HIGHLIGHTS FROM HEADQUARTERS
GDS FINAL PROPOSALS ARE STILL TO GO TO FINANCE MINISTRY – DEPARTMENT'S PROPOSALS ARE UNDERGOING JS&FA SCRUITINY STILL – ALL INDIA POSTAL JCA IS GIVING A LETTER ON MONDAY TO SECRETARY [P] FOR EXPEDITING IMPLEMENTATION
MINISTRY OF FINANCE ORDERS ON SANCTION OF 6% DA FROM 1.1.2009 HAS BEEN RELEASED – DEPARTMENT OF POSTS ENDORSEMENT ORDERS LIKELY ON MONDAY
3 ACP ORDERS – DOPT HAS SOUGHT ELECTION COMMISSION PERMISSION – REPLY FROM ELECTION COMMISSION AWAITED
NFPE DELEGATION MET MEMBER [P] AND URGED FOR ORDERS ON GROUP D FIXATION OF HIGHER PAY / TRAINING; CASUAL/PART TIME FIXATION OF HIGHER PAY ETC
NFPE ADDRESSED A LETTER TO SECRETARY FOR EXPEDITING IMPLEMENTATION OF MOC ORDERS ON 14 DAYS STRIKE LEAVE
TRANSFER OF INTERNATIONAL SURFACE MAILS FROM FOREIGN POST TO APSO OPPOSED BY NFPE
OUTSOURCING OF DELIVERY WORK IN SPEED POST PREMIUM CENTRES OPPOSED BY NFPE
ENTERTAINING THE WORK OF DATE COLLECTION FOR COMPUTING RURAL PRICE INDEX FOR CALCULATING RURAL DA FORMULA BY THE DEPARTMENT OF POSTS IS ALSO OPPOSED BY NFPE
NFPE CALLS UPON THE RANK AND FILE TO CARRY ON A POWERFUL CAMPAIGN FORTNIGHT AS DECIDED UPON BY THE FEDERAL SECRETARIAT FROM 16.03.2009 TO 30.03.2009 TO FOCUS ON THE URGENT CHARTER OF DEMANDS
Dear Comrades!
- The implementation of GDS Committee recommendations is still not happening. We were assured that before the election announcement the implementation would be done. The matter is still pending before the JS&FA in spite of the fact that the Department has finalised the proposals. The General Elections have been announced. We were earlier assured by the Secretary [P] that the code of conduct of elections would not affect our implementation of the GDS Committee Report. The three lakhs of GDS all over the country are frustrated. We are aware of their frustration. The matter was therefore consulted between the Postal JCA and a letter to Secretary [P] would be given seeking steps for immediate implementation. The letter to be handed over to Secretary [P] on Monday is as follows:
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF POSTAL EMPLOYEES
1ST Floor, North Avenue Post Office Building, New Delhi – 110001
FEDERATION OF NATIONAL POSTAL ORGANISATIONS
T-24, Atrul Grove Road, New Delhi - 110001
Postal JCA/2009 Dated 14th March 2009
To
Ms. Radhika Doraiswamy
Secretary
Department of Posts
Dak Bhawan
New Delhi – 110001
Sub: Implementation of GDS Committee recommendations – reg.
Madam,
The Staff Side conveys the anguish and disillusionment of three lakhs of Gramin Dak Sewaks over the non-implementation of GDS Committee recommendations. The Staff Side was assured many times that the GDS Committee recommendations would be implemented before the announcement of General Elections, which is yet to happen.
Both the Federations have learnt that the proposals of the Department are being studied by the JS&FA for the past three weeks. The election schedule has been announced. The entirety of the Gramin Dak Sewaks is justifiably restive. In short the 50% of work force of the Postal Department is unhappy and on the verge of total frustration. No doubt the efficiency of the rural postal services would be dented in the backdrop of total disillusionment amongst the rural postal employees.
Our Federations would like to seek your personal intervention in ensuring the quick processing of the issue at all levels for implementation at the earliest. We hope you would appreciate our concerns and would cause all necessary action for quick implementation.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
[D.Theagarajan] [K.Ragavendran]
Secretary General Secretary General
FNPO NFPE
- Ministry of Finance Orders on sanction of 6% DA from 1.1.2009 has been issued on 13.03.2009. The endorsement orders by the Department of Posts are likely on Monday. The order will be effective from the Pay of March 2009 and the arrears for January and February also is ordered not to be paid before the Pay Day for March 2009.
- According to our information the Director JCA has sent a letter to the Election Commission seeking permission for the release of the ACP Orders. The reply is not yet received from the Election Commission. We are watching the development eagerly. As soon as the Orders are issued we would place the highlight in our websites.
- NFPE Delegation consisting of Comrades K.Ragavendran [SG NFPE]; K.V.Sridharan [GS P3]; Ishwar Singh Dabas [GS P4]; Giriraj Singh [GS R3] met the Member [P] last week and discussed certain urgent problems. The issue of long pending OTA and personal claims in all circles was discussed in detail. Member [P] invited the DDG [PAF] and the Director [SR] also to our discussion and assured to seriously analyse the whole issue. On the issue of Group D fixation of higher pay on training, we pointed out that we were told earlier that fixation would be given first and training would be imparted later. Member [P] told that the matter is being addressed seriously and we can expect the results quickly. We also brought to his notice that the issue of revised wages to Casual and Part time contingent etc is pending before the JS&FA for long and the delay is causing hardship to all. He assured to look into the matter.
5. Even though the Order for conversion of 14 days strike period as EL was issued by the Directorate at the behest of the Honourable Minister of Communications & IT and all employees are asked to submit their applications forms, actual fund allotment has not taken place yet. Letter written to the Secretary [P] urging early allocation of funds for facilitating conversion to the officials and pensioners by the NFPE is reproduced below:
PF- 12(c ) / 2009 Dated 12th March 2009
To
Ms. Radhika Doraiswamy
Secretary
Department of Posts
Dak Bhawan
New Delhi – 110001
Sub: Early implementation of orders of Honourable MOC&IT for conversion of 14 days of year 2000 Indefinite Strike as eligible Earned Leave – reg.
Ref: DOP No.10-12/2007-SR Dated 27.10.2008.
Madam,
This Federation is surprised to find out that the orders under reference issued at the behest of the Honourable Minister of Communications & IT as a one-time measure for converting the 14 days strike period of Indefinite Strike of year 2000 into eligible EL are inordinately delayed implementation except for collecting information about the number of officials who want conversion to make the budgetary provision.
More over there are many cases wherein officials who retired from service without the minimum 9 years 9 months mandatory service for getting entitled to Pension. The implementation of the above orders would benefit many of such officials become entitled to pension. The representations from such officials with their requisition for conversion of strike period into EL are also kept pending to cause the families continued to suffer.
This Federation would therefore urge upon your personal intervention to cause immediate budgetary allocation for implementation of the orders for converting the period of 14 days strike into EL for all the eligible officials in general and to the retired officials in particular who are looking forward to the implementation of this order for obtaining entitlement for minimum pension.
An early action in this matter would receive high appreciation of all officials.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
Sd/-
[K.Ragavendran]
Secretary General
- NFPE has opposed strongly the transfer of the work of processing of international surface mails at APSOs instead of Foreign Post offices. We have conveyed that the employees of Foreign Posts all over the country are agitated over the unilateral orders. The letter addressed to Secretary [P] by NFPE is as under:
PF-43/2009 Dated 9th March 2009
To
Ms.Radhika Doraiswamy
Secretary
Department of Posts
Dak Bhawan
New Delhi – 110001
Sub: Transfer of processing of international surface mails to APSOs and
Cancellation of Surface Parcel Services– reg.
Ref: 1] DO letter No.10-1/2008-CF dated 16.02.2009 from Deputy Director
General [IR];
2] DOP No.28-1/2008-CF dated 15.12.2008
This Federation is astonished to find that a DO letter from the DDG [IR] dated 16.02.2009 had emanated to make sweeping changes in violation of Foreign Post Manual to transfer the work of processing of international surface mails from Foreign Post Offices to APSOs.
Similarly we find that an order from the Directorate has gone vide DOP No.28-1/2008-CF dated 15.12.2008 to the effect that we will no longer be providing a Surface Parcel Service for outward international parcels.
The international surface and SAL LC/AO mails are being processed by the Foreign Post Offices and the international Airmail is processed by the APSOs. In the name of streamlining the processing and optimizing the resources, the processing of international surface mails has been taken out of Foreign Post Offices despite the fact that the Foreign Post has the expertise the handle the international surface and SAL LC/AO Mails and that the contents of the DO letter has violated the Foreign Post Manual in this matter. Unnecessary redeployment of staff of foreign post to the RMS side is an off-shoot of this change that is adding to the woes of the staff.
The total cancellation of surface international parcel mails might affect our traffic since those members of public who could not afford to the Airmail Parcels will turn elsewhere for sending their parcels. We are unable to understand the rationale of withdrawal of an existing service to the public. In addition to the above this Federation is also constrained to oppose the decision of the Department to the effect the delivery of international Air / SAL parcels directly to the addressees from the entry TMO itself instead of through delivery post offices.
These orders in general and the order for transferring the processing of international surface mails from foreign post to APSOs in particular have caused greater unrest and resentment amongst the staff. Mass demonstrations etc are also reported. It is requested that the status-quo-ante be restored and the matter may kindly be subjected to our mutual discussions.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
[K.Ragavendran]
Secretary General
- NFPE also opposed the outsourcing contemplated in the Speed Post Premium Centres. The letter issued in this behalf is as follows:
To
The Secretary
Department of Posts
Dak Bhawan
New Delhi – 110001
Sub: Outsourcing in the Offices of Speed Post Premium Delivery Centres and other connected issues in running of Premium Centres.
Ref: DOP Order No.15-16/2007-BD&MD [Pt.II] Dated 6.11.2008
Sir,
This Federation is aware of the importance of efficient handling of speed post articles for delivery but would like to stress its view points on the following matters for appropriate consideration:
- The work load of each Speed Post Premium Delivery Centre should be scientifically assessed based on the number of Speed Post articles received for delivery and the number of speed postmen should be at least on the ratio of 100 articles per Postman. The number shall be reduced wherever the distance of the Speed Post Beat is large. These are necessary to sustain the performance level above bench mark.
- On the basis of the work load necessary posts of Postmen for Speed Post Delivery work should be deployed but no outsider or contract agents should be employed for carrying out the delivery work. Only regular postmen staff should be deployed. No outsourcing of any type in delivery work is to be resorted to by the department.
- As redeployment of some Postmen staff from different offices could not be avoided to prevent outsourcing of delivery work in speed post premium delivery centres, the resultant vacant posts of postmen should be managed only through the GDS and paid substitutes until recruitment of regular postmen against the vacancies is made. No outsourcing of delivery work through private agents should be resorted to.
This Federation urges on issue of suitable instructions to all the Circles in modification of the Directorate orders dated 6th November 2008 that speaks about entrusting the delivery work on contractual basis to agents, since outsourcing is not the desired direction that the department should prefer in order to get the total cooperation of the employees.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
Sd/-
[K.Ragavendran]
Secretary General
- NFPE is opposed to the computation of a separate Rural DA Formula decided upon by the Government. We have requested the JCM Staff Side and the Confederation to take appropriate action. Meanwhile as we learnt that the Department of Posts has expressed its consent to perform the permanent work of data collection on rural price index, we have opposed the decision on the grounds of staff shortage. The letter written by the NFPE is reproduced below:
PF- 51/2009 Dated 4th March 2009
To
The Secretary
Department of Posts
Dak Bhawan
New Delhi – 110001
Sub: Additional man power and filling up of all vacant posts before undertaking the work of rural price data collection by Department of Posts – reg
Sir,
This Federation is constrained to raise the following few points in the backdrop of the information that the Department of Posts had consented to the proposal of the Central Statistical Organisation [CSO] to undertake the work of Market Survey and Regular Price Collection for compilation of Consumer Price Index [Rural].
1. The Action Taken Report of the Technical Advisory Committee on Statistics of Prices and Cost of Living constituted by the Central Statistical Organisation [CSO] of Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation reveals that the Ministry of Labour did not agree to the suggestion of integrated market survey and regular price data collection and even some major States have expressed their inability to undertake the rural price data collection work due to shortage of manpower resources.
2. The above Action Taken Report also reveals that the Department of Posts had agreed to the proposal of the CSO for undertaking the above work of Market Survey and Regular Price Collection.
3. This Federation is surprised that as to how the Department of Posts can express consent to undertake such a meticulous and extensive work when our own Department is facing acute shortage of staff?
4. The Department of Posts is consistently losing man power. According to the Book of Information released by the Department of Posts the total Group C and D staff as on 31.03.1990 was 2,86,822 but has gone down to 2,15,585 as on 31.03.2007. This Department is also suffering from acute man power shortage but we have accepted the work without able to get the exemption from the Screening Committee to fill up all the vacant posts. More over there is no permission from the DOPT to create justified new jobs for such new Projects. Therefore such moves to add newer and newer commodities in the postal basket without any matching recruitment of new man power will only further cause deterioration in the efficiency of the basic postal operations.
5. Even if the idea of the Department of Posts is to depend upon the Gramin Dak Sewaks in rural areas to undertake this job, it is pertinent to note that such round the year work cannot be simply included to them without affecting the efficiency of the postal net work, since the GDS are supposed to work not full time as like regular employees and the Department has not accepted the recommendation of the Justice Talwar Committee for providing full time work for the Gramin Dak Sewaks is there is justification. More over there is heavy work load thrust on the GDS in the shape of RPLI and the burden is too much on them for some commission. Unless the policy of the Department of Posts is changed to allow the GDS to work full time wherever justified with appropriate full time wages, such responsible work cannot be entrusted to them as part time work or one more work on payment of some commission or incentive.
6. It is not out of place to mention that the Department of Posts has already launched a very ambitious scheme called the 'Project Arrow' and because of the shortage of staff the Project Arrow Offices are suffering heavily and the staff working there are put into unbearable work load. Moreover to man the shortage of Project Arrow offices, many non-Project-Arrow offices are kept under staffed. While the Department is struggling to maintain its own basic postal operations with full efficiency, why should we accept additional responsibilities on behalf of Central Statistical Organisations?
7. The Department of Posts is considering outsourcing of its own operations due to the rejection of our request for filling up all the vacant posts by excluding them from the ambit of the Screening Committee, which the Staff Side is opposed to. Already hundreds of Franchisees have been licensed to outsource the postal operations on the face of stiff opposition from the unions and staff. So when the department is unable to maintain its own operations and opts for outsourcing, what is the rationale in agreeing to undertake strenuous and meticulous work on behalf of organisations like Central Statistical Organisation which is not being accepted by even Ministry of Labour or the State Governments with more man power than us in rural areas?
Therefore, this Federation requests you to reconsider the stand taken in this matter and to take up this matter with the DOPT Secretary headed Committee for total exemption of Screening Committee to facilitate filling up all the 24000 vacant posts of regular employees and thousands of vacant GDS employees in rural areas as well as permission to create justified new posts to undertake all such new projects without affecting the efficiency of the basic postal operations.
This Federation is hopeful that the Department of Posts would agree with our view points and would opt to drop the idea of accepting any statistical collection work on behalf of the Central Statistical Organisation.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
Sd/-
[K.Ragavendran]
Secretary General
- NFPE Federal Secretariat has already called upon the entire rank and file of NFPE Organisations to organise A CAMPAIGN FORTNIGHT focussing the urgent 6 Charter of Demands. The demand of Non-fixation of revised wages to Casual / Part Time Contingent also may be added to the Charter and the Campaign be unleashed powerfully. This is election time and every voice of the workers would be observed by all. Our campaign would help us settlement of our justified demands if the campaign is intensive and extensive. The Charter of Demands on which the CAMPAIGN FORTNIGHT should be launched is as follows:
CAMPAIGN FORNIGHT FROM 16.03.2009 – 30.03.2009
CHARTER OF URGENT DEMANDS:
n Implement GDS Committee recommendations with the modifications sought by staff side without any delay.
n Issue orders for higher wages for Casual / Part Time Contingent immediately.
n Seeking intervention of the Honourable MOC&IT and the MOSC&IT for getting exemption from the purview of the Screening Committee for filling up the existing 24000 direct recruitment vacancies of 2005-2006; 2006-2007; and 2007-2008.
n Finalise Cadre Review for all cadres in department of posts.
n Stop the creation of Postmasters' Cadre.
n Supply full strength in Project Arrow Offices without creating shortage in other offices.
n No outsourcing of Postal Operations.
--
K.Ragavendran
Secretary General NFPE
