Press statement
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:
Six lakh postal workers proceeded on indefinite strike from 5th December 2000 for not honouring the commitments and written agreements made by the Central Government on various occasions for implementation of their long pending demands. Justice Charanjit Talwar Committee recommendations on revision of wages and other service conditions to three lakh extra departmental employees, grant of all benefits of regular employees on proportionate basis, conferment of status as civil servants and pension was submitted to the government on 30th April 1997. The government has not so far implemented the recommendation fully and denied status and pension.
Various cadres of postal employees were demanding removal of anomalies in their pay scales which was agreed to by the committee appointed by the government and submitted its report on 18th December 1998. The government has not implemented them.
The agreement signed on 1st May 2000 by the government that all issues would be settled within four months, which also not been honoured by the government. Thus, the workers were forced to resort to indefinite strike from 5th December, 2000.
The entire postal services throughout the country is paralysed. Yet, the government has not taken any meaningful steps for ending the strike even after five days.
The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) urges upon the Central government to negotiate with the striking employees and settle the issues and end this stalemate immediately.