Monday, September 2, 2013

6 Months maternity leave for government employees must: House panel

6 Months maternity leave for government employees must: House panel
There are no uniform rules for female employees in government departments and organizations and they are treated by varying yardsticks when it comes to essential benefits like maternity and child care leave (CCL).

Dismayed after finding that maternity leave can vary from 90 to 135 days, a parliamentary panel has suggested that all government departments and organizations should ensure 180 days of leave for their women employees.

The panel found many organizations grant 90, 85 or 135 days of maternity leave. It has said child care leave (CCL) of 730 days must be granted with pay to women employees across the board in government.

The committee was also distressed by the low presence of women employees in government organizations. "It is disheartening to observe that it is significantly low...10.04% as per the 2012 census of central government employees," the panel said. The representation is particularly poor in semi-urban and rural areas.

The standing committee on law, personnel and public grievances on the 'status of women in government employment and in public sector undertakings' was unhappy that while a majority of the organizations do grant CCL, but they do so without pay.

For example, Mahanandi Coalfields Ltd gives CCL to female employees working as executives but not for non-executive category. In Cochin Shipyard Ltd, CCL is not granted since there is no specific direction from the department of public enterprises.

The policy has been discontinued in Mormugao Port Trust even though CCL benefits have been extended to all civilian female industrial employees in government since September, 2008. But many women employees hesitate to avail the leave, if granted without pay.

Introduction of "flexible timings" for female employees, especially young mothers, so that organizations can retain talent has been mooted by the committee headed by Congress MP Shantaram Naik as the panel found household responsibilities as a major reason for attrition among women employees.

The government has been asked to explore the policy on "staggered working hours" or "work at home" for female employees. The panel was informed that the recommendation of Sixth Pay Commission (6th CPC) regarding staggered working hours was not accepted by the government.

Single women should be given postings closest to their hometown or places of their choice, the panel said. "It should be mandatorily ensured," it said, adding that this "pertinent factor" should be kept in mind during allocation of postings by department heads.

The provision for giving same station posting to couples may be given statutory backing, the panel recommended as it found the instruction is not always adhered to.

Women employees who travel beyond office hours should be provided with security and proper transport by the employer in order to ensure their safety, the committee said.

The panel also noted that action taken on complaints of sexual harassment at workplace is "not satisfactory". It felt merely transferring a delinquent employee to a different branch or station is inadequate and strict disciplinary action is needed. "The punishment has to be deterrent for prospective offenders," the panel said.

Source: TOI

Central Government to hike DA by 10%; benefit 80 lakh employees and pensioners

Central Government to hike DA by 10%; benefit 80 lakh employees and pensioners

Ahead of festival season, Central Government will this month announce a hike in dearness allowance to 90 percent from existing 80 percent, benefiting about 50 lakh central employees and 30 lakh pensioners.

According to official source, dearness allowance hike will be 10 percent and would be effective from July 1, this year.

The sources further said the exact amount of dearness allowance, as a proportion of basic pay, works out to over 90 percent after factoring in the revised all India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) for June.

According to revised data released on August 30, retail inflation for factory workers for June stood at 11.63 percent, higher than provisional estimate of 11.06 percent for the month released on July 31.

Sources said that since the revised estimate for the month of June is available, the Finance Ministry would soon prepare a proposal for the purpose for seeking Union Cabinet nod.

They further said the proposal will be moved this month.

There would be a double digit hike in DA after about three years. It was last in September, 2010, that the government had announced a hike of 10 percent to be given with effect from July 1, 2010.

DA was hiked to 80 percent from 72 percent in April, 2013, effective from January 1, this year.

As per the practice, the government uses CPI-IW data for past 12 month or a year to arrive at a number for the purpose of any DA hike. Thus, the retail inflation for industrial workers between July, 2012 to June 2013 will be used to take a final decision.

PTI

Now Trending

34% DA Order for Central Govt Employees wef 01.01.2022 - Latest CG Employees DA Order Jan 2022

 DA Order for Central Government Employees from Jan 2022 - Finmin Order 2022 Latest CG Employees DA Order Jan 2022 Dearness Allowance payabl...

Disclaimer:

All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy of the content on this blog, the same should not be construed as a statement of law or used for any legal purposes. Our blog "Central Government Staff news" accepts no responsibility in relation to the accuracy, completeness, usefulness or otherwise, of the contents. Users are advised to verify/check any information with the relevant department(s) and/or other source(s), and to obtain any appropriate professional advice before acting on the information provided in the blog.

Links to other websites that have been included on this blog are provided for public convenience only.

The blog "Central Government Staff news" is not responsible for the contents or reliability of linked websites and does not necessarily endorse the view expressed within them. We cannot guarantee the availability of such linked pages at all times.

Any suggestions write to us
centralgovernmentnews@gmail.com