CHITTOOR NFPE: April 2018

ALL INDIA POSTAL EMPLOYEES UNION GROUP 'C'

CHQ: 2151/1, D. G. Bhawan, New Patel Road, N. D.- 110008

Ref: P/4-4/Demands Dated – 05.03.2018

To,

Shri. A. N. Nanda,

Secretary

Department of Posts,

Dak Bhawan New Delhi – 110001

Sir,

Sub: - Undue and arbitrary delay in considering the staff problems pertaining to Group ‘C’

This union is constrained to bring it to your kind notice that despite various correspondences and discussions, there is not even an inch improvement in major problems pertaining to the Group ‘C’ cadre. Even the assured items in the earlier meetings have not been resolved till now.

Many issues raised by this union remain unsettled over years together. The Central Working committee meeting of this union held at Patna on 26.02.2018 & 27.02.2018, after thread bare discussions has resolved to submit the details of pending issues to your kind notice for immediate settlement and in the event of non-settlement, it was decided organize action programme culminating to direct action shortly.

The issues in which there is no settlement or improvement so far are compiled in the form of charter of demands is enclosed along with this letter.

It is pertinent to say that we have been forced to launch programme of action despite the fact that we intend peace and amity purely due to the lethargic and protracted delay in disposal of staff grievances and demands by the Directorate.

It is requested to intervene and settle the problems contained in the Charters to ensure industrial peace and tranquility.

May I seek your response Sir,

With profound regards,

DA: as above

Yours sincerely,

(R.N.Parashar)

General Secretary

Copy to: -

Director (SR & Legal) for information & N/A

Secretary General, NFPE

Com. J.Ramamurthy, President, CHQ

All CHQ office bearers/Circle secretaries

Press

CHARTER OF DEMANDS

PART - 1

1. (a) Fill up all vacant posts of PA Cadre

(b) Fill up all vacant posts of HSG-I, HSG-II before implementation of cadre restructuring after giving one time relaxation in recruitment rules.

2. Implement CSI after RICT and after developing proper infrastructure.

3. Stop harassment and victimization under contributory negligence factor, trade union victimization, in the name of implementation of new schemes and to achieve unscientific targets.

4. Stop outsourcing, privatization and contractorization.

5. Declare result of membership verification.

PART -2

1. Grant of higher pay at entry level to Postal Assistants to the Pay level of 6 as per 7^th CPC

(Rs.4200 GP) and subsequent higher levels to LSG, HSG II, HSG I & NFG. (Due to two contradictory recommendations made to 7^th CPC by the Dept, this demand has not been considered by the 7^th CPC. Further, when the educational qualification has been revised as Graduation in the RR 2017, the minimum pay has to be revised as eligible to the educational standard i.e, Level 5 or 6.

2. Immediate settlement of residual problems arisen due to implementation of cadre review. (The LSG shall be divisionalised and the promotions to HSG II & HSG I can be accorded based on the PA Gradation list at circle level. At present, the IPs are promoted to Group B without linking to the seniority of ASPOs. It will alone minimise the dislocation and filling up of vacancies in the PA cadre. One time relaxation to fill up the HSG II & HSG I posts must be obtained and all the posts shall be filled up forthwith. Similarly the minimum required service to HSG II & HSG I shall be restored to old status quo ante position. Ie. 3 years.

3. Stop implementation of CSI Roll out and Rural ICT. The following must be ensured before the implementation of the same.

i. Implement the remaining projects after full testing in the testing environment successfully and problems faced are redressed. Adequate peripherals required for CSI shall be ensured first. The CSI software should be modified as a user friendly and should not be a cumbersome creating tension to the staff at workplace.

ii. Stop all the pending implementation of the projects forthwith and take confidence of the service unions /staff before implementation.

iii. Network connectivity should be improvised depending on the status of the office. Both the NSP I & II must be ensured working.

iv. All the officials especially the women staff should not be detain in the office beyond working hours in the name of system failure, network failure etc., for completing day to day work.

4. Fixing of unrealised targets and put the staff under pressure mental stress. Threatening the staff at field level must be stopped forthwith. Compelling the officials to open split accounts which is against to the Dte. order must be arrested.

5. Posting of additional hand to all the single handed offices. The present software is having doer and checker provisions which cannot be managed by a single staff at the same time. All single handed offices should be provided with one hand immediately.

6. Enhancement of quota for appearing Group B examination by General line officials. The Department unilaterally revised the Group B Recruitment Rules in which all the postal cadres can appear for the 6% vacancies which was earlier the exclusive privilege of the Postal Assistant and LSG. They have not increased the percentage which was assured at the time of introducing direct recruitment to the IP cadre to the extent of 33%.

7. Irregular commutation of LR strength. It is observed that LR strength of all categories is being calculated on the ratio of 10% of the operative staff and this is being confirmed during the negotiations held with the Staff Side during the strike charter demands. Whereas while referring the P&T Manual Volume IV under Chapter I general rule 18-1, the following ratio has been fixed for commutation of leave reserve in the P&T Department. Administrative offices 14%.As per Rules 249 in Chapter 8 envisages the percentage of leave reserve in post offices to be maintained as 17% and in RMS 20%.

8. Compelling local trainees to stay in hostels in PTCs – regarding -Postal Training Centre, is
compelling the officials deputed for training from the local and neighbouring divisions to stay in the hostel during the training period. There is no need to compel the local trainees to stay in hostels and they can be allowed to attend the training classes from their residences and it will reduce the TA expenditure to the department also. The women employees who are local residents are facing untold hardships due to this insistence.

9. Imposing unjustified conditions for appearing IP Examination for the departmental quota vacancies. The following conditions were put forth by the Department vide letter no. A 34012/7/2012-DE dated 07.06.2012 for appearing in the IP examination which are detrimental and also against to the existing provisions in appearing Departmental examinations.

(i) No disciplinary action is pending or contemplated against the applicant.

(ii) No punishment is current against the applicant.

(iii) No adverse entry in the APAR/ACR in the last two years.

Based on the above, the applications submitted by many officials have not been entertained this time, merely for contemplation of Disciplinary proceedings. No promotions can be withheld in such cases. As such denial of appearing promotional examination is highly deplorable and will tantamount to the denial of Fundamental rights to this officials. Even the procedure of sealed cover is available for promotion. The new clause of adverse entry for last two years is nowhere in the earlier rules and it is against to the interest of the officials.

10. Grant of special allowance to the System administrator to the extent of Rs.2000 Pm . Their work is more ardent and tension in nature. It was agreed in 2008 to grant special allowance to these officials where as we demanded for creation of separate cadre at that time.

11. Cadre review of Postmaster cadre – We are demanding to merge both the general and Postmasters cadre in single line and the existing Postmasters Grade I shall be placed to HSG II. Grade II to HSG I & Grade III to NFG and accordingly the number of posts in supervisory cadre may be enhanced. Similarly the post of Senior Postmaster shall be filled up with the Postmaster Grade III officials without any delay.

12. Grant of Officiating Pay with all consequential benefits for staff officiated in higher vacancies: If an official possessing five years’ service and officiated in LSG Posts he must be granted higher pay; similarly the LSG officials officiating in HSG II & HSG I posts. Clear orders may be released by the Directorate.

13. Ensuring the standard of residential accommodation to the SPMs provided with attached Quarters. Many post attached quarters provided to the SPMs are either sub standard or lack many basic amenities. The schedule of accommodation as prescribed by the Department has not been observed while fixing PO building particularly for the post attached quarters. In rural areas, the total rent payable to the landlord for the whole building housing the post office and Quarters does not exceed even to Rs.800/- per month. It is not uncommon to see that a token amount of Rs.50/- likewise is being charged for the post office and in all such cases, the Postmasters are compelled to stay in the accommodation which is unfit for inhabitation and also far below to the standards. There are many post attached quarters lacking the basic amenities of lavatories. If the Department could not provide adequate accommodation for the Quarters as prescribed in the SOA, and arrange basic amenities, it should provide option to the SPMs to secure his own accommodation and in such cases the due HRA may be paid to him. The policy of providing post attached accommodation requires reconsideration after the services of Telegraph has totally with drawn from Post offices.

14. Maintenance of APAR in case of Postman and Group ‘D’ by LSG SPM – regarding - There is no clarity on the subject that who will maintain APAR in respect of LSG and above offices and the old practice existed prior to 1990s is being imposed.

15. Stepping up of pay in case of postman and Group ‘D’ officials – The stepping up has been denied by stating that the seniority should be determined within the sub division where the official is working. This defeats the purpose of maintaining the gradation list at Divisional level in such cadres. Since the recruitment of postman and Group 'D' is being made at Divisional level and the seniority is also being determined based on the selection list of the entire division, the stepping up of the pay should be granted as per the divisional gradation list and not as per the sub divisional gradation list.

16. Budgetary allotment for Computer Advance.

After the total computerization of the P.O. and its functioning, the officials who desire to purchase computers for their own should be encouraged which will motivate them further in the computer operations. There is a resentment prevailing amidst the officials due to poor allotment of funds under this head.

17. Stop harassing staff on contributory factors for simple and flimsy reasons by misusing the provision of ‘unbecoming of Government Servant’ deviating the ruling contained in Volume III, FHB etc. The Directorate guidelines issued vide letter No. 6/8/59-Disc dt. 9.7.1959, 25/49/60-Disc dt.30.11.60 and 15-9/74-1NV dt. 10.2.75, and subsequent orders are being violated and the officials being preceded under contributory negligence factor for flimsy reasons and awarded with huge recoveries. The provisions contained in Rule,106,107, 108 & 111 of Postal Volume III and the provision of honest errors can be condoned contained in Rule 204 A (1) vol II and the provision of Rule 58, Appendix 4 of F.H.B. volume I in dealing of recovery have been totally ignored and side lined. The main intention of the Government while deciding the degree of an officer’s pecuniary liability, it will be necessary to look not only to the circumstances of the case but also to the financial circumstances of the officer, since it should be recognized that the tendency should not be such as to impair his future efficiency. This union urges for proper guidelines in the matter of contributory negligence to protect the officials being harassed.

18. Grant of Flexi Working hours – Case of bigger Cities - In most of the metro cities, the traffic jam on roads is the common feature and regular occurrence and some officials are being forced to attend office late by 0.30 minutes due to unavoidable circumstances. After the introduction of biometric attendance, the officials are forced to produce leave in such cases and in particular the women employees are the worst sufferers. If the Flexi working hours as if introduced in Mumbai is considered for other major cities, the officials can be ordered to remain in the office at the equivalent time they came in late in unavoidable circumstances, it will be very much helpful to the officials working in major metro cities/towns

19. MACP Anomalies – Injustice to promotees under MACP scheme – request implementation of CAT Jodhpur judgment and the judgment of Supreme Court in favour of Sivakumar, Chennai North Dn. Tamilnadu circle - The Central Administrative Tribunal, Jodhpur vide its judgment in the cases filed under OA No. 382/2011, OA 353/2011 & OA 354/2011 held that the previous career advancements cannot be called as promotions for the consideration of MACP and it should be started a new innings from the PA promotion for counting the stagnation. The CAT sets aside the impugned cancellation of MACP orders against the applicants and directed to repay the amount with due GPF rate of interest. The Supreme Court has held in case of Sivakumar to accord third MACP even though he is a promote. Similar orders may be extended to all.

20. Undue trade union facilities extended to Supervisors & BPEF Unions; Please refer this union letter in which we have explained all the ruling positions and the decisions taken earlier at the Directorate. The undue patronage shall be withdrawn forthwith.

PROGRAMME OF ACTION

1. Lunch hour demonstration on 12^th & 13^th March 2018.

2. Black Badge wearing on 20^th & 21^st March 2018 containing demands.

3. Mass Dharna in front of all Chief PMGs offices on 25^th April 2018.

4. Indefinite Strike – Date will be announced later with consultation to NFPE.