Implement panel recommendations

Implement panel recommendations

In one voice: India Post employees staging a demonstration in Madurai on Monday. | Photo Credit: R_ASHOK

Hundreds of Gramin Dak Sevaks stage protest

As part of their ongoing indefinite strike, hundreds of Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS), employees of India Post in rural areas staged a demonstration here on Monday, demanding immediate implementation of Kamlesh Chandra Committee report recommendations.

Pointing out that the government had been delaying the implementation of the report, which addressed long-pending issues of GDS, for nearly two years, the employees, belonging to various associations, said that the government must stop showing step-motherly treatment to GDS.

“The committee recommended better retirement benefits, increase in maternity leave from three months to six months, and allowances for managing administrative expenditure in branch post offices,” said M. Mathialagan, Madurai divisional secretary of All India Gramin Dak Sevak Union, one of the key associations taking part in the protest.

The protesters said that when they commenced a similar indefinite strike six months back, the Director General of Postal Services assured that their grievances would be redressed in two months time. “However, there has been no progress since then. We have been kept in the dark,” Mr. Mathialagan said.

Stating that almost all the GDS associations, including the National Union of Gramin Dak Sevaks, were taking part in the protest, he said that the administration was trying to persuade the employees to report back to work on the assurance that the report will be implemented soon. “However, we are not willing to give up the strike until the implementation is done,” he said.The protesters were detained and released in the evening.