India - Rural postal workers on indefinite strike

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http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/02337/10mar_massr2_po_MA_2337245f.jpgMembers of All India Gramin Dak Sevak Union staging a demonstration.— Photo: G .Moorthy
Members of the All India Gramin Dak Sevak Union of Madurai division on Tuesday began an indefinite strike pressing for regularising their services and provision of all benefits to them on a par with the regular employees of the Postal Department.

The strike was successful on day one with more than 80 per cent of the 600 GDS taking part in the agitation, regional secretary of the union M. Baskaran said.

“Only those GDS who had joined the services in the last one year were threatened by the officials against taking part in the agitation,” he said.

Stating that the salary for the newly-recruited GDS was Rs. 4,500, he said those who had put in over 25 years of service were getting only around Rs. 8,000.

“Though the department wanted us work only for four hours, it does not work that way. On most of the days we have to work for 8 hours,” he claimed.

As a result of the agitation, all the delivery of letters and money orders was affected in rural areas, the agitators claimed.

The union district president M. Mathiazhagan presided over a demonstration here.

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4500 Indian Rupee equals
47.819 British Pound Sterling