounts were not sufficient to settle the
dues of deceased employees who have Housing Loan and other loans from the Co-operative
Societies or other Banks. By introducing the cap of 5% restriction on
compassionate ground appointments, most of the genuine cases were got rejected
or are pending years together without any decision for want of the vacant
posts. Dependents of the deceased employees of smaller units are the worst
affected by not getting compassionate ground appointments.
·
The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board
and BARC Safety Council are the nodal agencies to scrutinize, supervise and
guide the units of DAE on Safety norms. Since both AERB as well as BARC Safety
Council are part & parcel of the Department, there are always doubts
arising in the findings of these agencies whenever dispute arise on Safety
related issues. To avoid these fears of doubt it is better to keep these
agencies out of the direct control of the DAE. To bring develop transparency of
the activities it is essential in the present scenario of the misinformation
spreading through various agencies, media, etc. It is pertinent to note here
that since its inception of All India Atomic Energy Employees Co ordination
Committee (AIAEECOC) in seventies, one of the demand raised in its first
conference to make AERB an independent forum. With proud we can declare that it
is the work force of DAE was demanded first to convert AERB independent and now
the government also agreed in principle to do so. Further delay to declare AREB
and BARC Safety Council will bring doubt on various issue related Nuclear
Energy in the mind of general public. It is very much required to bring
confidence among the public as well.
·
The employees of all DAE units
irrespective of the Sector they belong are at risk of being exposed to various
hazards such as radiation exposure, chemical hazards, excessive heat (or high
temperature?) and so on. To compensate such risks to the employees,
those who are working in those conditions of risks shall be given
Radiation/Hazardous/Risk allowance etc. and shall be provided with protein diet
at subsidized rate.
·
Extension of the service after the
retirement has become an insult to the serving and deserving senior officers of
today. The situation is leading to such a situation that the projects, R&D
works etc are being delayed to ensure extension. This convention does not
subscribe to the opinion to utilize the service of the scientists, technocrats
or any other expertise hands after superannuation by giving extension
to them. Their services very well can be sought as when required. But by
giving extension, the morale of the deserving junior officers is being diminished to such a level that the activities of the
Department as whole are adversely affected on certain occasions.
·
In the recent past it is observed in
DAE that the tendencies to deviate from all democratic norms are increasing.
These occur in the day to day functions of the department in various areas
such as the interviews for promotions, ensuring working atmosphere for
employees, approach in various redressal forums including various JCM
fora, JCC, bilateral discussions, victimization of association activists, denial
of facilities to the recognized unions and associations etc.
·
Since 2005, throughout the country,
deliberations on Indo – US Nuclear deal have started. Various political
parties, organizations, intellectuals, former scientists and technocrats have
expressed their views through media, seminars and various other agencies. Even
after the deal was put on paper and the Nuclear Liability Bill adopted by the
Parliament, it is unfortunate to note that, the senior working scientists, technocrats,
representatives of the recognized unions and associations have not been taken
into confidence on the issue and no attempt has been made by the Department to
assess the gravity of the issue by initiating debate among the
policy makers among the department, senior scientists and technocrats,
representatives the recognized organizations etc. Department also never took
initiative to take the help of serving employees in this department for open
debate by making the fully equipped. We
strongly feel that scientists and technocrats of this department are the
pillars the Department and hence it is very much necessary to allow them to
express their views and participate in open debate and ensure the future of the
nuclear energy bright. More over to ensure the indigenous Nuclear Programme
vision by none other than the father of Indian Nuclear Programme in reality and
to ensure the continuity of Research and Development in the Nuclear energy, our
sovereignty should not be surrendered. In the present scenario, it is very much
necessary to keep all nuclear installation under the government set up.
·
The Call given by the Confederation of CG Employees & Workers for
demanding settlement on a 15 Point Common Charter of Demands of CG Employees
which includes stop price rise and strengthen PDS, stop
downsizing, outsourcing, contractorisation, corporatisation and privatization
of Governmental functions, fill up all vacant posts and create posts on
functional requirements, scrap the New Pension scheme and extend the statutory
defined benefit pension to all Central Government Employees irrespective of
date of recruitment, casual contingent and daily rated workers by bringing
about a definite scheme of regularization, remove restriction imposed on
compassionate appointments, make right to strike a legal right and stop
victimizations and curtailment of trade union rights, the immediate constitution of 7th CPC for the revision of wages with
effect from 1.1.2011 i.e., once in five years on par with the Public
Sector undertakings and Merger of 50% DA with Basic Pay including GDS, five
promotions, etc. are concern of all DAE employees irrespective of which
section they belongs. Hence all DAE employees should join with the main stream
of the Central Government Employees
Dear Comrades,
These are the
some of the common issues seen over the years placed here for your
consideration. During the discussion, all participants are requested to come
foreword with their views, suggestions on issues referred above as well as to
add more issues, if any to be added.
Also it is more
important to decide how we should move ahead to campaign among the employees to
popularize the demands, to approach the Department and Government, and finally
if necessary to go for a joint movement of DAE employees.
With
fraternal Greetings
Jayaraj KV
Secretary
General
Address for Correspondence: Jayaraj. KV, Secretary General, NFAEE
PESS/UED; BARC, Trombay, Mumbai 400 085
Tel. No: (O): 022 – 25596519; (Res): 022 – 2746
4704; (Mobile): 9869501189
Email Address: nfaee@yahoo.com, jrajkv@yahoo.com
