By IANS,
Chennai : The country’s premier scientific officers belonging to the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have expressed their displeasure with the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.
“If the pay panel’s recommendations are accepted then in four years time there will not be any real increase in our pay as compared to our current pay structure,” S. Joseph Winston, president and a scientific officer at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) told IANS.
Under the banner of the Confederation of Atomic and Space Scientists/Technologists (Coast), they say the immediate net increase in their pay, as per the Sixth Pay Commission, is just 18 percent.
According to the scientists, the importance given to the scientific community by the nation was reflected by the third and fourth pay commission recommendations while the thrust took a back seat from the fifth pay commission onwards.
“The pay commission during its study for constructing the new pay scales through XLRI (Xavier Labour Relations Institute), Jamshedpur, has assumed many parameters that are non-existent to the scientists or engineers,” he said.
According to Coast, the poor pay packet offered by the pay panel will not attract bright talent to the country’s prestigious organisations.
“The recommendation to hire fresh recruits on five-year contracts will lead to dismantling of premier atomic and space institutions, while favouring the private sector,” Winston added.