~ lUdllflcl Ml4?1Ch m("s (~Rcl) AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS' GUILD (INDIA)

CC/OPR-GEN/2013/02 January 31, 2013

The Chairman 13 Airports Authority of India

Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan New Delhi

Sir,

Inspirational New Years' address-request for resolution of issues

ATC Guild (India) expresses its heartfelt congratulations and thanks for understanding critical issues and providing solutions in the greater interest of the organization. Your transparent and open-heart address of some of the real issues while addressing all associations on 2nd January 2013 does vindicate our perception that resolving today's issues is an investment for the future and as a visionary you shall not lose the opportunity of shaping the future of this organization. Concerns raised by ATC Guild regarding some important HR issues are placed hereunder:

1. Accommodation problem: This issue has been raised by ATC Guild several times for decades. There has not been any visible improvement in the situation. Lack of understanding of the subject and clarity in approach has kept this issue as the most neglected one in AAI. ATC Guild has conveyed in the past that ATCOs at Mumbai are living like refugees and many young executives are deferring their marriage plan or living with family members because of lack of accommodation. It is a bizarre situation in which management at Mumbai has allowed 9/10 ATCOs to share a single dwelling unit: yet could not prepare a comprehensive proposal to draw the attention of top management. This pending issue is affecting the mass, especially, the younger executives. As was visible during deliberations, responsible directorates like HR, Engineering and Architecture were throwing the blame on each.

Your intervention is praiseworthy. As concluded by you, all REDs shall be directed to submit proposals for the construction of quarters as soon as possible and this issue will be given priority. However, no letter has been written to the stations so far. ATC Guild requests you to constitute a committee to handle this issue so that early solutions are provided to highly demotivated executives in general and young ones in particular.

2. Higher pay scale to Junior Executive w.e.f. 01.01.2007: This is another burning issue which is hanging for the last four years. In the revised pay scales for ·the Executives and that settled for the non-executives, it is evident that the pay scale of E-1 (lowest of the pay scales for the executives: 16,400 -40,500)) is lower than the last two pay scales of non-executives i.e. NE-9 and NE-10 (N E-9: 17,000-39500 and NE-10: 18,500-40,000).

T-1/7, Pocket ·s· + INA Colony+ Aurobindo Marg+ New Delhi 110023 + Ph0ne24654571 ~~~~t9f0054 www.atcguild .com

This issue was raised by the ATC Guild (India) in the past. However, because of the strong bias of the management towards patronizing non-executives, the grass-root executives got a raw deal vis-a-vis non-executives. The clarifications issued by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology vindicate our stand that the lowest scale granted to the Executives w.e.f. 01.01.2007 should have been at least E-2.

ATC Guild (India) has opined in the past that downgrading the induction level of ATCOs from E-3 to E-1 was a historical blunder. This has been a deterrent factor in bringing best talent to this profession like it used to be. The least that the Management can do now is to protect the rights of these young ATCOs so that there is no attrition or demotivation.

Other PSUs have adopted pay scales for non-executives where it is not in conflict with the pay scales of executives. In ATM discipline more than 50% executives (belonging to Junior Executive and AM grade) are directly affected by this non-compliance of OPE guidelines. Now that best practices in other organizations do indicate that what is followed in AAI is a gross violation, ATC Guild (India) urges that this anomaly be removed at the earliest and justice is provided to the Executives. The Guild strongly hopes that management will wake up to the situation and instill confidence in the minds of the Executives who have the inescapable feeling that the Management has more sympathy for and patronises the non-executives more in this organization.

The Guild requests management to provide justice to these officers by granting them higher pay scale w.e.f. 01. 01. 2007 in accordance with the DPE Guidelines.

On the above issue, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Department of Telecommunications has directed the CMD BSNL that:

• Para 4: BSNL Management shall ensure that there would be no conflict between IDA pay scale for Non-executives and Executives. IDA scale of Executives should not get lower scale that the top scale of non-executives.

• Para 5: BSNL management shall also ensure that in the wake of any revision of pay scales in the company, NE-12 pay scale shall be maintained lower than the lowest of executives pay in BSNL.

ED (HR) has communicated vide letter no. A. 60011/54/2010-PP, dated 3rct December, 2012 justifying the action that E-1 is superior to NE-9 and NE-10 . This lacks logic because of the fact that always the negotiations with the employees take place after the adoption of the OPE pay scales. As such, the framing of the scales for Non-executives are done in such a fashion that the top of the scales are kept few hundred rupees below executive pay scale but providing higher basic at the beginning. In regards to the length of service

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logic it is stated that ATC Guild is not demanding downgrading of the scales for non-executives but upgrading the scales of Executives.

Your observation that we shall upgrade the entry level to match with other PSUs is really heartening. AAI shall induct the best talent for the highly skilled jobs being performed by this organization and not the vice­versa. ATC Guild has raised this issue several times and continues to pursue this because of the fact that bulk recruitment and lower level entry has created a serious demotivation for already existing 50% ATCOs. This also deters candidates from applying for this post. Management needs to think very seriously on this issue and accept all recruited since 01 .01.2007 at at least E- 2 level. This will also remove the anomaly arising out of adoption of pay scales for Executives vis-a-vis non-executives.

3. Pay fixation benefits to Assistant General Managers (E-5): The issue of granting pay fixation benefits to Assistant General Managers has been discussed with your good office several times. Since the promulgation of the R&P in 2006 and its major amendments in 2009 it was impressed upon that having accepted the pay scales of DPE and not providing any financial benefit at this grade is illogical. Before the adoption of the R&P, all Senior Managers completing three years of service were being placed in the Grade of Assistant GMs. Still there was some financial benefit. Subsequent to adoption of new pay scales wef 01.01.2007, there is no financial benefit.

This issue has been raised by all Associations in the past. Under different plea this has been ignored and the Executives are being given designation and pay scale without pay fixation benefits. It is worth to mention that Management has been magnanimous in granting E-2 scale with pay fixation benefits to employees at NE-9 .

ATC Guild requests that all Executives who have been placed in the grade of Assistant GMs on or after 01.01.2007 shall be given the benefit of pay fixation by treating these posts as promotional posts and not as placement. Your assurance that this issue needs review does give us more than enough hope that justice will be done. It is requested to call a meeting to discuss and resolve these issues.

With regards,

C'~ (D. K. Behera) General Secretary

Copy to:- (1) Member (HR), AAI, Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan ~' 11'> (2) Member (ANS), AAI, Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan ~~

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