M A I N   N E W S

Postal strike partially off
2 unions agree with Paswan, 3rd to continue stir

NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (PTI) — Two of the striking postal employees’ unions tonight called off their 13-day countrywide stir with immediate effect following a settlement with the government on their demands for a wage revision while a third union representing the National Federation of Postal Employees (NFPE) announced that it would continue the stir.

Emerging from the four-hour negotiations between the unions and Communication Minister Ram Vilas Paswan here, Mr G. K. Padmanabhan, secretary-general of the Federation of National Postal Organisation, and Mr V. S. Yadav, secretary-general of the Bharatiya Postal Union, told reporters that they had decided to withdraw the strike following an agreement with the government on their demands.

However, the deputy secretary-general of the NFPE, Mr R. L. bhattacharya, said his federation was not happy with the settlement and would press ahead with the stir.

Mr Paswan said a social security benefit scheme, a major demand of the strikers, for extra departmental agents would be formulated in consultation with the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and the unions.

He assured that genuine demands, including higher pay scales and time-bound promotion, of the unions would receive government attention.

“I will urge the Group of Ministers to examine the unions’ demand for higher scales of pay in time-bound promotional cadres of postman, mailguard and postal/sorting assistant with an open mind and decide the issue on merit in a time-bound manner,” the minister said.

While the two federations have already communicated to withdraw the strike with immediate effect:”I am expecting a favourable announcement from the third federation (NFPE) which decided to meet tomorrow to take a final decision,” he said.

Mr Paswan said the government also agreed to undertake cadre review in respect of postal accounts and mail motor service cadres while agreeing to discuss the issues relating to casual labours as head mail peons separately.

“The demand of Railway mail peons will be discussed separately with the Postal Board,” he added.

Mr Yadav said: “we cannot sustain the strike in the light of the Delhi High Court order and there has to be a compromise.” He admitted that the final proposal may not be able to satisfy all.

He said the decision to withdraw the strike with immediate effect had been taken keeping in mind the Delhi High Court’s verdict and difficulties being faced by the general public. His views were also endorsed by Mr Padmanabhan.