2 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
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 to 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, Al PEU-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.
