Review of GDS Pay and allowances - Minutes of discussion with Govt

GDS Postal Staff Pay and Allowances related talks with Govt – Minutes of Meeting held – Govt says TRCA pay and allowances can not discussed

ALL INDIA GRAMIN DAK SEVAK UNION (AIGDSU)
ALL INDIA POSTAL EMPLOYEES UNION – GDS (AIPEU-GDS)
NATIONAL UNION OF GRAMIN DAK SEVAKS(NUGDS)

No.GDS JCA/CHQ/6-1/2018

Dt.23-08-2018

To
The Secretary
Department of Posts
Dak Bhawan
New Delhi — 110 001

Sub.:- Minutes of the meeting held on 31.07.2018 at 11:30 A.M. at Dak Bhawan.

Ref.:- Your office letter no. 08-05/2016-SR dated 2nd August 2018.

Sir,

We have gone through the minutes and have noticed that the minutes don’t represent the actual proceeding. The minutes mention what the officers of the department said. There is nothing much except a small stanza about what the union representatives said. As per the minutes an attempt has been made show as if the moon duly arranged on a platter has been handed over to GDS employees. We take up the minutes stanza by stanza here under:

Para 2. It is said that TRCA and allowances cannot be discussed with unions as these have been implemented after consultation with several departments and authorities. This statement virtually closes the door for discussions. If pay and allowances cannot be discussed, then what is the use of discussions or such meetings. The pay (TRCA) and allowances are the subjects which the G.D.S. employees are greatly concerned with. The unions don’t give threat of strike but they are compelled by such attitude of not discussing vital issues to resort to agitation. It is an open secret that the committee that examined the recommendations suggested many severe cuts. The department cannot take refuse behind other departments/authorities. Yes, the recommendations of the one man committee are by and large good but have been distorted by committee of officers which are preposterous and are detrimental to the interests of the Gramin Dak Sevaks.

Para 3. Gives a short description of what Sri S.S.Mahadevaiah, General Secretary AIGDSU said. No mention is made about the issues raised by the General Secretaries of AIPEU – GDS and NUGDS.

Pata 4. An attempt has been made to defend the indefensible. Even a layman knows that the code of conduct did not stretch over a period of 19 months. The fact of delay is that the committee of officers formed to study the recommendations of the one man committee was working overtime to distort the recommendations in order to deny benefits to the Gramin Dak Sevaks.

Pare 5. We don’t understand the logic behind such excuses of delay and cuts in the amount of arrears. Of course the committee suggested implementation of TRCA matrix from a prospective date. But never said or meant that the same should be after 19 months i.e., 01.07.2018. It certainly meant that the recommendation should be effective from 01.01.2017, when it gave illustrations for calculation of arrears which was for one year i.e., for 2016.

As regards the statement that the payment of arrear was of kind of exgratia nature and could be manipulated at the will of the establishment, no such announcement was made by the Hon’ble Minister of state for communication in the press conference. His announcement was clear and categorical that the arrears would paid from 01.01.2016 which meant that the arrears would be paid on the basis of the recommendations and illustrations given by the pay committee. We need not give a table showing the amount of loss suffered by the GDS employees between the amount due as per illustrations suggested by the committee and what has been paid according to Directorate orders. If desired, we shall produce such table which is ready with us.

As regards the arrears termed as “ex-gratia”, it is rather unfortunate. The recommendations were due to be implemented from 01.01.2016 and the amount of arrears is a due right of the Gramin Dak Sevaks and we are determined to have our due.

Para 6. The issues are decided earlier the better.

Para 7. We don’t understand the logic of rejecting the given recommendations, which are clamouring for being implemented.

Para 8. The GDS employees love the service they render to the public. The decisions of struggle are very painful to us and we take such decisions when the department refuses to discuss vital issues as indicated in the minutes and we are pushed to the wall.

We request you kindly to arrange a fruitful meeting with us to discuss all issues without any precondition. We shall be forwarding our agenda of issues which are agitating the Gramin Dak Sevaks, in another letter.

With regards,
Yours faithfully

Sd/- Sd/- Sd/-
S.S.MAHADEVAIAH P.U.MURALIDHARAN P.PANDURANGARAO
General Secretary General Secretary General Secretary
AIGDSU NUGDS AIPEU-GDS

Source: Rural postal employees union