ALL INDIA AUDIT & ACCOUNTS ASSOCIATION
AUDIT LEKHA BHAWAN
15/1089-90, VASUNDHARA, VASUNDHARA (P.O.), Dt. GHAZIABAD (U.P), PIN-201012
Ph: 0120-2881727/4101593/ 0 – 98681 45667
E-mail: auditflag1923@gmail.com
Website: www.auditflag.blogspot.com
Reference: AIA/Circular-22/2009 Date: August 23, 2009
To
Unit Secretaries,
Members of Women's Committee &
Members & Spl. Invitees – NE
Dear Comrades,
OBSREVE DEMANDS DAY ON 28TH AUGUST 2009
The national executive that met at New Delhi on 19,20, 21 July 2009 decided to launch agitation in support of 12-point charter of demands, jointly with All India Audit & Accounts Officers Association.
The move of the CAG administration to invite tender notice (expression of interest) to conduct work study and there-by to decide the man power requirement of Gr B & C cadres is a grave threat to the Department's continuance as "watch dog of Indian Finances" and it certainly creates doubts on job security and promotional prospects of existing personnel.
All out efforts to popularise the demands and mobilise the employees and officers for its achievement should be made by the unit leadership.
Lunch hour general body meetings may be held in every unit and the following resolutions (draft given elsewhere) 1. on charter of demands and 2. on expression of interest be adopted and handed over to heads of the Department by the Executive Committee in a delegation.
OBSREVANCE OF VACATE VICTIMISATION DAY
Very few Units have reported about the observance of Vacate Victimisation Day on 18th August 2009. These Units are: All Civil Units in Chennai, Accounts Cat III, Hyderabad, All Civil Units in Mumbai, Accounts Category III, Shimla, Orissa Accounts Association, Guwahati Units, Gwalior Units and Kerala Units.
Other Units may please report on the implementation of Vacate Victimisation Day.
All units may send report on observance of DEMANDS DAY without fail.
With greetings,
Yours fraternally
(M. S. Raja)
Secretary General
Draft Resolution
This general body meeting of ………..Association held on 28th August 2009 endorses the decision of the National Executive Committee of All India Audit and Accounts Association to pursue the demands of the employees and officers of the Indian Audit & Accounts Department in association with All India Audit & Accounts Officers Association.
This general body meeting held on 28th August 2009 further endorses the charter of demands formulated by the National Executive Committee of All India Audit & Accounts Association in association with All India Audit & Accounts Officers Association which are given below:
1. Vacate victimisation; Restore Trade Union Rights
2. Fill up all vacant posts including Gr D, No matching savings at the cost of Gr B, C & D cadres
3. Regularise all casual, temporary, contract, daily wage workers
4. Permit self certification for TA/DA claims
5. Upgrade LDCs by re-designating them as Acctts/Audit Assistants and grant following pay sales to different cadres-
Accounts/Audit Assistant PB-1 with Grade Pay Rs.2400
Accountant/Auditor/ Steno Gr.II PB-2 with Grade Pay Rs.4200
Sr. Accountant/Auditor/ Steno Gr.I PB-2 with Grade Pay Rs.4600
SO/JAO/AAO/PS PB-2 with Grade Pay Rs.4800
PB-3 with Grade Pay Rs.5400
on completion of 4 years.
Accounts/Audit Officer PB-3 with Grade Pay Rs. 6600
Sr. Accounts/Audit Officer PB-3 with Grade Pay Rs. 7600
6. Remove age restriction for induction to IA&AS; Increase promotional quota to IA&AS from 331/3rd % to 50 %.
7. Stop down sizing, outsourcing and privatisation of any function in IA&AD
8. Restore unilateral transfer policy
9. Earmark 20% of AAO post for seniority cum fitness promotion (supervisor)
10. Restore traditional auditing and accounting methodologies and sanction appropriate party days on scientific work norms
11. Remove differential treatment on pay fixation on promotion vis-à-vis direct recruitees in all cadres
12. Re-imbursement of hotel charges to Railway Audit personnel wherever Railway accommodation is not allotted while on tour.
This general body meeting urges the Comptroller & Auditor General of India to negotiate this charter of demands with these two Federations and settle them.
This General body meeting resolves to carry on the struggle in pursuance of the above charter of demands till settlement is arrived at and urges upon the leadership of both Federations to intensify the agitation in the absence any concrete and positive settlement on all items in the charter of demands.
This meeting resolves to send a copy of this resolution to Comptroller & Auditor General of India through proper channel.
Also resolves to send a copy of this resolution to Secretaries General of both the Federations vis All India Audit & Accounts Association and All India Audit & Accounts Officers Association.
Adopted Unanimously.
Signature
(………….)
President of Meeting
……………….Association
Draft Resolution
This general body meeting of …………..Association held on 28th August 2009 expresses its grave concern over the move to appoint a Consultant to conduct a work study in IA&AD to decide the man power requirement of Gr B and Gr C cadres.
This meeting endorses the concerns expressed by All India Audit & Accounts Association vide its letter AIA/B-1/69/2009 date August 2, 2009 (copy enclosed).
This meeting urges upon the Comptroller & Auditor General of India to discard the proposal to appoint a consultant for work study and go for an in house study using the expertise available within the department as only such a study would do justice to the basic ethos of the Department, being totally true to the mandate bestowed under the Constitution of the Country.
This meeting further urges upon the Comptroller & Auditor General of India to direct his administration to initiate discussion on the Cadre Review Report with this Federation as assured by him in the meeting with President and Secretary General of All India Audit & Accounts Association on 27th March 2009.
Resolves to forward a copy of this Resolution to Comptroller & Auditor General of India, New Delhi through proper channel.
Also resolves to send copy of this resolution to Secretary General, All India Audit & Accounts Association, Ghaziabad.
Adopted Unanimously.
Sd/-
President
……………………Association
ALL INDIA AUDIT & ACCOUNTS ASSOCIATION
AUDIT LEKHA BHAWAN
15/1089-90, VASUNDHARA, VASUNDHARA (P.O.), Dt. GHAZIABAD (U.P), PIN-201012
Ph: 0120-2881727/4101593/ 0 – 98681 45667
E-mail: auditflag1923@gmail.com
Website: www.auditflag.blogspot.com
Reference: AIA/B-1/69/2009 Date: August 2, 2009
To
The Comptroller & Auditor General of India,
10, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg,
New Delhi – 110002
Subject: - Appointment of Consultant for work study, inviting expression of interest there-of –Reg.
Sir,
I am to invite a reference to the "Expression of Interest" (EOI) placed on the website of CAG of India calling for interested parties to apply for conducting Work Study in Indian Audit & Accounts Department.
This Association has been demanding revision of Work Norms based on scientific study since mid-1980s. It is good that the administration has acknowledged that there is a need for revision of norms, framed way back in 1960s and early 1970s.
The EOI speaks on the need to appoint a consultant "to conduct a work study to redefine/revise established work norms for assessing the strength in the Group B & C cadres."
The above mentioned statement as well as succeeding statements in the EOI gives an impression that the whole idea of work study is to reduce the manpower at Gr C & Gr B levels; it has nothing to do with the improvement in the over all performance in the functioning of the Department –in the discharge the noble cause as "Watchdog of Indian Finances".
This is at variance with this Association's longstanding demand for scientific revision of work norms. Our concept of framing scientific work norms was based on the understanding that this has to be evolved by undertaking an in-house study, wing wise and function wise making use for good the vast expertise that is at our command where staff side representatives (through recognised Federations) are also thoroughly involved.
Only such a study will be comprehensive, touching all core areas, which will stand test of time and will be truly committed to responsibilities that the Constitution of the Country bestows upon the CAG of India and the Indian Audit & Accounts Department.
The EOI that is placed in the website of CAG of India states "Purpose of this exercise is to classify the audit functions into following broad categories: Expenditure audit, Receipt audit (with compliance, financial attestation and performance aspects)".
This Association feels that this is a violent deviation from the audit methodologies hitherto successfully followed. Restricting the audit to "compliance, financial attestation and performance aspects' amounts to stating that the Department henceforth won't be undertaking regularity and propriety audits. If that the case be, it will be an affront to the Indian Constitution and we cannot accept it.
The functions and ofcourse the priorities of the government has undergone drastic changes in the nearly last two decades from what it had been immediately after independence and the decades there after when building up infrastructure was the core concern and activity. Naturally, the role of audit & accounts would also have to imbibe that changes and improve upon, and not abandoning altogether, the methodologies of auditing and accounting so as to ensure that the responsibilities that has been bestowed upon to this institution by the Constitution is fulfilled to the satisfaction of the stakeholders, ie the people of the country.
We should not forget that the CAG of India and Indian Audit & Accounts Department is discharging the functions on behalf of the crores of ordinary people who otherwise has no say over the affairs of the nation.
The argument that the advent of IT or online accounting has caused a situation wherein the manpower is getting excess is not compatible with the factual position prevailing in none of the offices of the Accountants General (A&E). The acute shortage of manpower in A&E offices has increased the work load on the existing staff to an unbearable limit. Also, functions in A&E offices could be streamlined as complimentary to auditorial functions to make it more effective, instead using increased role of IT as a ruse to get rid of the man power at the cost of an all important duty. The reality is that the department has abdicated the responsibility of core activity of accounting by limiting itself to submission of financial statements and finalisation appropriation accounts.
We are afraid that the attempt to appoint an external agency as a consultant is fraught with perils and shortcomings because such an outside agency may not be able to understand and appreciate the intricacies of the functioning of the department
It is the considered view of this Association that the Work Study by outside agency will not do justice to the Department and the nation as it is well proved over the period of time that these agencies would not have any social commitment or commitment to the Constitution of the Country or to the people of this Country.
We are also of the opinion that this engagement of external consultant for work study in IA&AD is detrimental to the interest of the employees and officers and more than that to the interest of public accountability.
No outside agency can understand the complex nature of work we discharge, the social angle of these duties and the thrust of the mandate the CAG of India enjoys and commands.
This Association therefore urges the Comptroller and Auditor General of India to reconsider the decision to involve an outside agency for evaluation of work norms.
This Association further urges the C & AG of India to establish a departmental committee comprising officers with sufficient knowledge and experience and a real appreciation of the work being done by the various cadres and units of this department and direct that committee to have consultation with employees' organization in the matter. This, in our view, would assure the officers and staff that the assessment will be objective, just and acceptable to all sections so as to be deservingly called as "watchdog of Indian finances'.
Thanking you in anticipation,
Yours faithfully,
Sd/-
(M. S. Raja)
Secretary General
