Extra-departmental employees in the Department of Posts staged a dharna on the Head Post Office premises here on Tuesday, demanding an official status of ‘grameen dak sevaks’.
The dharna was organised by the Belgaum division of the All-India Postal Extra Departmental (Grameen Dak Sevak) Employees’ Union, under the leadership of the divisional president K.K. Deshpande and secretary R.V. Angadi.
The protesters submitted a memorandum to Suresh C. Angadi, MP.
No benefits
Mr. Angadi said the employees had been denied several benefits. He said their demands included official status of GDS to employees, regularisation of services, bonus of Rs. 3,500, implementing recommendations of the Group of Officers Committee on protection of TRCA, and the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, and granting promotions.
The union demanded the Centre withdraw the Gramin Dak Sevaks (Conduct and Engagement) Rules, 2011 and restore the Conduct and Service Rules, 1964.
In Dharwad
Dharwad Staff Correspondent writes:
The extra departmental employees in the Department of Posts launched an indefinite strike here on Tuesday, demanding fulfilment of long-pending demands.
The strike was organised following a call by the All-India Postal Extra Departmental Employees’ Union to launch a nationwide agitation.
The union members who staged a dharna near the Head Post Office here condemned the delay tactics employed by the Centre in fulfilling their demands.
Their main demands were implementing the Supreme Court order dated Apirl 22, 1977 and recommendations of the Justice Talwar Committee report, which suggested regularising services of extra departmental employees, who work for more than five hours a day.
Their other demands included bonus for extra-departmental employees, appointing them as mail guard, postal assistant and MTS on seniority basis, and revision of pay scale.
Health scheme
They demanded that benefits of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna health insurance scheme be extended to extra departmental employees. The association has announced that the strike would continue till the government announced its decision in their favour.
