MEETING WITH HON'BLE COMMUNICATION SHRI KAPIL SIBAL JEE, HELD ON 29.3.11 REGARDING GDS ISSUES WITH SATISFACTORY ASSURANCE DETAIL CIRCULAR FOLLOWS SHORTLY
WE ARE REPRODUCING THE MEMORUNDAM BELOW
GDS/CHQ/4/3/2011 Dated: 29.03.2011
To
Shri Kapil Sibal Jee,
Hon'ble Minister for Communications & IT
Government of India
Electronic Niketan, 6 CGO Complex,
Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110001
Respected Sir,
With deep respect and humility, we venture to seek a bit of your precious time to submit herewith a brief memorandum on the pressing and burning problems of Gramin Dak Sevak employees of the Department of Posts.
We earnestly believe that the issues will receive your sympathetic consideration for long impending solution. Our belief is based on the concrete foundation that the issues need a judicious and political touch at the hands of one of the most renounced jurists of the land.
With profound regards,
Yours faithfully,
DA: one Memorandum
(S.S.MAHADEVAIAH)
GENERAL SECRETARY
MEMORANDUM
Background: The Gramin Dak Sevaks are the employees of the Department of Posts who are responsible for maintaining and providing communications services to rural India. We are aware that the Government has been laying special stress on rural uplift. On this score, Communication is going to be of vital importance. It is heartening to note that the Department of Posts has recognized this well in time and there is a proposal for updating rural post offices ¼Branch Post Offices½ by connecting them with internet. But the employees in these Post Offices i.e., Gramin Dak Sevaks have long been victims of discrimination. The three lac Gramin Dak Sevaks believe that a great jurist at the helm of affairs will do justice on the principle of right to equality provided in the Constitution of India.
2. Justice Talwar Committee Recommendations: While other Committees on service conditions and related matters have been constituted under Chairmanship of bureaucrats, it was in 1995 that a Committee under Justice Chranjit Talwar, retired Judge of Delhi High Court was constituted. Based on the three judge judgment of the Supreme Court of India in Rajamma's case (SC, 1977½ Justice Talwar Committee recommended equality in status as civil servants and pay scales on the basis of work hours, while the commendations of this judicial committee were mainly neglected, a few were hugely abridged before implementation.
A Committee under Sri Natarajamurthy, a retired bureaucrat has tried and infact, over ruled the findings of justice Talwar. It has, therefore, become necessary to revisit the recommendations of Justice Talwar Committee in the light of several judgments of the Supreme Court for necessary action.
Your good self, may kindly consider this aspect and pass judicious orders.
3. Discrimination in bonus ceiling: The ceiling on pay and allowances for grant of bonus to employees has been fixed at Rs.3500/- irrespective of pay. This applies to Gramin Dak Sevaks as well. But the Department of Posts has unreasonably and arbitrarily reduced this ceiling to Rs.2500/-.
You may graciously and judicially view this discrimination and remove the injustice.
4. Tightening of norms for assessment of work hours: We need hardly emphasize that the condition of business in rural post offices is different from this prevailing in urban areas. The department of posts has abruptly and arbitrarily raised the quantum of cash handling from Rs.1000/- to Rs.20,000/- for one point and stamp sales amount to Rs.900/- from Rs.45/- Besides work done in payment of MNREGS is ignored. This works to be detriment of the BPMs and has to be revised.
Your honour may kindly order modification of tightened norms to be practicable and in consultation with this Union.
5. Curtailment in promotional avenues: In the recently made Recruitment Rules for Postman, the already scanty promotional avenues of the Gramin Dak Sevaks have been further curtailed by 25%. We have submitted reasoned views on this issue to the Secretary, Department of Posts (a copy enclosed as Annexure-I). The said Recruitment Rules need to be modified in the light of our suggestions.
Your honour may kindly pass necessary orders.
6. Compassionate appointments: In the recently circulated yard sticks for recruitment on compassionate grounds on death in harness while the same are faulty and not based on facts, this will abridge this small benefit of Gramin Dak Sevaks and abnormally delay such recruitment defeating the very purpose. We have submitted detailed note on the issue to the Secretary, Department of Posts ¼a copy enclosed as Annexure-II).
Your honour may kindly cause suitable amendment as proposed by us.
7. Grant of Trade Union facilities: The ED Agent ¼Recognition & Association½ Rules, 1995 are verbatim reproduction of the CCS ¼Recognition of Service Associations½ Rules, 1993 and other related orders are the same. But our Union has not been granted any trade union facility. Not even the facility of Foreign Service at our own cost and no special casual leave to attend organizational meetings or meetings with administration. This is highly arbitrary and unjustified.
Your honour may graciously consider the issue and order that minimum trade union facilities are granted to ensure proper functioning of the Union.
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S.S.Mahadevaiah
General Secretary
All India Postal Extra Departmental Employees Union