F.B.Singh,JWM/SAF
GENERAL SECRETARY-------------------------------------------- No.IOFGOA/NE/GS/CHAIRMAN/OFB
e-mail: iofgoa.ne.gs.fbs@vsnl.net-------------------------------DT. 15.9.2002

Hon’ble Sir,

Under your direction, a meeting with DDG/G along with Director/G and Director/NG was held at OFB hqs. on 4.9.02 with association representatives with reference to our above quoted letter, on promotional prospects/problems of JWMs in very conducive atmosphere. The outcome of the meeting is reflected as below: -

As informed by Director/G, Shri B.B.Sharma, henceforth advance DPCs, on yearly basis, will be conducted by OFB for promotions from JWM to AWM and promotions will be released on monthly basis as per availability of vacant posts due to retirements/promotions to avoid delays in promotions.

First lot of aprox 53 promotions may be ordered by Jan’2003, based on old SRO (40% of 419 JTS posts i.e. 167 posts for promotee officers). Again second lot of aprox 53 nos. based on new SRO (50% of JTS posts i.e. 209 nos. for promotees) may be ordered by March 2003, which will clear upto a portion of 93’ Batch. Efforts made by Shri B.B.Sharma, Director/G in changing the SRO and streamlining the promotion system is quite appreciating.As this will also not give much relief and stagnation level may continue upto aprox 15-16 years in the JWM scale in place of only three years qualifying service required for the purpose, Association Representatives insisted for following changes in SRO/Promotion pattern, based on court judgments and expert committee reports/recommendations etc. But there was conceptual difference between the Association and Board authorities on the matter where Chairman/Member (Per)’s personal visualizing and justifying the things is needed/requested by the Association: -

(A) There is a general concept that any post vacated by a promotee officer, may be in higher grade than the entry level of any cadre must go to a promotee officer to maintain the proper blend/quota of promotee and direct recruitee officers in any cadre, as both are equally required for any organisation, one for better experience and lower posts and the other for better qualification and higher posts. This can be only maintained when promotion ratio is worked out on overall cadre strength to avoid erosion of any of the blend/quota through surrender of lower posts etc. to get higher posts in any cadre which happened in our department where at one hand Experience was stocked in JWM cadre for 17-18 years and at the other hand less experienced qualification above the quota, fastly moved and stocked in SAG level etc., feeling suffocation and breaking the balance and teamwork of the organisation. Some underlined relevant extracts of court judgments including Hon’ble Supreme Court and Expert committee reports/ recommendations are enclosed herewith for your ready reference to justify our views. Adverse to this our authorities are of the view that more promotees may be detrimental for IOFS cadre. We feel that the Ordnance Factories or any other Organisation can not be defined by only one cadre.

(B) There are aprox 184 posts of Works Manager lying vacant since a considerable time and department is not able to fill the above posts because the individuals completing the qualifying service as per present SRO, are not available. As per DOPT guidelines, qualifying service for the scale of Works Manager (10,000- 15,200) is 5 years in the JTS (8,000-13,500) or 7 years in the scale of Foreman (T)/JWM (7450-11,500). All the present promotee AWMs and most of the senior JWMs have completed this qualifying service long back. Only proper ncorporation/ change in the present SRO of Works Manager, can entitle such individuals for the above promotion and these posts can be filled up giving substantial relief to the cadre and betterment for the organisation. The person completing the qualifying service earlier, is senior and basis of fixing seniority amongst JWMs, promotee AWMs, and direct recruited AWMs. But a thinking/hitch that how

JWMs can be directly promoted to Works Manager scale, is hindering the process while department is already promoting staff officers, from a inferior scale of Rs. 6500-10,500/- to the scale of Works Manager directly and recently Works Managers completing 9 years in STS/DGM scale have been promoted to the Scale of Jt.G.M. Based on cadre review committee reports in 90s, department also recommended such promotions in past but due to opposition from a segment of IOFS, the proposal could not materialise.

(C) As reflected in our above quoted letter dt. 17.7.02, there is vital seniority difference between Tech- JWMs and Non-Tech/Foreman due to non-existence of Non-Tech Asstt.Foreman grade in the cadre and paneling them along with Tech-JWMs for promotion to AWM is not justified and creating serious imbalance in inter-seniority of the grades. The individuals who came as LDC along with Tech/Chargeman-II are becoming AWM earlier. As per referred court judgment in our above letter, in such cases, seniority in the common grade i.e. Chargeman-I, should be ascertained. And also in the circumstances where most of the factories are using Tech-JWMs for Non-Tech jobs/posts/assignments and they are competent enough to carryout such placements, making such differed seniority for paneling to AWM posts does not appear to be justified. In the situation, Tech/Non-Tech posts at AWM level may be merged together and common seniority should be drawn.

It was agreed in the meeting that to obtain absolute parity in different tech-streams, dovetailed seniority of all trades can be prepared while paneling for AWM, for which authorities wanted proposal from the Association. In the circumstances where Mechanical, Electrical and Civil trades are already dovetailed for Engineers trade in IOFS and also there is interchangeable use of different trades in Ordnance Factories, Association proposes dovetailed paneling of all Tech Trades for AWM posts to obtain absolute parity in the promotions.

Thanking you very much and hoping to take the things in right context,

With high regards,

Yours Sincerely,

(F. B. Singh)
General Secretary