What is “Hierarchy” ?

Generally we all know that the word ‘Hierarchy’ means ‘an arrangement of items’. The same word plays an important role among the government employees. An employee who gets promoted from lower pay-scale to higher pay-scale as a result of promotion, the formation of pay structure is called ‘Promotional Hierarchy’.

It is very normal that each and every central government employee is eager to get a promotion in his service. The advancement of an employee from one grade to another grade is called promotion. That pattern of pay structure for promotion, which gives one grade to another grade with pay range, is called ‘Promotional Hierarchy’.

In every central government departments, various staff are working together, but their pay differs. Promotion is provided on the basis of their own promotional hierarchy of category of post. Hierarchy is not common for all employees. It maintained ‘Basic Pay Structure’ for every category of post in every department. Even though, the same category of employees working in different departments, they may have also different promotional hierarchy.

Initially in 2008, 6th CPC had recommended the new Grade Pay structure for all Central Government employees, this formation also called ‘Hierarchy of Grade Pay’. This Grade Pay Hierarchy is common for all employees, but ‘Promotional Hierarchy’ will differ to each category. In 5th CPC, the order in pay structure was 3050, 3200, 4000, 4500, 5000, 5500, 6500.., but all the employees didn’t get promotion in this order. Every department has different pattern of pay structure for promotion. This is known as ‘Promotional Hierarchy’.

Erstwhile ACP Scheme was based on ‘Promotional Hierarchy’.

The Modified ACP Scheme is based on ‘Grade Pay Hierarchy’.

An employee getting promotion as per his ‘Promotional Hierarchy’, whereas an employee getting MACP upgradation as per ‘Grade Pay Hierarchy’. The Grade Pay has created many anomalies within a single cadre. Hence, all the Trade Unions and Federations summarily rejected and insisted that grade pay of the next promotional post to be granted under the new MACP Scheme instead of granting next higher grade pay in the revised grade pay hierarchy. One more alternative also given by staff side in MACP Core meeting held on 25.2.2010 that the first two MACPs after 10 and 20 years should be to the next promotional post as per the hierarchy of respective department as under the erstwhile ACP scheme and thereafter the third MACP in the next grade pay of the revised pay band and grade pay.

Finally, DOPT has ordered to send the necessary information in respect of specific categories of employees where the MACPS is less advantageous that the erstwhile ACPS. It is based on the discussion with the Staff Side in 3rd meeting of the Joint Committee of MACP Scheme held on 15.03.2011. It identified more in some departments like Railways, Defence, Urban development, Home affairs and Postal. 

Source: Extract of the posting in 

http://cgstaffnews.com