NATIONAL CO-ORDINATION COMMITTEE
OF PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS..
(Registered undder the
T.U. Act.No. RTU01/2021.Dated.7.01.2021
PAN No.
AAEAN8586F
Website:
nccpahq.blogspot.in.
E mail:
nccpahq@gmail.com.
13.c Feroze Shah Road,
New Delhi. 110 001
President:
Com. Shiv Gopal Mishra. (97176 47594)
Secretary
General: Com. K.K.N. Kutty.
(98110 48303)
Dated: 31st July, 2022.
Dear Comrades,
Sub: Declining medical facilities-
solidary and support
For
the postal workers on strike.
We send herewith an extract
from the circular letter of the Confederation of Central Government employees
and workers, which is self explanatory.
The Confederation has called upon its affiliates and state units to hold
demonstration on 10th August, 2022 at all work places in support of
the striking Postal workers. As you
could see from the circular letter of the confederation, the postal workers
struggle is not for any pecuniary benefit but to oppose the privatisation of a
century old institution by the Government of India The Postal Savings Bank which had been in
operation with the exchequer guarantee for more than a century and which has
about 30 crore subscribers with deposit exceeding 10 lakh crores will be merged
with the newly created corporate body called the India Post Payment Bank. As is the case with the Pension fund, the
people’s money would be kept at the disposal of the private entrepreneurs. This
must be seen from the fact that under the Banking regulations of the country,
the Bank needs to guarantee a payment of just Rs. 1 lakh for whatever quantum
of deposits with them. The Post Office
savings bank accounts are mostly subscribed by the Central Government employees
and the pensioners
The Indian economy suffered
its worst set back during the covid pandemic period. It had been on its downside slide even
before that. The induced price rise on petroleum products had its cascading
impact and the inflation that has set in refuses to wane despite the concerted
attempts of the RBI. The prices of all essential food articles have risen and
the rate of unemployment is presently the highest of the recent history of our
Nation. The Sri Lankan situation, which has been explained in the confederation
circular has not however, made any impact on the Indian rulers as they refuse
to revisit the economic policies, whereas further privatisation is resorted
to. The three decades pursuance of the
neo liberal policies has widened the inequality in our society.
The fixed wage earners and the
pensioners are the worst affected in this scenario. The health care facilities in respect of
pensioners have declined drastically during the period. The commitment made by the Director General,
when we met him more than a month back to set right the problems has remained
unhonoured. To the specific query raised
in the Parliament over the matter, the Government has chosen to reply with
irrelevant statistics. It appears that
the CGHS is on its way out.
NCCPA, therefore calls upon
its affiliates and State CGPAs and COCs to organise demonstration on 10th
August, 2022 in front of the Main Post offices in their respective cities/towns
and district headquarters to express solidarity with the striking postal
workers as also to oppose the recalcitrant attitude of the Government towards
the health related issues of the pensioners. The following savingrams may be
sent to the concerned authorities after such demonstration.
To
The Secretary, Communications, Dak
Bhawan, Patel Chowk, New Delhi. 110 001.
“STOP
PRIVATISATION OF POSTAL FUNCTIONS’
To
The Director-General CGHS, Chandralok
Buildign, Janpath, New Delhi. 110 001.
“REVIVE
MEDICAL FACILITIES TO THE PENSIONERS”
Name (Secretary) ……………………………………………………
Name
of the Unit: ……………………………………………………
Place: ……………………………………………………………………
With greetings,
Yours fraternally,
K.K.N.Kutty,
Secretary General.
Extract
from the circular letter of Confederation of CGE& workers.
On 10th August,
2022, the entire Postal workers in the
country, irrespective of organisational affiliation, shall be on a day’s
strike. The strike is to register their protest over the decision to privatise
some of the functions of the Postal Department.
The theme and concept of the new economic policies ushered in 1991 were
to effect withdrawal of the Government from all economic activities and leave
the space for unhindered exploitation by the private enterprises. This had been one of the prominent conditions
imposed by the international lending agencies as part of their globalisation,
liberalisation and privatisation policies. The vast communication network of
the Postal department, built over a period of more than a century always
attracted the private players but the comparatively un-remunerative user
charges fixed as a policy to help out the common people acted as a deterrent. The efforts of the successive Government to
hive off the lucrative functions of the Department had always been on the
anvil. The present Government which came
to power in 2014, not only adhered to the new economic policies but also
ensured its intensification and acceleration.
The Government departments were destined to take a hop step and jump to
privatisation viz. first corporatisation as a Public Sector undertaking and
then disinvestment and privatisation.
The 41 ordinance factories under the Defence Ministry has already taken
the first step and the Government formed seven companies and are awaiting the
eventual privatisation. There had been
very many attempts to privatise the functions of the Postal Department. Some of them did not succeed as the private
enterprises did not see super profit possibility and many others in the face of the stiff
opposition from the Postal Workers.
The aim and objective of Post
Office Savings Bank was to garner the small savings of the lower strata of the
society especially those located in small villages and hamlets of
India. Begun in 1882, the PSOB must be considered as the pioneers in the
Banking industry itself in the country.
In free India, the funds collected through the Post Office savings Banks
were of immense help for the developmental activities as no other institution
could penetrate into the nooks and corners of the country as Post Offices could
do. India Post has presently 154,965
offices spread over the breadth and length of the country. The reach and ambit of the Postal Department
is stupendous and is the most effective vehicle to be in touch with the large
majority of the people. The PSOB has
presently about 30 crore customers and
carry a deposit of more than 10 lakh crores.
In the new environment, the Postal Department obtained the licence to
operate a Payment Bank, which could not have been opposed per se but was
perceived as a clever step towards the eventual privatisation. The India Post Payment bank was registered as
a public limited company and is covered by the Banking regulations. The present proposal is to transfer the PSOB
to the newly formed company hiving it off from the Postal Department. The proposal will not only make the Postal
Department economically unviable and eligible for closure but the huge deposits
could be made available for the Corporates to maximise profit. In all probabilities, in the near future, the
IPPB would be listed in the stock exchange and would be available for grab by
the private entrepreneurs. The leaders
of the Postal JCA has made it clear that the strike on 10th August,
2022 is meant to provide a warning and they might embark upon an indefinite
strike action if situation so warrants.
The post Sirimao Bhandaranayake
regime of Sri Lanka embraced the neo liberal policies as early as in
1980s. The country is now struggling to
come out of the debt trap The civil war
and the subsequent pandemic situation has worsened the economy of Sri
Lanka. But it was the commercial
borrowing with shorter repayment schedule, to finance the dream projects that
is said to be the root cause for the disaster. 47% of the Sri Lanka’s debt is
reported to be commercial elicited through bonds with high rate of interest. It is the giant corporations of USA,
Germany, Britain and Switzerland, which had contracted the bonds. Situation is no different even in an advanced
capitalist country like Italy. The Prime
Minister of Italy had to resign having failed to effect recovery. Italy is the third largest economy in
Europe. All these point out to the
dangers of those economies in pursuit of faster growth, through neo liberal
policies. The inequality of income and
wealth in all those Nations, which embraced the neo liberal policies has
widened giving room for social tension.
Undoubtedly, we are travelling
fast to the destination of a laissez faire economy, where the common people
will be at the mercy of the rich corporate entities. It is only the militant struggles of the
working class which can effectively apply a brake to the destruction of the
sovereign state. Every single step in
that direction is a welcome feature. The Postal workers demand the support and
solidarity from the working class movement and especially the Central
Government Employees. The struggle is
not for any pecuniary benefit but for a sovereign India, an egalitarian
India.
The National Sectt. of the
Confederation calls upon all affiliates and State COCs to extend all help and
assistance to the Postal Workers to ensure that the strike on 10th
August 2022 is total with cent percent participation. All affiliates and COCs are requested to
advise their units to organise demonstration in support of the striking workers
of the Postal Department on 10th August, 2022 and send the following
savingram to the Secretary, Communications, Government of India, Dak Bhawan,
Patel Chowk, New Delhi 110 001.
Stop
privatisation of the Postal Department and its functions.
