TWO DAYS POSTAL STRIKE
ON
9th & 10th NOVEMBER 2016
Confederation National Secretariat calls upon all C-O-Cs and Affiliated organisations to extend full support and solidarity to the Postal employees strike and Conduct demonstrations on 9th & 10th in front of important Postal/RMS offices.
M. Krishnan
Secretary General
Confederation
Mob: 09447068125
E-mail: - mkrishnan6854@gmail.com
AN INJURY TO ONE
IS AN INJURY TO ALL
THE WEAK AND DOWNTRODDEN NEED PROTECTION
The Government of India decided to
extend the benefit of enhancement of bonus calculation ceiling from 3500 to
7000, to Central Government employees also, in the wake of 2016 September 2nd General strike, in which this was an important demand of the
Confederation of Central Government Employees & Workers and NFPE. Orders
enhancing the ceiling to 7000/- was issued by Government of India on 29th
August 2016 with retrospective effect from 01-04-2014. i.e; from Financial year
2014-15. Payment of arrears for the year 2014-15 was made to the departmental
employees in the month of September 2016 itself.
Unfortunately, the benefit of
enhanced bonus calculation ceiling is not extended to three lakhs Gramin Dak
Sevaks till this date. They have neither been paid arrears for 2014-15 nor the
enhanced bonus for 2015-16 also. Each GDS employee has suffered a loss of Rs.
14,000 for two financial years on account of limiting the bonus to the old
ceiling of 3500. There is no convincing or valid reason for denial or delay in
payment of enhanced bonus to Gramin Dak Sevaks.
Last time, the Nataraja Murthy
committee’s recommendation had resulted in denial of enhancement of bonus
calculation ceiling from 2500 to 3500. Nataraja Murthy has recommended that GDS
should be paid only 50% of the bonus of regular employees, as their
productivity is only 50% of full time employees. Government accepted this
recommendation and refused to grant enhanced bonus calculation ceiling of
3500/- to GDS, Against this decision of the Government NFPE, AIPEU-GDS and
Postal Joint Council of action conducted series of agitational programes
including strike and finally Government approved 3,500/- bonus calculation
ceiling to GDS also. Thus the issue was settled once for all and there is no
need of raising any doubt by the Postal Board, this time.
But, surprisingly, the Postal Board
instead of issuing orders for grant of enhanced bonus to GDS referred the issue
to GDS Committee. Fortunately, unlike Nataraja Murthy (a sadist officer who
snatched away many of the benefit of GDS through his most retrograde and
inhuman recommendations), the present GDS committee Chairman Shri Kamalesh
Chandra (Retired Postal Board Member) submitted a reasonable, balanced and
judicious recommendation to the Postal Board. In his recommendation Shri
Kamalesh Chandrahas made it clear that the difference between the revenue
generated by Branch Post Offices (GDS) and the expenditure incurred for running
the BOs is only 200 Crores, where as the total deficit of the Department of
Posts is more than 6000 crores. That shows that major portion of the loss of
the Postal Department is not due to GDS system. He recommended that as the
productivity of GDS is equal or in some cases more than departmental employees,
GDS are eligible for enhanced bonus ceiling of Rs.7000/-.
Inspite of this unambiguous
recommendation, the Postal Board refused to issue orders. Instead, it has
referred the file for approval of Finance Ministry. Now the file is pending
with Finance Ministry. More than two months are over, after the Government
issuing the enhanced bonus calculation ceiling order. Three lakhs GDS are
totally disappointed and their anger and protest is increasing day by day.
Grave injustice is done to the GDS and it cannot be tolerated.
There are 5.5 lakhs employees working
in the Postal Department, out of that 2.75 lakhs are Gramin Dak Sevaks. Denial
of enhanced bonus to 50% of the work force is a clear case of discrimination.
It is not a case of GDS alone.
In a family if somebody is affected, then it
becomes the issue of all members of the family. Every member of the family
shall stand together to help the affected member and to resolve the problem.
Here also, the problem of GDS who are the most oppressed and down-trodden
section of the Postal department is the problem of all. An injury to one is an
injury to all.
It is in this background, Postal JCA comprising NFPE, FNPO,
AIPEU-GDS & NUGDS has decided to organise two day’s nationwide strike on
9th & 10th November 2016, demanding:
(1) enhanced bonus to GDS; and
(2)
payment of arrears of revised wages from 01-01-2006 to all casual labourers.
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