Bonus
View PDF | Print View
by: Admin
Total views: 570
Word Count: 2092
(Efforts of a SM to avail the mode of payment of Bonus thro Bank)
Well friends, last year on 7-10-2010 Railway Board had issued an order under No.E(P&A)II-2010/PLB-4 signed by Salim Mohamad Ahmed Dy Director/E(P&A)III clarifying how Bonus payment should be arranged. Para No 5 of that order said "It is also advised that the admissible amount in respect of employees who receive their salaries in bank accounts be credited to their account unless such employee give an option to receive the PLB in cash". This order clearly mentioned that every staff who receive their salary through bank must have the PLB credited into their account unless we write a letter to DPO that it should be paid in cash through cashier.
But thieves are thieves. They know how to sabotage a genuine system of bank payment ordered by Central Vigilance Commission and Reserve Bank of India. So they played their dirty cards very well. The next day ie on 8-10-2010 there came another order from the same Railway Board vide No.E(E&P)II-2010/PLB-4 signed by Chander Prakash Joint Director, E(P&A) with an amendment which read in this way "On reconsideration, it has now been decided that the advice given in Para 5 of Board's letter ibid may be treated as withdrawn and the payment of PLB to eligible non-gazetted employees (excluding all RPF/RPSF personnel) may be made as was done during last year.
Therefore I wanted to know which officer and which union was behind this somersault. So I wrote a letter under RTI to Railway Board asking these things. (1) "Railway had issued an order vide No.E(P&A)II-2010/PLB-4 signed by Salim Mohamad Ahmed Dy Director/E(P&A)III in which it was advised as per para No.5 that the admissible amount in respect of employees who receive their salary in bank accounts be credited to their accounts unless such employee give an option to receive the PLB in cash. But vide RBE 148/2010 dated 8-10-2010 it was again advised that as per para 2 "On reconsideration, it has now been decided that the advice given in para 5 of board's letter ibid may be treated as withdrawn and the payment of PLB may be made as was done last year" (2) Kindly provide me copies of the materials (representations made by recognized federations, if any) based on which this reconsideration was made. (3) Kindly give me information as to the reason for such reconsideration. and (4) Kindly give me information as to why those who wanted their PLB through banks were denied such facility.
Well, I received the reply in the month of January 2011. The reply contained not only the file noting but also a letter from AIRF General Secretary Siva Gopal Mishra given to PK Sharma Addl Member Staff Railway Board. Therefore I prepared a complaint to the CVC enclosing all these documents and sent to his office on 26-2-2011. That is given below.
--
T Mohandas, SMR 26 – 02 – 2011
Chalakudi RS & PO
Thrissur District
Kerala 680307
To,
Central Vigilance Commission
Satarkata Bhavan
Block-A GPO Complex
INA New Delhi-110023
Sir
Sub: Complaint against not arranging Bonus through Bank. Suspected Connivance at Railway Board for Cashier Payment to suit to the Wish of Certain people
I am a Railway Employee currently working as Station Manager of Chalakudi Railway Station in the Thiruvananthapuram division of the Indian Railways. I am bringing this representation purely in my individual capacity as a Govt of India employee praying for a permanent solution to my grievance since my department has not been able to redress it all these years.
System of Bank Payment of Salary
I understand that it was a Government of India decision to arrange all kinds of payments to the employees through banks. I also understand that Reserve Bank of India and Central Vigilance Commission had also issued relevant orders in this respect. Through Bank payment of salaries and other dues, we have been able to save not only time but all the departments have also been able to save big amount of money that is needed for direct cashier payment. This was accepted by Ministry of railways (Railway Board) also and through various orders we were asked to opt for Bank payment system. Now it has now become an accepted practice in letter and spirit. I have been receiving my salary through bank for the last 20 years. But I must bring to the attention of your office that not even a single occasion my department has arranged bonus through bank. I have been making representations repeatedly every year for bank payment of bonus. Every time I was given false promises only.
Shameful Things during Bonus Payment
This time also (October 2010) bonus was paid through cashier. We had many times represented in the past about the harassment we face during the disbursement of bonus. Three to four different unions each comprising about ten people used to harass us for donations. Most of them would be drunk also. They follow the cashier from station to station one after another in separate vehicles. The 4 lady staffs of our station say it is like facing a persecution to be present on the day of bonus disbursement. Giving donations is one’s individual freedom. Like wise there are many staffs who do not want to be part of this. This freedom of ours is sabotaged in the present situation. And Railway Administration has been directly supporting this harassment through repeated circulars issued year after year just ahead of Pooja Holidays for cashier payment of bonus.
Basis for this Representation
There are 22 staffs at the office where I am employed now. All of them do not want cashier payment of bonus. And all of us have been receiving salary through banks only. We never wanted cashier payment of bonus. Still Railway Administration in the Thiruvananthapuram Division arranged bonus through cashier stating that it was an order from the Railway Board. Therefore I wanted to find out how and where a noble and honest system co-ordered by CVC and RBI gets sabotaged in the administrative corridors of the Railway Board and the things got revealed are brought to the notice of your august office.
First Order from the Railway Board
On 07.10.2010 Railway Board issued an order bearing No.E(P&A)11-2010/PLB-4 and RBE No.147/2010 signed by Salim Md Ahmed Deputy Director in which it was said under para 5 that “It is also advised that the admissible amount in respect of employees who receive their salary in bank accounts be credited to their accounts unless such employees give an option to receive the PLB in cash.” This order clearly stated that we could receive bonus through bank unless we opted otherwise. (Copy of this order is attached as annexure-1)
Second Order from the Railway Board
But on 08.10.2010 Railway Board issued another order bearing No.E(P&A)11-2010/PLB-4 and RBE No.148/2010 signed by Chander Parkash Joint Director in which it was said under para 2 that “On reconsideration, it has now been decided that the advice given in Para 5 of Board’s letter ibid may be treated as withdrawn and the payment of PLB to non-gazetted Railway employees (excluding RPF/RPSF personnel) may be made as was done during last year.” By this second order issued the second day of the first order we lost the chance of receiving bonus through bank as desired by RBI and CVC since the system in the previous year had also been through cashier.(Copy of this order is attached as annexure-2)
The Reason for Reconsideration
Therefore I prayed through an RTI application dated 12.10.2010 as to why the reconsideration was made, to provide the materials based on which this reconsideration was made and also why those employees who wanted their PLB through banks were denied such a facility. My points raised in the application as quoted in their introductory page of the reply is attached as annexure-3. The copies of relevant file noting and a letter from a union secretary are also attached as annexure-4 and annexure-5 for your perusal. The file noting was a sequel to the letter of the union secretary requesting roll back of the earlier decision and for ordering afresh cashier payment of bonus.
Reconsideration on the basis of Lies
The union secretary claims in his letter that they were making the demand for cashier payment of bonus in the interest of the employees and that “the employees have always welcomed cash payment and opposed bank payment”. This is a not true and is baseless. He further sounds in his letter that because of long holidays the banks would be closed and employees would find it difficult to get the bonus. This is also not true and is quite unfounded. The ATM facility would make the employees get the money at least two days ahead of the cashier payment. For that they need not even go to the bank at all. This is the truth and reality. Still some officers in the Railway Board believed those things. Soon after the cash payment of bonus last year, we the employees of Chalakudi station made a representation to the Divisional Railway Manager in which we made our opposition to cashier payment of bonus. There are 22 staffs at this station, all the 22 opposed cashier payment. A copy of that representation is also attached as annexure-6. This must be the view, wish, feeling and attitude of the majority of the employees elsewhere.
Suspected Connivance
Sir, this is the ground reality. The case of my station can be taken as a model representation of the view of the employees. This is known not only to the unions but also to our officers. Last year’s case is also a model representation of how an honest system gets sabotaged year after year by some unions and Railway Officers. Sir, this is what happens. Railway Board would first issue an order as per the norms. Soon they would modify and re-modify it to suit to the wish of certain unions. This reconsideration is the result of clandestine understanding between certain officers and these union leaders. This is my strong doubt and gut feeling.
My Prayer
Therefore I pray to your august office to give strict instructions to the Railway Board to arrange bonus directly to my bank account like my salary and not to pay it through cashier unless I make a written representation to the office concerned for that. I also pray to your esteemed office to look into the connivance between certain officers and union leaders who help sabotage the honest system of bank payment of salaries and other dues lest this is going to happen in the next year and again year after year.
Regards
T Mohandas, Station Manager
7/250 New Lane
PO Thottakattukara
Aluwa – 683108 Kerala
Cell No. 094953 36159
I am yet to receive a replay from the CVC but I hope some strict instructions must already have been given to the Railway Board. My complaint to the CVC accompanied a Letter from all the 22 staff of Chalakudi station stating that none of us want cashier payment of bonus. Even the ADS of AIRF/SRMU came forward to sign the letter.
T Mohandas.
About the Author
Web team
Rating: Not yet rated
Login to vote