The postal workers have to meet the challenges posed and defeat the moves to undermine their interests and also to save the Postal as the Government department to serve the nation and the people. The Postal Directorate, without minding the service and consequences, has directed all the circle heads to complete the process of closure / merger / relocation of about 9797 post offices which constitutes around 40% of the departmental post offices in existence and at present are functioning in urban areas on the plea that they do not conform with the distance condition prescribed by the department for opening of new post offices. When all the roots are proposed to cut where is the question of growth in postal services?
When all private couriers and private companies are enlarging their branches to compete with our service in urban areas and opening more outlets, where is the need for such rationalization, optimization, or whatever name it was given? Will it not lead to cutting the roots while sitting on the top of the tree? Is the courier lobby penetrated into postal bureaucracy too in the name of optimization, rationalization in order to dismantle the present set up to pave way for their growth in the sector after amending the Postal Act and legalized their existence in the name of competition and efficiency?
When the private couriers are providing two to three times delivery daily in urban areas, our planners decided to curtail the number of deliveries and made it as one time delivery even in metro cities. Will it improve the delivery efficiency or lead to transfer the traffic to private couriers who are ensuring more number of deliveries in urban? Is it not the bare truth that after the creation of Speed Post Hub, more than 20% traffic fell down due to the delay in delivery of articles over 48 hours while comparing the previous system? The faith imposed on public about Speed Post delivery is totally eroded due to creation of this Hub.
Mckensy, the foreign consultancy is now dictating the terms and dictums’ to all Circle Heads for merger of sorting offices, creating delivery hubs etc. Many Circle heads are also expressing their inabilities to say the adverse effect of such moves to any one at higher echelon since no one incline to hear the views of field levels. Merger of Hyderabad and Secundrabad sorting offices is the glaring example for the topsy turvy decisions which was implemented without realizing the realities. There is a proposal to close down 108 sorting offices further in the days to come. There is no discussion with staff side and it has been sidelined.
When centralization is taking place in all finance sectors, the department is now proposing to decentralize the PLI and RPLI functions without minding the consequences as if witnessed after the decentralization of RD and MIS at SO levels. Induction of technology and providing on line facilities will always lead for centralization; whereas it is proposed to decentralize the postal accounts also.
Many issues discussed during July 2010 charters and also the agreed items in the JCM Departmental council are still remaining unsettled. There is no periodical meeting over nine months. The issue of cadre review though stated to be finalized before Dec 2010 is remaining static and we don’t know what the final proposal of the department is.
The revision of wages of the casual, contingent and part time employees as per the minimum of 6th CPC Pay is delayed over three years on one pre text or the other; whereas many of their services were indiscriminately outsourced and a large section of poor and downtrodden were sent out from the department mercilessly. Many facilities and privileges hitherto available for GDS were frozen and their long pending demands like status etc are still remaining as mirage. All this are making the poor and low paid employees more miserable.
We have to meet the challenges posed against us. It is the fight against the policy offensives of the Postal department under the principles of globalization. If the organization does not exist there is no question of employees and service unions. When there is a conspiracy to deviate and divert the postal from the Government department and attacks are coming one after another, we cannot remain as mute spectators and allow things to go as it is.
The postal workers possess the potential power, a reservoir of resources which can meet the challenges. The need is to bring to the surface the latent potentialities, to tap the resources. This and much more has to be done and that should be done immediately to resist the onslaughts.
The Postal JCA has given the Clarian call to march with various programme of action culminating to industrial action from 5.7.2011.It is we to don to mantle the battle dress and the front runner in the war. The unifying of all postal workers, organize them into well knit bands of soldiers, raise their morale to meet the challenges, strength derived by the unification of all forces, mobilization at all levels, preparation for the confrontation through phased programmes and ensuring the participation of entire postal workers are the forms and manner of meeting the challenges thrown on the postal workers.
by: aipeup3chq
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