Postal services affected
Employees go on strike, pressing for 10-point charter of demands
Postal services were hit in the two districts as departmental staff –
clerks, post masters and postmen who were members of the National
Federation of Postal Employees (NFPE) went on a day’s strike, pressing
for 10-point charter of demands.
After the Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) – postal employees serving in rural
areas called off their week-long strike on Tuesday night, the
departmental staff struck work on Wednesday, in response to the call
given by NFPE, affiliated to the All India Postal Employees Union
(AIPEU).
Except head post offices in the two districts, most of the sub post
offices remained closed, sources said. Services such as deposits and
withdrawals under small savings remittance and withdrawal of money sent
from abroad and delivery of posts were affected, sources said.
P. Nagarajan and N. Arivazhagan, district president and secretary
respectively of the NFPE, said the strike was total in Ramanathapuram
district as most of the 57 sub-post offices in the district were closed.
Sources in postal department, however, said more than 20 sub-post
offices remained opened as employees who were members of the Federation
of National Employees Organisation did not join the strike.
In Sivaganga and Karaikudi divisions, the strike was total, G.
Nagalingam, Sivaganga division secretary of NFPE, said. Almost all the
38 sub-post offices in the division and most of the about 60 sub-post
offices in Karaikudi division remained closed, he said.
The employees were pressing for filling of vacancies such as postal
assistants, sorting assistants, mail guard and mail men. They demanded
that the GDS be given the status of civil servants and pay scales for
casual, part time, contingent and mazdoor workers be fixed in accordance
with Sixth and Seventh Pay Commissions.
They also demanded five working days in a week and scrapping of the new
pension scheme and fix 50% of the last drawn pay as the minimum pension.
Sources: The Hindu
