FEDERATION CIRCULAR

Circular No. 1/2010-13 Dated – 13.08.2010

To, All General Secretaries/Circle Secretaries/Divisional Secretaries and Central Unions/Office Bearers
Dear Comrade,
The first Federal Secretariat meeting after the 8th Federal Council of NFPE is held on 12.08.2010 at NFPE office New Delhi under the Presidentship of Com. K. K. Sharma, (R-4), Vice President, NFPE. The following were present Coms: D. S. Chauhan (AIPAEA) Vice President, M. Krishnan, Secretary General, NFPE, R. N. Parashar, Asst. Secretary General, Ishwar Singh Dabas, Dy. Secretary General/General Secretary P4, Raj Kumar, Financial Secretary, K. V. Sridharan, General Secretary, P3, Giriraj Singh, General Secretary, R3, P. Suresh, General Secretary, R4, Pranab Bhattacharjee, General Secretary, Admn. P. Rajanayagam, General Secretary, AIPAEA.
Com. S. S. Mahadevaiah, General Secretary, AIPEDEU, Com. C. C. Pillai, Ex-Secretary General, NFPE attended the meeting as a Special invitee. The meeting took the following decision.
1. 2010 September 7th One day All India General Strike
The meeting fully endorsed the decision of the confederation of Central Government Employees and workers to join the All India General Strike on 07.09.2010, as per the call given by Nine Central Trade Unions, Central and State Government Employees Federation & Teachers federations, Bank, LIC, BSNL and other public Sector employees. In addition to the first five demands which are common to all working class, another five demands of the Central and state Government Employees are also added to the Strike charter.
The following are the strike charter of demands: -
Charter of Demands
1. Price rise of essential commodities to be contained through appropriate corrective and distributive measures like universal Public Distribution System and containing speculation in commodity market.
2. Concrete proactive measures to be taken for linkage of employment protection in the recession stricken sectors with the stimulus package being offered to the concerned entrepreneurs and for augmenting public investment in infrastructure.
3. Strict enforcement of all basic labour laws without any exception or exemption and stringent punitive measures for violation of labour laws.
4. Steps to be taken for removal of all restrictive provisions based on poverty line in respect of eligibility of coverage of the schemes under the Unorganized Workers Social Security Act 2008 and creation of National Fund for the Unorganized Sector to provide for a National Floor Level Social Security to all unorganized Sector workers including the contract/casual workers in line with the recommendation of National Commission on Enterprises in Unorganized Sector and Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour.
5. Disinvestment of shares of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) is not resorted to for meeting budgetary deficit and instead their growing reserve and surplus is used for expansion and modernization purpose and also for revival of sick Public Sector Undertakings.
6. Fill up all vacant posts, lift the ban on recruitment and create justified new posts.
7. Stop outsourcing/contractorisation of Governmental functions
8. Regularise all Gramin Dak Sevaks, daily rated workers/employees, remove the ceiling on compassionate appointments; end the discrimination in the bonus ceiling of GDS employees.
9. Withdraw PFRDA bill and extend the statutory defined benefit pension scheme to all Government employees
10. Guarantee right to strike as a fundamental right of employees.
The meeting unanimously decided to make the strike a grand success. Campaign programme of the All India Leaders are enclosed herewith. All Circle Secretaries of each Circle Should consult each other and jointly make arrangements for the conduct of the meetings which will be attended by the All India Leaders/office bearers. Copy of the strike notice signed by Secretary General , General Secretaries of all affiliated unions and GDS Union is enclosed herewith Meeting decided that all general Secretaries shall also issue separate Circulars to their Circle/Divisional/Branch Secretaries emphasizing the need to make the strike a total success. Intensive campaign like general body meetings, conventions, office-to-office squad work, issuing of bulletins and pamphlets etc is to be conducted.
2. National Executive of the Confederation of Central Government Employees and workers held at New Delhi on 11.08.2010, has chalked out the following campaign programmes for making the strike a grand success in the Central Government Employees Sector.
(i) To organize joint conventions at all state capitals and other important places under the auspices of the State Units of the Confederation, All India State Government employees Federation (AISGEF) and All India Defence Employees Federation (AIDEF).
(ii) Confederation will serve strike notice on 13.08.2010. All affiliates and their units shall serve the strike notices on their respective Heads of Department/Office by 20th inst.
(iii) Confederation CHQ will prepare campaign material in the form of brief note on each of the demands in the charter and place the same on its website. www.confederationhq.blogspot.com (All are requested to download it and translate it into their local language and use it effectively as a campaign material)
(iv) Demonstrations will be organised at all state capitals and other regional centers jointly by all participating affiliates on 6th September 2010.
As NFPE is the major constituent of Confederation it is our responsibility to take the lead in organizing the campaign programmes by extending our fullest cooperation to the state/district units of Confederation. We should also ensure that the strike is total in the Postal and RMS offices in all circles and throughout the country. Please take it seriously and start campaigning now itself.
3. Review of the deferred Indefinite strike from 13th July
The Federal Secretariat after detailed deliberations came to the following conclusions;
(a) In many circles the compaining for the strike was not conducted in an effective manner. This should be examined self-critically by all concerned and remedial measures shall be taken to avoid recurrence of such lapses in future.
(b) The strike settlement is satisfactory. The Federal Secretariat appreciated the positive approach shown by the Secretary, Department of Posts, in settling some of the major issues in the Charter of Demands.
(c) The progress made in respect of the assurances given by the Secretary (Posts) is satisfactory and Federal Secretariat authorised the Leadership to ensure time bound follow up action. Department has already initiated action for filling up of Posts, convening JCM Departmental Council, Constituing the cadre restructuring committee, getting clearance from Ministry of Finance for the Annuity Pension Scheme of Gramin Dak Sevaks etc etc.
4. JCM Departmental Council Meeting:
The Department has notified that the JCM Departmental Council Meeting will be held on 27.08.2010. the items (total 116 items) notified for discussion are available in the NFPE Website (www.nfpe.blogspot.com). Ten representatives from NFPE and four from FNPO is the composition of the staff side in the JCM Departmental Council.
The Federal Secretariat decided to collect information from all Circles Secretaries whether the JCM (Regional Councils) has been constituted in their Circle, if not the reason thereof and raise the issue in the JCM Departmental Council and request the Secretary, Departmental of Posts to take action for ensuring regular holding of the JCM Regional Council Meetings also in all Circles. If the non-constitution of the JCM (RC) is due to any dispute among the affiliates of NFPE, then the Federal Secretariat authorised the Secretary General to convene a meeting of all Circle Secretaries of that Circle and resolve the issue amicably.
5. Cadre Restructuring
The department has issued orders constituting the cadre restructuring committee under the chairmanship of DDG Establishment. Com. K. V. Sridharan, General Secretary, P3 and Com. Giriraj Singh, General Secretary, R3 are nominated as the representatives of NFPE in the cadre restructuring Committee. The Federal Secretariat authorised the NFPE representatives to demands the cadre restructuring of all cadres including PA/SA/PA (CO)/PA (SBCO), Postmen, Mailguard and Multi Skilled Group – C etc in the first meeting of the Committee and thereafter take further action.
6. Mail Net Work optimization programme
The Federal Secretariat reviewed the view points presented by Secretary Department of Posts in the meeting with the staff side on 15.07.2010 regarding Mail Network optimisation programme and after detailed deliberations it is decided that we need not oppose the Scheme subject to the condition that there should not be any privatization, outsourcing and closure of RMS offices and violation of the agreements already reached with the staff side. Any excesses as in the case of project Arrow will be opposed when the scheme is put into practice. Our apprehension regarding the Mckinsey has been conveyed to the Department during the 15th July meeting. The assurance of the Secretary Posts, that while implementing the Scheme frequent consultation with the staff side will be made at all levels and they will be taken into confidence is to be implemented in letter and spirit by the Department.
7. Decisions of the 8th Federal Councis of NFPE and follow up action.
The Federal Secretariat took the following decisions for strengthening the organizational functioning and unity.
(a) In all Circles Postal Coordinating Committees are to be formed in a phased manner.
(b) State Level Trade Union Camps should be organised in all Circles
(c) NFPE Unions should take the lead for forming state committees of confederation of Central Government Employees and workers and shall strive hard to strengthen the unity and organizational work among the affiliates of confederation.
(d) State/District level women convention (NFPE) are to be convened for creating awareness among women employees for active participation in Trade Union activities.
(e) Postal Casual labourers Union should be formed in all circles in a phased manner and holding of All India Convention will be decided in the next Federal Executive meeting.
(f) Decided to conduct an All India study Camp of under the banner of NFPE before December 2010. The All India office bearers of NFPE and affiliated unions, Circle Secretaries of each affiliates and some active workers shall participate in the All India Study camp. Venue, dates etc will be decided later.
8. Foreign Delegation by India Post to Royal Mail London
Department has informed that a foreign delegation to Royal Mail, London will arranged in September 2010. There will be five representatives from NFPE (SG, GS P3, GS P4, GS R-3, GS-R-4) in the delegation.
9. Postal Crusader
Federal Secretariat decided to explore the possibility of accepting advertisements from P&T cooperative Societies etc for publication in Postal Crusader.
10. Financial Review
It is decided to request all affiliates to ensure remittance of full quota to Federation and take necessary follow up action in this regard.
11. All India Conference of All India Postal Accounts Employees Association (AIPAEA) will be held at New Delhi from 14th to 17th August 2010.
12. All India Conference of All India Postal Employees Union Group ‘C’ will be held at Pune from 8th to 10th January 2011.