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Journalism of Courage
NAGPUR, JUNE 9: Stung to the quick by the State Government move to withdraw service benefits like pension, bonus, leave etc, the Maharashtra State Class IV Employees and Workers Union has challenged the State Government’s decision in the Industrial Labour court here. The benefits were granted to Van Majoors’ (earlier called Van Kamgaars) under the Maharashtra State Service Rules 1981.
The first hearing in the case filed on June 5, 2000, is slated for June 16 next and notices have been issued to the parties concerned. What has raised the hackles of the workers is the somersault’ by the State Government which had agreed to create over 10,000 posts for Van Kamgaars in 1994 when Sharad Pawar was the Chief Minister.
Later, the State Government vide a GR LAB/1094/252/F9 dated January 31, 1996, regularised 8038 Van Kaamgars who had put in five years of continuous service. They were recognised as Class IV government employees under Group D’ with a pay scale of 750-940. This was followed up by 1619 more Van Kaamgars being regularised vide a GR 1094/252/F9 dated March 16, 1998.
On January 29, 2000, the State Government further regularised 607 Van Kaamgars under the same service rules and category by publishing an another GR vide No LAB/1097/2646/35/F9.
Now, after regularising 10,264 Van Kaamgars as employees with all the benefits accruing to government employees, the State Government has abruptly reneged on its decision and has withdrawn all benefits saying the posts were supernumerary in nature and hence the employees were not entitled to any service benefits.
But in a classic case of right hand not knowing what the left was up to, the government provident fund, insurance, RD (welfare fund), and other deductions continue to be made from the salaries of Van Majoors, withdrawal orders notwithstanding. The worst sufferers will be some 400 retired Van Majoors who will now be deprived of their pension.
Even as this row was on, the Conservator of Forests (CF), Nagpur, wrote to the Chief Conservator of Forests (Administration) on May 5, 1998, whether or not service benefits could be given to these employees. The CCF sat on it for four months before replying on September 17, 1998, that there was absolutely no problem in giving service benefits to these employees’.
During the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance government tenure, a meeting was held on June 22, 1999, in which then Forest Minister Chandrakant Khaire, his deputy Vinod Gudadhe Patil, MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar, Additional Chief Secretary Habiullah, Principal Secretary Rajendra Singh, Secretary and Additional Secretary of Finance Department G V Deshmukh, and D G Puranik respectively, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) B K Singh, trade union leader Siraj Patel participated. It was agreed in principle that Van Majoors should continue to get service benefits under the 1981 rules.
Sources say the General Administration Department (GAD) is amenable on the service benefits but the Finance Department has some reservations which has ultimately put spokes in the wheels.
Union President Siraj Patel, told the The Indian Express: "It is simply ridiculous. The Finance Department has no right to withdraw the benefits. Why did it not raise objections during the meeting held on June 6, 1999? And had the CCF not averred that the government had no problems in implementing service rules of 1981?." He said the government should have issued a copy of service rules while confirming these employees.
Patel met Satish Tripati, Additional Chief Secretary, Forest Department, on June 1 last after which the latter assured to look into the matter and also promised to take up the issue with the Finance Department.
Speaking on the plight of Van Majoors, Patel said the State Government had hired Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to study problems faced by the Forest Department. On the advise of this firm, there was a major restructuring of personnel among the top echelons. But these officials were not provided with additional staff. Now these Van Majoors have been saddled with work they are not at all acquainted with. Operating wireless sets for instance.
Patel claimed that the recommendations of the TCS had proved a fiasco’ in Madhya Pradesh and yet, "the cash-strapped State Government paid lakhs of rupees to the TCS by engaging it in the restructuring of forest work. The Van Majoors were given a short shrift in the process".
Patel alleged that the department’s plantation programme has received a setback as the State Government has not yet effected officials’ transfers.
Vacant posts
The filling of vacant posts of forest guards, foresters, range forest officers, drivers, accountants and clerks from amongst the qualified existing regularised Van Majoors seems to have been put on the backburner. District Collector, Nagpur, Manu Kumar Shrivastava, has refused to take cognizance of the orders of B K Singh, CCF, Maharashtra, dated March 27, 2000, regarding the filling up of vacant posts from amongst the regularised Van Majoors. The district collectors were empowered to appoint employees on the above posts from amongst the existing ones. Shrivastava has refused to make appointments saying he would go ahead only after getting a green signal from the State Government. The issue has already been taken up with Additional Chief Secretary Satish Tripati, who has written to the State Government to give powers of appointments to CFs and DFOs.
