Commitments to postal unions 'never honoured'

Mr. D. Gopalakrishnan, All-India Telegraph Traffic Employees' Union, Tamil Nadu Circle, Chennai, writes:

The Charanjit Talwar Committee, formed to study the service conditions of extra-departmental agents, observed that they were treated on the same footing as government servants in view of promulgation of the statutory rules under the proviso to Article 309 of the Constitution. The reasons why these rules were repealed and non-statutory P&T ED agents (Conduct and Service Rules) 1964 promulgated, have been found to be erroneous. The ED agents ought not to be treated as employees on a contract basis or on the basis that their employment is in the nature of contract.

The committee recommended that the ED system be changed into a `Rural Postal System' and the ED agents called `Rural Postal Employees' or `Gramin Dak Karamchari'. It also recommended that the ED agents be granted a pension of Rs. 610 a month (50 per cent of the regular employees' minimum pension as recommended by the Fifth Central Pay Commission).

Since the Government did not take any effort to implement these recommendations, the postal employees went on an eight-day strike in July 1998. On an assurance by the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, and the then Communications Minister, Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, in Parliament, the strike was withdrawn. But the Government did not honour its commitment. Again they served notice saying they would go on a two-day strike on December 21 and 22, 1998. The Communications Minister made a suo motu statement in Parliament on December 17, 1998 and the strike plan was dropped. After that the Government implemented certain recommendations of the committee. On upgradation of the pay scales of the cadres of higher selection grade, lower selection grade, postman, mail guard, group `D', steno, jr./sr. accountants and creation of HSG- I posts, an agreement was reached between the unions and the department on December 18, 1998. But as it was not honoured the employees again planned to go on strike from May 2, 2000 but the Government held negotiations and gave an assurance that all the issues would be settled within four months.

On May 1, 2000, the Communications Minister said he needed time to consult the Law and Finance Ministries. The postal leaders agreed to his request and withdrew the strike. The employees waited for seven months but the Government did not honour its commitments. Hence, the present strike.

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