Postal staff to join October 30 strike - India

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http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/28/stories ... 150400.htm

HYDERABAD: About 45,000 employees of the Postal Department working in the State will join the nation-wide strike on October 30 called by the All-India State Government Employees’ Federation and Coordination Committee of Central, State and Public Sector Employees, Teachers and Workers.

The strike is against privatisation of the pension scheme and Government’s indifferent attitude to 12 demands of the employees, D.A.S.V. Prasad, convener, Federation of National Postal Organisations, AP Postal Circle, and M. Venkataramaiah, president, INTUC-affiliated employees’ union, said here on Saturday.

They said the main demand is appointment of a judicial commission (instead of the present retired officer) to look into the wage revision and service conditions of three lakh ‘Grameena Dak Sevaks’, who work for periods ranging from three to five hours a day.

The leaders demanded continuation of the old-age pension scheme, payment of Rs. 1,000 as interim relief pending implementation of Sixth Pay Commission, wage revision with effect from January 1 last year and lifting of five per cent cap on compassionate appointments. They wanted all those eligible for compassionate jobs to be accommodated.

Mr. Prasad urged the Centre to drop ‘privatisation/contractualisation’ and ‘casualisation’ of departmental services that not only deprive the jobless of opportunities, but also resulted in exploitation of staff.