Pics: Ramesh Pandith
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (VM)
Mangalore, Oct 17: The members of All India Postal Extra Departmental Employees Union – Gramin Dak Sevaks (AIPEDEU - GDS) staged a protest placing their demands in front of the head office, here, on Wednesday October 17.
Addressing the gathering William I Lobo, president, said that injustice is being done to the employees over the years. In this regard the frustrated GDS employees have been agitating over the issue as the assurances from the authorities concerned had not been honoured.
AIPEDEU has given a call for indefinite strike from October 16 all over the country to meet their demands, he added.
The charter of demands of the strike is as follows;
• Grant status as government servants to GDS employees as recommended by Justice Talwar committee and as per the judgment given by Supreme Court in 1977.
• Grant bonus to GDS employees similar to government servants.
• Provide medical benefits.
• Grant compassionate appointments in all cases by removing irrational conditions and restrictions/norms prescribed recently.
• Stop abolition of GDS posts and filling vacant posts in all categories of GDS in postal and RMS offices.
• Increase of salary after certain period.
Speaking to Daijiworld, William I Lobo said that there are three and a half lac employees all over the country and around 400 employees in Mangalore division. He urged the departments to settle the justified demands of GDS immediately.
Yashawanth, secretary, Harishwar Rao, treasurer, Dananjay, Shyam and around 300 employees were part of the protest.