Archives- News Updates On September

Karnataka PU teachers demand salary rise

Pre University College (PUC) teachers in Karnataka are now demanding a raise in salary structure after the revision of pay scale of lecturers of degree colleges in the state. There are around 30,000 lecturers working in PU colleges and have been kept outside the purview of the revised UGC pay scale. Prof Sriram, president of State Government PU College Lecturers’ Association said that the difference in salary of both the lecturers in around Rs 15000 to 20000 although the cadre of lecturer is the same.

Source:www.expressbuzz.com, September 30, 2009. “PU teachers want pay hike”

Gujarat govt. notifies minimum wages for safai karamcharis

The Gujarat government, after many representations from the sanitary workers for fixation of their minimum wages, has finally agreed to fulfill their demand. According to the latest notification for Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) area workers, wages are fixed at Rs. 180 per day and in districts like Rajkot, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Surat, Vadodara and Jamnagar it will be Rs. 150 per day. The government will also give other allowances to sanitary workers apart from the daily wages.

Source:www.indianexpress.com, September 27, 2009. “Govt announces minimum wages for sanitary workers”

Karnataka govt. doctors and lecturers get pay rise

The Karnataka government has agreed to raise the salaries of state doctors by Rs 4500 to Rs 8000 and has also regularized the services of doctors on contract basis in view of the resignation threat given by the doctors. Lectures in Karnataka will also get their salaries based on the UGC scale now which has brought cheer to the faces of many people.

Source:timesofindia.indiatimes.com, September 26, 2009. “Pay hike for govt docs, lecturers brings cheer”

NREGA workers must be paid wages on time: Centre

The Union Rural Development Ministry has been receiving complaints about non-payment of wages by state government officials under NREGA scheme. To ensure timely payment, the ministry has requested the Chief Secretaries for proper implementation of payment of wages. The allocation to administrative expenditure has got increased from 4 to 6 percent for speedy distribution and allocation of wages. Also, as per new guidelines payment of NREGA workers is being done through their bank or post office accounts.

Source:www.indianexpress.com, September 23, 2009. “Centre asks states to pay wages to NREGA workers on time”

Survey finds Pune employees low on satisfaction index

A survey conducted by Team Lease, a leading staffing company, on employees from various sectors and cities in India has found that employees of Pune are the least satisfied with their work. The survey took into account parameters like inter-personal relationship, conflict resolution, amount of work and salary flexibility at the workplace; Pune employees complained that they were overloaded with work. The age group of employees surveyed was 30-45 yrs with 74 % employees low on happiness quotient.

Source:www.indianexpress.com, September 21, 2009. “Pune employees low on happiness, finds survey across cities”

Social networking sites help travel cos to increase reach among customers

Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Orkut have become a hot-spot for travel companies to showcase their offers and win customer loyalty in a novel way. Travel companies have zeroed on this option as it also helps to know consumer preferences and demands in a better way. Along with a strong engagement with the brand, the companies also encourage satisfied patrons to become ambassadors for the company, thereby increasing their reach.

Source:www.thehindubusinessline.com, September 25, 2009. “Travel cos log on to social networking sites”

IIT faculty on fast over pay revision

Due to inadequate response by the union HRD ministry, IIT professors have decided to go on a one-day fast to press their demands for a better pay and greater autonomy for the institute. The professors did not boycott the classes or lectures while continuing with their fast. But HRD minister Kapil Sibal said that the demand by the faculty for world class salaries is not possible in a country like India due to resource constraints. He also added that he is ready for any discussion on the topic of autonomy.

Source:www.dnaindia.com, September 24, 2009. “IIT faculty seeks 'fast' solution”

Social Welfare Department to pay minimum wages to daily wagers

Chandrashekhar Hiremath, an employee on a daily wage basis in hostels run by Social Welfare Department filed a complaint with State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) of Karnataka that for the last 10 years he is been paid an honorarium of Rs. 1000. Acting against this complaint, the SHRC has ordered the Social Welfare Department to pay a minimum wage of Rs. 4600 to all daily wagers with immediate effect.

Source:www.expressbuzz.com, September 21, 2009. “‘Pay minimum wages to daily wagers'”

IIM professors upset with HRD ministry order on pay revision

The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry has issued an order in response to the memorandum for the pay hike of IIM and IIT professors. IIM professors are upset that their demands for higher pay have not been addressed in the order. Now, the IIM faculty has decided to hold a meeting to respond to the HRD ministry’s notification and will then plan any future actions.

Source:www.dnaindia.com, September 19, 2009. “HRD ministry's order on pay hike upsets IIMA professors”

Railway employees to get productivity linked bonus this year

Non-gazetted railway employees will get a productivity-linked bonus equivalent to 75 days of their wages for the financial year 2008-09. This decision was taken by a meeting held by the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Under this scheme, all non-gazetted employees except Railway Protection Force and Railway Protection Special force will be included. The wage calculation ceiling limit for the payment of the bonus will be Rs. 3500 per month.

Source:www.livemint.com, September 17, 2009. “Railway employees to get bonus”

Hiring activity slows down 3.6 % in August

In the midst of an overall revival of the market from global recession, hiring activity slowed down 3.6 % compared to the last month, as observed by the job portal Naukri.com. Even then, the overall three month moving average index has risen up in August. Banking & Finance Services, Insurance and Education sector has seen increase in hiring rate beside other sectors in the market.

Source:www.business-standard.com, September 16, 2009. “India Inc's hiring slows down 3.6% in August: Naukri.com”

Medium-size IT companies to reward employees with bonuses

Middle-size IT companies like Mphasis-EDS, Sonata Software and Symphony Services are planning to provide their employees with a good amount of bonus this year, this amount will be calculated on the overall performance of the company and employee. As the economic scenario improves, IT companies are also hoping to have a good business in the last quarter of this year. So this year end is well positioned to bring happiness to IT organizations and its employees as well.

Source:economictimes.indiatimes.com, September 17, 2009. “Mid-size IT companies to ring in pay hikes”

Uttarakhand not facing labour shortage due to NREGP

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) started by the UPA government providing 100 days of employment to all rural worker has created a shortage in labour force all over the market, but this is not the case with all industrial sectors in Uttarakhand. Inspite of this, a fall of 10 percent has been recorded in the labour force with the successful implementation of this scheme in the state.

Source:www.business-standard.com, September 15, 2009. “Labour shortage not seen as a major problem”

Pay cut of IT employees lowest this year

A survey conducted by Dataquest-IDC Best Employers on 200 IT companies found that the average salary hike of IT professionals was cut by 1.4 percent in the year 2009. The survey also showed that the attrition rate decreased from 18 percent to 15 percent this year. Salary increase was given to all set of employees with experience, while employees were more satisfied by the attitude of seniors to help them in maintaining work-life balance.

Source:www.business-standard.com, September 14, 2009. “Pay hike of IT execs for 2009 at 1.4%; lowest in decade”

B-schools keen on inviting more PSUs for placements

B-schools are increasingly looking forward to inviting a high number of PSUs this year for placements. PSUs had recruited heavily across B-school campuses last year with around 5-10% of the batch opting for them. B-schools expect PSU intake to increase to around 15-20% of the batch this year. Besides, as PSUs can also recruit on contract basis, institutes see more rationale in inviting PSUs with students being offered more challenging work profiles than the ones offered by MNCs.

Source:www.business-standard.com, September 15, 2009. “B-schools to lure more PSUs for placements this year”

Rural self-employment centres approved under National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM)

For the proper implementation of National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), the centre has approved a scheme of establishing 110 Rural Self- Employment Training Institute (RSETIs) in 14 states of the country. These institutes will provide training to the below poverty line people so that they can earn their livelihood. This scheme is worth about Rs 15 crore and will help rural people get self employment. The scheme also aims to reduce poverty in rural areas and will help in expanding swarojgari groups.

Source:www.financialexpress.com, September 14, 2009. “Govt. approves 110 rural self-employment centres”

Hiring activity set to increase in IT industry

The Indian IT sector, which was among the worst hit by the economic slowdown, has started reviving back with a slew of deals in the pipeline for companies. Steady revival of IT budgets of various companies coupled with strong domestic demand has helped in this reversal of fortunes for IT companies. With the demand rise seen in the market, many HR personnel of IT companies have shown signs of an increase in hiring activity.

Source:timesofindia.indiatimes.com, September 14, 2009. “IT's back to business as hiring, hikes return”

Minimum Wage Act to cover ship-breaking industry

The ship-breaking industry in Alang had faced a mass strike of employees against the reduction in daily wages in March. Under this background, the government of Gujarat has decided to issue a notification adding this industry under the Minimum Wages Act. Once this gets approved, it will be published in an official gazette thus benefitting employees in the ship-breaking industry. This will not only provide them basic minimum wages, but also various benefits which are available under this act.

Source:www.expressindia.com, September 13, 2009. “Ship-breaking industry may soon follow Minimum Wages Act”

Banks hire apprentices to shore up headcount in rural areas

With increasing expansion of banks in rural areas, the need for manpower is increasing by the day. In response, banks are recruiting apprentices and probationary officers from surrounding areas of these small towns. Under apprenticeship, undergraduates are hired by Bank of Maharashtra to work on routine work. Private banks have also started an alternate practice of hiring manpower from a more general pool than from B-schools.

Source:www.thehindubusinessline.com, September 10, 2009. “Banks recruiting apprentices, probationary officers”

Additional DA of 5 percent to govt. employees

With inflation increasing by the day, the central government has decided to increase the dearness allowance (DA) for its employees and pensioners. This will impose an additional burden on the exchequer of over Rs 2900 crore and Rs 4355 crore in a full year. The additional DA will be provided with effect from July 1, 2009. The rise will also give a boost to consumer demand in view of the coming festive season.

Source:http://in.news.yahoo.com/, September 10, 2009. “Govt. employees to get addl DA to tide over price rise ”

Hiring activities to catch up in the last quarter

A survey conducted on nearly 5637 employers across 30 Indian cities by Manpower, a global staffing firm, found that recruiters plan to increase hiring by 25 percent in the next three months. Managing director Naresh Malhan of Manpower said that the Indian employers have absorbed back the people laid off in the third quarter and are also to hire more in the last quarter. This is a good sign for job seekers in finance, real estate, service industry, insurance and other sectors.

Source:www.indianexpress.com, September 9, 2009. “India most optimistic on Q4 hiring plans”

HC: Age not a criterion to shortlist govt. job seekers

A judgment was passed by the Delhi High Court against the criteria fixed by MCD for short listing candidates for a teaching job. MCD shortlisted the applicants for the job on the basis of age, which was termed unconstitutional by the court thus violating the fundamental rights of candidates who are not selected. The court advised MCD to fix short listing criteria on the basis of education, experience or merit in interview or any other such criteria while stating that age is not an attribute that a person can prove his competency on.

Source:timesofindia.indiatimes.com, September 8, 2009. “Age cannot be criteria to shortlist govt job seekers: HC”

Govt docs in Karnataka set to mass resign

The Karnataka state government doctors’ association coordinator Dr G A Srinivas said that around 4100 doctors in the state will resign by month end on September 28 to protest against govt inaction to fulfill their demands. They have demanded a salary hike, regularization of service of doctors on contract, among other things. The govt has been given a September 25 deadline to fulfill these demands, following which, doctors will give mass resignation.

Source:timesofindia.indiatimes.com, September 7, 2009. “Govt docs to quit by month-end”

BSNL employees demand equality in bonus

The National Federation of Telecom Employees (NFTE) is demanding equal bonuses for the employees, irrespective of his designation in the company. A meeting was organized on wage revision and bonus by the union, which decided to raise this issue. Mohinder Prashad said that the bonus for state employees has a fixed amount but that of the central employees is calculated on the 30-day salary basis and this practice is unfair.

Source:timesofindia.indiatimes.com, September 7, 2009. “BSNL staff for wage hike, bonus parity”

IT officials armed with info to collect tax arrears

The government is planning to prepare income tax officials to collect the arrears of tax payment across the board to meet collection targets. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has prepared an Action Plan to seize the assets of defaulters. Also, powers will be given to the Assessing Officer of income tax to recover movable or immovable property of assesses whose tax is pending.

Source:economictimes.indiatimes.com, September 6, 2009. “IT officials to get info on assets of tax evaders”

Pay hike for Punjab cabinet ministers postponed to 2010

A pay hike of 233 % and 150 % proposed recently for the Chief Minister and cabinet ministers of Punjab was postponed to the next year by the Finance Department of Punjab owing to tight fiscal situation. There was also a proposal to increase the sumptuary allowance from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,500 per month and telephone allowance to Rs 10,000 per month in case of the Chief Minister and cabinet ministers.

Source:www.tribuneindia.com, September 5, 2009. “Pay hike of Badal, ministers on hold”

Professors in Madhya Pradesh go on an indefinite strike

The Madhya Pradesh University Association and Barkatullah (Bhopal) University Teachers’ Association (BUTA) have decided to go on indefinite strike from 5th September against the state government’s failure to fulfill the promise of a rise in salary. Madhya Pradesh Education Minister had assured the teachers on a rally on Aug 22 on the implementation of revised scale by Sep 4. Also, the teachers have decided not to attend any function for the celebration of Teachers Day.

Source:www.thaindian.com, September 5, 2009. “Madhya Pradesh professors go on strike this Teachers Day”

Aajeevika working for welfare of migrant workers from Rajasthan

Udaipur based organization Aajeevika is authorized by the Government of Rajasthan’s Labour and Employment Department for issuing photo ID cards to the migrant workers of Rajasthan coming to the city of Ahmedabad. Aajeevika is planning to submit a memoranda to both the states to issue an inter-state ID card and roaming ration cards. This will help the migrant workers who are employed in various sectors such as construction, hotels, scrap re-cyclers, vegetable vendors and factories.

Source:www.indianexpress.com, September 3, 2009. “Labour organisations demand welfare measures for migrant workforce in Ahmedabad”

IIM faculty demands salary rise

Earlier IIT and now even IIM faculty is demanding for a rise in their pay structure and plan to approach the centre for this purpose. IIM-A director Sameer Barua formed a committee of faculty and is planning to take the support of IIM Bangalore and IIM Kolkata. Faculty of the institute feels that being a world class institute the salary paid should also be decent. IIMs are facing a faculty crunch of 20-50 % and if the salary does not rise, it will be very difficult to retain faculty as private institutes pay salaries four times higher than at an IIM.

Source:www.financialexpress.com, September 1, 2009. “IIM faculty to approach Centre over pay hike”

Central government employees to finally get their salary arrears

Nearly half a million central government employees and pensioners will get their salary arrears as recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission in the coming month before the festive season. This is the final installment of the of salary arrears amounting to 60 percent of the arrears, while the total arrears are expected to cost around Rs 29,373 crore to the government. The government is planning to encourage the employees to deposit their arrears in the general provident fund account.

Source:www.deccanherald.com, September 1, 2009. “Central staff to get arrears soon”