Editorial - December 2011

ON THE SADDLE AGAIN

No one can dare to dispute the fact today that there is great frustration amongst the Postal employees, due to the protracted delay and lethargic disposal of agreed demands in strike charter of July 2011. When we issued strike notice, the whole mechanism of Postal service had activated and worked. After called off the strike in the wake of definite assurances by the head of the department, again the red tapism and usual lethargy in disposing the genuine agreed demands is revived.

Secretary, Department of Posts & Member had agreed during the negotiations to reduce the cash norms to GDS from Rs. 20000/- to Rs. 10000/-. It was agreed for causing orders protecting full wages for GDS in cases of reduction of workload. It was assured that the casual labourers engaged prior to 1993 will be provided with new pay scales within a month and for others it will be considered subsequently. There are many such items, if you go through the agreement, you could see. Whether any of them was brought in to action by issue of orders?

The proposal of cadre review was mooted by us during 2008. Time frames have been fixed twice and the latest is before 30.10.2011. Two informal sittings were over. Thereafter, static silence is prevailing. When the Department initiated fifth cadre review for IPS officers now, will it not its duty to finalise the first cadre review for the poor Postal operative cadres. Will not the anger agony and anguish prevailing among the so called system administrators be felt by the powers?

It was the agreement that there will be no closure of RMS offices or post offices. This was reiterated more than thrice in all the recent three agreements. But the Chief PMG Maharashtra abolished two sections arbitrarily. The staff went on strike. When our leaders discussed with the Directorate, and in turn the senior officer telephoned the Chief PMG in the presence of them, he was replying that he will not restore and if need be he may be transferred from the circle. The Directorate replied what to do? If they could not control the circle head, what is the need for higher bodies and agreements and all those? Are they really not having teeth or is it an enactment of drama already decided to play to deceive us?

When there is an agreement that there will be no closure of Post offices and in case of inevitable circumstances simultaneous opening of post offices will be ensured, willfully, it is being denied by some PMGs for which there is no action or intervention from the Directorate. What prevented them to issue clear cut instructions on this score?

The Sub PM once punished with minor penalty is not entitled to work as SPM in whole career. No one shall be posted to one B/C class office as SPM more than once in whole career. All these orders are issued by vigilance section as preventive measures. Alright! Whereas the Chief PMG who involved in corruption and caught red handed by CBI is now reposted as Chief PMG, West Bengal with the same financial powers authorities and all privileges.  No such yardsticks as applied to postmasters are smeared to such officers. Even though it was agreed to cancel both the vigilance orders on SPM postings, nothing is moving so far because they are poor postal Assistants and not the bureaucrats.

For the first time, based on stiff position of the Hon’ble Minister, the cluster policy for officers was introduced in the Postal service. Now they are seeking opinions among the same officers about the same cluster policy. For what? Just to dilute or withdraw the same in favour of them. We are not objecting? Nor least bothered? But why not the same spirit is not being extended in causing orders in the cases of agreed items in the strike charter?

Training centers are institutions which will motivate the trainees and refresh them. What is going on PTC Madurai? A lady officer who is a sadist and not having an inch of humanity and very notorious for her topsy turvy activities is posted and ruining the atmosphere? The Nazi regime of Hitler is revived in the PTC and the authorities to control the atrocities and highhandedness are remaining as silent spectators. While posting in charges for training centers, is it not the prerequisite to select polite, gentle and firm officers who could motivate the staff with kindness and advices. Whether the training centers can be improved by the sadists and egoistic characterized persons?

In many divisions, Circles, the departmental orders and instructions are grossly violated. Many new recruited officers never care the Rules and regulations and simply dictate their dictums. There is no check on them. There is no refresher training to them on human management and the criterion to adhere the Government of India orders with consecrated look. Their topsy turvy activities are not being controlled by the Circle heads.

Without minding the cost of expenditure and inconvenience to staff, one PMG is opening post offices on Sundays just for booking two or three speed post articles. The counter working hours have been enhanced to 10 to 11 hours of a day. We don’t know whether he knows the concept of Night post offices. He never calculates the loss incurred due to opening of POs, staff, wages, electricity etc. This is nothing but to appear in the press daily with some new announcements which are all not worthy and lead loss to the department.

There are very many similar to these episodes. As the social Audit Panel and also the Fifth Pay Commission right pointed out that the existence of Director posts are white elephants, it is nothing but creating two power centers in region and the sufferers and victims are the employees at large. This is an introspection of the events and shape of things that are required to be judged in the right perspective.

Never – the – less, we are trying our level best not to resort to direct action and settle the issues by talks unless such an action is forced upon us callously by the powers – that – be. The present situation is entirely undesirable and it cannot be allowed. There can be no justification for continued increase in the misery of the workers due to protraction in settlement of their demand! We should not be pushed into wall once again to restart and revive agitational programmes.

Will the authorities understand our feelings and act swiftly to avert further action?