Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Grameena dak sevaks plan protest on December 10

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On the warpath: Rural postal employees taking out a procession on Mahatma Gandhi (Bandar) Road in Vijayawada on Sunday

VIJAYAWADA: Leaders of Grameena Dak Sevaks Ikya Vedika on Sunday gave a call to postal employees working in rural sector to participate in large numbers in the proposed ‘Chalo Delhi’ protest programme on December 10 and make it a grand success.

Addressing a gathering of 4,000-odd ‘grameena dak sevaks’ (rural postal workers) at the Grameena Dak Sevaks’ Garjana held at the Railway Institute hall, the leaders took objection to the recommendations made by the one-man Natarajan Murthy Committee, which was constituted to look into the woes of grameena dak sevaks. They said the recommendations made by the panel were against the interests of the fraternity and, therefore, the Government must scrap the committee.

They said it was ironical that the committee constituted to look into the basic needs of the postal employees working in villages had put forth proposals that were detrimental to their interests.

Demanding departmental status for grameena dak sevaks, they also urged trade union leaders to take up their cause and declare an indefinite strike call on behalf of the neglected community.

State general secretary of the Ikya Vedika, K. Venkatswamy, said as part of intensification of the protest, the ‘Chalo Delhi’ protest would see grameena dak sevaks demonstrating before Jantar Mantar for four days in a row to bring pressure on the Centre. Following the conclusion of the Garjana, the leaders submitted a memorandum to Krishna district Collector N. Sridhar. The organisation’s national convener N.V. Raghavendra, Ikya Vedika founder D. S. Nageswara Rao, advisors Kameswara Rao, Nagendra Babu, Ghosh, Ramaiah and others participated.

GUNTUR: The Natarajan Murthy Commission Report would spell doom for the strongest public sector organisation bringing it on the verge of privatisation, said former MP Nilotpal Basu here on Sunday.

Addressing 3,000 members of All India Postal Employees Union Group-C on the Acharya Nagarjuna University Campus, he said about 140 recommendations made by the panel would close down all the rural post offices numbering 1.27 lakh out of a total of 1.55 lakh in the country. "This was indirectly closing down all the post offices and privatising the postal services, which will directly affect postal employees’ future," Mr. Basu opined.

Seeking immediate rise in minimum wages for the postal employees from current Rs.7,200 to Rs.10,000 per month, he said that all the posts falling vacant due to retirement were not being filled and existing employees were being burdened with extra work like NREGS, LIC and all new schemes being launched by Government. The three-day conference began on Sunday and would conclude on Tuesday on the campus at which the employees have taken a decision to go ahead with an agitation from January first week if their demands were not met by the year-end.

The Postal Savings Accounts had Rs.30-crore accounts also and in the rural areas the savings was Rs.12 crore in post offices, while the entire value of assets with the department was Rs.55,000 crore, said KNN Kutty All India General Secretary.

State Postal Employees Union General Secretary M. Krishnan wanted government to desist from corporatising the posts department and reminded all the members that it was the strong trade union in the department that had slowed down privatisation and FDI proposals.

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Grameena dak sevaks plan protest on December 10

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