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Employees of the Postal department in Kohima town shouti slogans during the strike in the capital on March 16.[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Kohima, March 16: Around 1000 postal employees in Nagaland are said to have participated in the nationwide strike that was called on Thursday by the Confederation of Central Government Employees & Workers (CGE&W). The agitation was for a day.
In Kohima town, employees of the Postal department under the banner of the All India Postal Employees’ Union, Nagaland unit, held the strike at their head office located near the DC’s office complex. The employees raised slogans demanding fulfilment of their demands.The strike was called against the betrayal and alleged breach of ‘assurance’ by a group of ministers of the National Democratic Alliance government; and to uphold the ‘self-respect and dignity’ of 33 lakh central government employees and 34 lakh pensioners.
About 15 lakh central government employees and those from autonomous bodies across India are said to be participating in the strike.
The divisional secretary of the state’s All India Postal Employees’ Union, Daniel Domeh said that the next course of action will depend on the outcome of a meeting that has been scheduled for March 28. He said that the central government had ‘given a false assurance’ earlier.
He has asked employees to be ‘ready for any form of agitation,’ which may intensify in the future, if the government fails to fulfil their demand.
Also, Domeh said that their charter of demands includes increase minimum pay, fitment formula; no reduction of HRA rate, revision of all allowances, restoration of abolished advances, option-1 for pensioners; scrapping of the new pension scheme, wage revision for autonomous bodies; GDS issues, removal of 5% compassionate appointment restriction; LDC/UDC pay upgrade, parity in pay scales with central secretariat staff, equal pay for equal work, among others.
Further, he said that if the central government fulfils the demands, state government employees will benefit once the government implements the 7th Central Pay Commission benefits.
