WHERE ARE THE
‘GOOD DAYS’ FOR GDS ….?
Three lakh Gramin Dak Sevaks of the Postal Department never
got justice from the Congress-led Govenrment. Hon’ble Supreme Court of India
in its land mark judgement (1977), Hon’ble Supreme Court Justice (Retd.) Shri
Singhal, Chairman, 4th Central Pay Commission in the report
submitted to Govt., Hon’ble Delhi High Court Justice (Retd.) Shri Caranjit
Talwar in the report submitted to Govt. have categorically stated that Gramin
Dak Sevaks are Civil Servants. Inspite of Shri Kapil Sibal, renowned Advocate
of Supreme Court becoming Communications Minister in the previous Congress-led
UPA Govt. nothing happened. GDS still remains as GDS, struggling to pull on
their day to day life and living in semi-starvation.
It is in this background, majority of the GDS welcome the
change of Govt. at Centre and their hope reached its zenith when Shri Narendra
Modiji became the Prime Minister of India and Shri Ravi Shankar Prasadji, a
renowned politician and legal luminary was sworn in as Communications Minister.
They expected and even today many of them do believe that their grievances will
be redressed and they will be granted civil servant status by the BJP-led NDA
Govt. and liberated from the clutches of poverty and abject penury and
sufferings. The words of our respected Prime Minister “achhe din aathe hai”
(good days are coming) – was really a solace to them just like any other
citizen of India and it rekindled their hopes.
But the developments that are taking place in the last four
months have cast shadows over their dreams. Minister, Communications & IT,
gave a reply in Parliament that the GDS are not Civil Servants, they are
part-time workers and they are having another source of income and the income
from GDS job is only a supplementary one. Same reply, same lines given by the
earlier Govt…!!! Their demand for inclusion under the purview of 7th
Central Pay Commission is also not accepted by Govt. History is repeating. The
stand taken by the Congress-led Govts from 1947 to 2014 is repeated by the new
Govt. also and the hope of getting justice from the new Govt. is fast fading.
To add to their misery, the recognized GDS Union is also
joined hands with the Govt. and Department and agreed for a separate Committee
for GDS.
We remember the opening remarks made by Justice Charanjit
Talwar in his report – “The weak and down trodden need protection”. But who is
there in the Govt to give us protection. Can we still expect justice from the
Govt….?
Only united and determined struggle of entire Postal &
RMS employees including Gramin Dak Sevaks can protect and save the Gramin Dak
Sevaks. NFPE & AIPEU GDS (NFPE) along with FNPO has taken a correct
decision to go for indefinite strike in 2015. The date of commencement of the
strike is declared in the Parliament March on 4th December
2014. 20,000 Postal and RMS employees including Gramin Dak Sevaks participated in the Parliament March.
Let us start preparation for the strike now onwards.
Let us fight for deciding our own destiny.