Seniority

  • Seniority means the relative position of a Railway employee in the cadre to which he belongs. Seniority may undergo certain changes in circumstances like promotion, transfer, punishments etc.

On initial Appointment

  • Direct recruits on joining a working post get seniority as per merit in recruitment panel.
  • When they undergo training in Training institute before joining working post, merit in training school determine the seniority. Those who join  the subsequent courses and those who pass the examination in subsequent chances will rank junior to those who had passed the examination before.
  • Those recruited on special quotas like sports etc. get seniority based on the date of appointment.
  • When the date of joining is same for two or more employees those who born earlier will rank senior.
  • Among direct recruits and departmental promotees seniority will be as per the date of joining, but their in between seniority will not be disturbed.

Promotion

  • For selection based posts seniority will be based on merit position in the panel.
  • For non-selection posts original seniority in the lower post will be maintained among promotees.

On Transfer

  • On Administrative Grounds – Seniority will not be affected on Transfer on Administrative Grounds.
  • Own request to a new seniority unit – lowest position on the date of joining in new unit.
  • Mutual Transfer – both will get seniority of junior.
  • To headquarters of new Zones – Seniority is fixed based on the length of non-fortutious service in Group C & D staff in regular grade as on date new Zone starts functioning. After cut-off date it will be transfer on request with bottom seniority.

Penalties

  • Reduction to a lower grade – Above all the persons in the lower grade.
  • On completion of penalty the employee get original position unless otherwise ordered.
  • Withholding of increment does not affect seniority.

Change of Category

  • On Administrative Grounds – Seniority will be carried.
  • Own request– lowest position on the date of joining in new cadre.
  • Medically decategorised Railway employee – Length of service in equivalent or higher grade will determine seniority.

Group A services

  • Seniority of officers of Indian Railway Services, Group 'A' recruited by UPSC upto 1985 Examination batch and Special Class Railway Apprentices (SCRA) upto 1982 batch, shall count from the date they commence earning increments in the regular scale as Junior Scale Officers in Group 'A' subject  to the condition that the inter-se seniority of officers in each service recruited as probationers in a particular year shall be regulated by their place in the order of merit.
  • Seniority of UPSC recruited officers from1986 Examination batch and Special Class Railway Apprentices (SCRA) from 1983 batch, shall count from the date they commence earning increments in the regular scale as Junior Scale Officers in Group 'A' subject to the condition that the inter-se seniority of officers in each service recruited as probationers in a particular year will be regulated by their place in the order of merit, which shall be determined on the basis of marks obtained by them during the probationary training and at the competitive examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (Apprenticeship training in the case of SCRA). For this purpose, the marks obtained in the  competitive examination conducted by UPSC (Apprenticeship training in the case of SCR As) and those obtained during probationary training shall be reduced/ increased to the base of 2050 and 1250 respectively.
  • Provided further that if two or more probationers have secured equal number of marks in the aggregate, their order of merit shall be the order of their dates of birth, the older ranking senior.
  • In case of Group B officers promoted to Group A 50% of period of Group B services is added to date of promotion to Group A subject to maximum 5 years and this benefit is given retrospectively.

Seniority Lists

  • Seniority Lists for each category and Grade are mainitained by cadre controlling office and circulated to all concerned. Lists should be kept upto date.

Seniority of Staff in merged grades due to Promotions made between date of effect and date of implementation of recommendations of 6th CPC

  • Promotions made between 01.01.2006 to 04.09.2008 (date of implementation of 6th CPC on Railways) will be protected as the same were made as per the provisions of statutory rules existing at that time. Seniority of government servant which existed on 04.09.2008 will be maintained. i.e., the holder of post having higher pay scale or post which constituted promotion post for the posts in the feeder grade, will rank enblock senior to those holding post having lower pay scale or the posts in feeder grade.
  • Within the same pre-revised pay scale, seniority which existed prior to revision would continue.
  • Where recruitment for the posts in different pre-revised pay scale(s) was initiated separately for each posts, prior to acceptance of recommendations of 6th CPC, i.e., prior to 04.09.2008 but selected individual joined duty on or after 05.09.2008 in the revised pay scale(s) against the posts which have been granted same Grade Pay, such staff will be assigned seniority enbloc below those who were in position as on 04.09.2008.

 

References:

  1. Indian Railway Establishment Manual Chapter 3
  2. Copy of Board's letter No. E(O)I/99/SR-6/2 dt.28.2.03 (RBE No.23/2003).