Autonomous bodies' employees urge Centre to release bonus

A Central government employees body today asked the finance secretary that the festival bonus for employees of autonomous bodies be released before October 17 otherwise they will resort to protest.
In a letter, which comes days ahead of Diwali, the Indian Public Service Employees Federation (IPSEF) says that it is disheartening that the Centre has not announced any bonus for the employees of central autonomous bodies (CABs) for 2016- 2017 while the same has been granted to railway, postal and other Central government employees.
The employees of the CABs are government employees and eligible for bonuses, it said.
In the view of the hardships being faced by families of employees of CABs during the festive season, it is requested to issue orders of grant of bonus to them immediately so as to disburse bonus to them latest by October 16, the letter said.

Otherwise, the CABs employees will be resorting to different forms of protest on October 17, it said.
The federation has also alleged that while the bonus for the year 2014-2015 was granted to employees working in CABs on October 26, when the calculation ceiling was raised from Rs 3,500 to Rs 7,000 in August 2016, the orders for extension of the same to the employees of CAB was not issued.
"Similarly the orders of extension of bonus for the year 2015-2016 to the employees of the CAB were not issued. This has created widespread confusion in the administrative circles of CABs. This year also, no orders have been issued in this regard for the employees of CABs," the letter from IPSEF General Secretary Prem Chand said.

It further said that the government was meting out 'step-motherly' treatment to these employees and "disenchantment and despair" was brewing among such employees working in around 600 CABs including central universities, IITs, IIMs, Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas and others.