Technical Airmen promoted to SGT should get equivalent pay of Diploma Engineer in IAF

Technical Airmen promoted to SGT should get equivalent pay of Diploma Engineer in IAF

One of our readers Shri. Anjan Dey expressed his views regarding Technical Airman’s grievances of not granting pay equivalent to Diploma Engineer even after getting promotion after 13 years of service. He sought central Government intervention in this matter since the 7th pay commission also failed to address this issue.

Anjan Dey writes..

Look at the benefits of joining in Indian Air Force as a Technical Airman. Long training, long working hours, maintaining and repairing the highly sophisticated and costly machines, but restricted to remain in the lowest pay band, starting from joining to leaving the service (initial bond of 20 years). This may be also a reason that only a few of these highly skilled and experienced Technical Personnel of the IAF, willing to extend their services after completing their initial bonds. The Service loses the experience and the skills, It takes years to know the sophisticated airborne machines thoroughly and by the time he learns, the initial bond ends and he finds no reason to extend his service further, because of the low salary and the very least chance of getting any further promotion. It is indeed a loss for the nation and the organization.

[Read:7th CPC recommendations for Defence Pensioners]

Technical Airmen of the IAF are either a civil diploma holder or 10+2 in Science. After their training, they become equivalent to a civil diploma engineer but the reason is unknown why they are placed in the lowest pay band (5200-20200) with an X group pay of 1400 Rs. only. The civil diploma holders are directly placed in PB-2 with a Grade pay of 4200 Rs. It is felt that, this is gross injustice and discrimination towards the Technical Personnel of the IAF.

Further, a civil diploma engineer starts getting degree engineer’s scale in 10 to 12 years, after getting promoted to an Asst Engineer or an engineer, but for a Technical Airman, even to get a diploma engineer’s scale, he has to complete a minimum of 13 years of service, clears all the relevant exams and becomes a SGT (Supervisor), but does he get the diploma engineer’s scale then also?

You will be astonished to know the fact.

In 5th Pay Commission:

Civil diploma engineer: 5000-150-8000 /
Pay of technical SGT: 4670-85- 5945. Later upgraded to 5000-100-6500

In 6th Pay Commission:

Civil diploma engineer: 9300-34800 with a grade pay of Rs.4200
Pay of Technical SGT (fact but true) 5200-20200 with a Grade pay of Rs.2800 only.

Does this seem a sort of discrimination and injustice to Technical SGTs ?

There is nothing wrong in that to expect the pay anomalies should be removed by Pay Commissions

But the 5th and 6th Pay Commissions did not look into this matter. I had a great expectation that the 7th Pay Commission will ultimately take care of the Technical SGTs of the IAF, but as usual, it also did not remove the above mentioned pay anomalies. Why every Pay Commission has neglected the status and pay of the Technical Airmen of the IAF? There cannot be any argument that higher ranks deserve higher pays, but does that mean the subordinate staffs need to be suppressed and paid less? I request to the PMO and the competent bureaucrats please intervene at the earliest and remove the pay anomalies of the Technical Airmen of the IAF.

Now come to the point of Military Service Pay. What does that pay means? Commissioned officers 15500/-, military nursing officers 10800/- and the ranks, placed below the commissioned officers, only 5200/-? The subordinate ranks, including the JCOs, SGTs are less military than the military nursing officers? Do the JCOs, SGTs take command from any military nursing officer? During the war or exercise, will the military nursing officers guide the JCOs or the SGTs what to do? If no, then how a noncombatant staff will draw more MSP than the Combatant Personnel? Hence, MSP must be made equal for each and every combatant member of the armed forces.

It is requested the pay anomalies of the Technical Personnel of the IAF must be sorted out at the earliest