MESSAGE OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

APPEAL

 TO

ALL CIRCLE/DIVISIONAL AND BRANCH SECRETARIES OF NFPE UNIONS

        PLEASE CONDUCT ONE DAY DHARNA ON 07^th MARCH-2019 AS NOTIFIED AT ALL DIVISIONAL HEADQUARTERS FOR SETTLEMENT OF 24 POINT CHARTER OF DEMAND.

                                                           R.N. PARASHAR

                                                          SECRETARY GENERAL

                                                        NFPE

MESSAGE OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Usha Bonepalli

bonepalliusha@gmail.com

Type of ship     :     A small mini-ship.

Location           :     Highseas, in the South Pacific Ocean.

Between Lyttelton (New Zealand) and Falkland Islands (Argentina)

Climate             :     Rough weather, stormy winds, extremely cold climate.

Ocean waves of 7 metres height.

                                Wind speed of 60 knots (i.e. 112 km/s – speed of Rajdhani express)

Nearest port    :      5000 kms away, on both sides, at least 20 days to reach.

Crew                :      Only six members on the mini ship.

Comrades, this is not a story of fiction. And I am not talking about a voyage of Magellan, about whom we studied in history text books, as the first person who sailed around the world. I am talking about 6 women, who sailed around the world, in a small ship, from Sep 2017 to May 2018. Braving storms on high seas in treacherous oceans. The total strength of crew is 6, and all 6 are women. Vartika Joshi, Pratibha Jamwal, AishwaryaBoddapati, P Swathi, S Vijaya Devi, Payal Gupta. These 6 women sailed on INSV Tarini and circumnavigated the world in 9 months. Let me repeat, only 6 crew members on the ship, all 6 are women.

This display of nerves of steel, steely resolve, resolute determination, determined steadfastedness – these are attributes that each and every woman is born with. Except that these qualities are not recognized. Even by herself.

As the famous story goes, an eagle’s egg was placed with hen’s eggs and hatched. Eagle baby grew up with hens, thinking that it is a hen. When it sees an eagle flying high, it thinks –if God blesses, I will be born as an eagle in next birth.

A woman is conditioned to think that she does not have the bouquet of abilities that she is born with. Stereotypes are created, projecting women as weak, meek, fragile, dependent, and delicate. In households, peer groups, societies, films, advertisements, mass media, and every facet of life that women encounter - as a budding girl, a teenager, a young lady and a woman. It gives immense satisfaction when women break these stereotypes, and emerge as courageous, path breaking icons.

There is no shortage of such path breaking icons. On Jan 4 2019, when Arunima Sinha climbed Mount Vinson in dead-chilly Antarctica, she covered all the highest peaks in all seven continents. She is an amputee, lost her leg when she was pushed from running train while she fought robbers. She was also the 1^st female amputee in the world to scale Mount Everest.

Justice Indu Malhotra became the 1^st woman judge to be elevated as a Judge to Supreme Court directly from the Bar. For the 1^st time, we have three women Judges in the Supreme Court. Flight Lieutenant Avani Chaturvedi became the 1^st Indian woman pilot to fly solo in a MiG-21 Bison fighter jet. ManikaBatra led India to gold in Table Tennis in the 2018 Commonwealth games, defeating Singapore, which never lost in Commonwealth games since table tennis was introduced in 2002. She was featured on cover of July 2018 Femina. 

Indra Nooyi became 1^st independent female director of International Cricket Council(ICC). Debjani Ghosh became 1^st woman President of NASSCOM, organisation which champions the $ 167 billion Indian IT services industry. Anny Divya from Vijayawada became world’s youngest woman commander to fly a Boeing 777. Himadas, daughter of a farmer from Assam, became 1^st Indian sprinter to win a gold medal at an international track event. She is India’s 1^st ever youth ambassador of UNICEF. Jayshree Ullal, CEO & President of Arista Networks, is one of just 72 self made women billionaires globally. For the 1^st time, an all women contingent of Assam Rifles, oldest paramilitary force in the country, walked down Rajpath on Republic Day 2019, led by Major Khusboo Kanwar, daughter of a bus conductor in Rajasthan.

We need to recount, applaud and celebrate these icons, who broke the stereotypes, and proved that women can excel in any given field. Many of them came from middle class and poor livelihoods. But today, they are rich trailblazers to a generation of young eager women trying to explore their potential, trying to make a mark in the world, in their individual fields.

It is this trail that is the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, as given by UN Women: THINK EQUAL, BUILD SMART, INNOVATE FOR CHANGE.

The motto of THINK EQUAL is what churned the organised working women movements around the world. Historically, women are not paid equal pay to equal work. Even today, in the words of Chidi King, Director of the Equality Department of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the main international trade union organization representing the interests of working people worldwide, and a member of UN Women and ILO’s Equal Pay Champions initiative, women across the world still get paid 23 per cent less than men. From ages, women kept waging struggles against such discrimination, but these struggles were routinely ignored or crushed. The exploitation did not weigh them down, it made them think, made them organised. One of the first sparks flew at Massachusetts in 1834.

Women workers at Lowell Cotton Mills in Massachusetts worked for 14 hrs per day. The working conditions were filthy, there was no ventilation, they worked in confinement, noise, and the air was filled with lint. The wages were 1/3rd as compared to men. When these wages were also cut, they felt enough is enough, they organized and went on strike. Women in several other mills joined them. Management crushed the strike within a week, but it stood out as the first organised women workers’ movement in history.

In 1836, when management of the same Lowell Textile Mills announced a rent hike to be paid by textile workers living in company boarding houses, the female textile workers formed Lowell Factory Girls Association and organised a strike. This went on weeks, and eventually, Board of Directors withdrew the rate hike.

In 1945, the workers started Lowell Female Labour Reform association, which was the first working women’s association. It was started with 12 operatives, but membership grew to 500 in 6 months, and continued to expand rapidly. The association was run completely by women, held their own meetings, set up branches in other mill towns. They ran huge petition campaigns and political action, asking the Massachussets state legislature to cap working hours in mills at 10 hours. In 1847, New Hampshire became the 1st state to pass a 10 hour working day. This was the first success for organized working women in any part of the world. This success fuelled organized women movements throughout the world’s working class. Today, we remember that struggle with a sense of pride and honour.

The first National Women’s Day was held in NewYork in 1909 to commemorate the 1908 garments workers strike. On 8th March 1908, 15000 women garment workers marched through Union Square to demand economic and political rights. The three month strike against Triangle Shirtwaist and other mills became hugely successful. This success was celebrated throughout Europe and Soviet. Clara Zeitkin, a German socialist proposed designating a day as ‘International Women’s Day’ at International Socialist Congress in Copenhagen in 1910. From 1911, we are observing International Women’s Day. From 1975, UNO began celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8th.

Comrades, it is because of such glorious struggles in all parts of world that we could secure statutory framework that protect from discrimination against women.

The Convention concerning Equal Remuneration for Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value, or Equal Remuneration Convention was framed by the ILO in 1951. The Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly. It is often described as an international bill of rights for women.India is a signatory to both.

Movements of working women have also ensured that statutory safeguards were included in Maternity Benefit Act 1961, Factories Act 1948, Equal Remuneration Act 1976, Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 etc. None of these acts were made by way of compassion, but were a result of prolonged struggle of the working women.

After struggling through restricted opportunities in education and employment, having to work 24 x 365 as a mother, wife, sister, daughter, having to run to office after attending to household chores and run back from office to attend house chores again, balancing multiple roles, the least a woman expects is respect in workplace. If she is subjected to sexual harassment, there is nothing more cruel than that. But it is everybody’s knowledge that women are subject to sexual harassment of varying degrees, in varying forms, and they are expected to comply or be silent. It is only in 2013 that the latest Act against sexual harassment at workplace was passed. It was not passed out of voluntary compassion, but as a result of protracted legal struggle resulting in Supreme Court issuing guidelines in the Visakha case. We should keep this in mind that nothing could be achieved unless we organize and wage struggles. We should realize that, though the working women’s movement has achieved significant results, there is a significant lot more to be achieved.

As working women, as much as we are concerned about our working conditions, we are as much concerned about our girl children and fellow women in society, and obstacles they face in their journey to emancipation. The obstacles to equal emancipation are many. If we look at some trends, among students who stopped studies after primary education, 70% are females. Most of the girls are not facilitated to study till higher education. If family size increases, schooling will be provided to boys, girls are compelled to drop out. These conditions result in lack of education, which leads to lack of opportunities. If such obstacles to education are removed, evidence shows thatwomen excel exceedingly. In a report published by American Enterprise Institute (AEI), for a ninth time in a row, women earned more doctoral degrees (Ph.Ds) awarded at US Universities in 2017, than men. Though this is a matter of satisfaction to show that women will excel given a chance, yet a detailed analysis shows the effect of stereotypes: the ratio of Ph.Ds between men and women is 75 : 25 in Maths and Computer Science, 76 : 24 in Engineering. The ratio is 39 : 61 in social and behavioural sciences, 31 : 69 in education, 30 : 70 in health sciences. In the technology areas of maths, engineering, computer science, women Ph.Ds are very less. In health sciences too, we have more women in dental, physiotherapy, gynaecology, obstetrics etc. In niche and high visible areas women are conspicuous by their absence. Women are not into specialities like cardiology, oncology, orthopaedic surgery. Remember when you have heard about a female cardiologist who did an angioplasty or a bypass surgery?In areas regarded are technologically superior, even today, women do not find encouragement to enter, mainly because of stereotyping. Women have a long way to go, to unshackle these stereotypes that women are suitable for such and such jobs only. Women need to think that they are eagles, and fly high.

Women not only have to THINK EQUAL, they need to BUILD SMART.This aspect of BUILD SMART is more critical in these times of revolutionary changes in technology. We need to see more and more women talking enthusiastically about Internet of Things, Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, Data Mining, Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, Machine Learning -the future of employment is in sectors like these. These new technologies are called ‘disruptors’. They disrupt the way we work. The skills, the technologies, the methods, that we are using in our workplace are suddenly becoming defunct. We see boys flocking to computer institutes to learn these skills. Unless girls focus on BUILD SMART i.e., building such skills smartly, there will be a huge gender gap in employment.Men will be doing all technologically suave jobs which pay more, and women will be relegated to less paying non-tech jobs. In this context, the UN Women motto of THINK EQUAL, BUILD SMART AND INNOVATE FOR CHANGE is compellingly relevant. 

Today is the day to think about the road traveled and about the road to be traveled. Working women’s movement made spectacular advances, we are proud of it. At the same time, we are also vigilant about the challenges. We are conscious of the frame work to achieve that :

a. Maintain a gender parity mindset (question any lack of women’s participation, identify alternatives that are more inclusive, nominate women for opportunities, always include and support women, think 50/50 as goal),

b. Challenge stereotypes and bias (question assumptions about women, challenge statements that limit women, always use inclusive language, work to remove barriers to women’s progress, buy from retailers who position women in positive ways),

c. Forge positive visibility of women (identify ways to make women more visible, extend opportunities to women first, assume women want opportunities until declined, select women as spoke-persons and leaders, support visible women),

d. Influence others’ beliefs/actions (supportively call-out inappropriate behavior, campaign for equality in meaningful ways, lead by example via inclusive actions, be a role model for equality, actively contribute to change the status quo) and;

e. Celebrate women’s achievements (believe achievement comes in many forms, value women’s individual and collective success, ensure credit is given for women’s contributions, celebrate women role models and their journeys, support awards showcasing women’s success).

As Chairperson of the Women’s Committee of Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers, I am confident that we will realize and release the eagle in us. Hearty fraternal wishes for a happy, cheerful and dynamic International Women’s Day 2019.

***

                          NFPE CIRCULAR

        National Federation of Postal Employees

1^st Floor North Avenue Post Office Building, New Delhi-110 001

Phone: 011.23092771                                         e-mail: nfpehq@gmail.com

         Mob: 9868819295/9810853981              website: http://www.nfpe.blogspot.com

No.PF-1(e) 2019                                                                          Date: 22^nd February, 2019

CIRCULAR

To,

            All General Secretaries / NFPE Office bearers.

All Circle / Divisional and Branch Secretaries

Comrades,

Federal Executive meeting of NPE was held at NFPE Office, North Avenue, New Delhi on 21^st February,2019.

After thorough discussion on all agenda items and problems prevailing in Department of Post, the Federal Executive has come to a conclusion that the Postal Administration is not serious to settle the long pending genuine problems of employees. For settlement of 23 points charter of demands on  2 days Nationwide strike on 8 & 9 January-2019 , a meeting was convened at Directorate on 07^th January,2019 , under Chairmanship of Shri P.K. Bisoi , Member (P). Thorough discussion took place on all agenda items, but there was no concrete assurance on any issue, thereby we decided to go on 2 days strike on 8&9 January,2019. The strike was grand success.

After strike is over a period of more than one and half month has been passed but nothing has been done by the Department so far.

Therefore, it was decided unanimously that agitational programs should be conducted in phased manner culminating in indefinite strike. As the Lok Sabha Election can be declared at any time and election Code of Conduct will come in to force after that.

So as a 1^st Phase of agitaional programme was  decided to conduct  One Day Dharna at all Divisional  Headquarters on 07^th March-2019 by the NFPE Co-ordination Committee jointly.

It was also decided that Resolution for settlement of 24 Points Charter of demands should also be sent addressed to Secretary (Post) , Director General (Post) and Minister Communications and IT:

CHARTER OF DEMANDS

1.    Withdraw NPS and Guarantee minimum pension 50% of last pay drawn.

2.    Implement all positive recommendations of Sri Kamlesh Chandra Committee report and grant Civil servant Status to GDS.

3.    Fill up all Vacant Posts in all cadres of Deptt of Post i.e P.A/S.A, Postmen, Mail Guard ,  Mailmen, MMS, MTS, GDS, Postal Acctts, P.A  Admn Offices, P.A SBCO & Civil Wing etc  within a time frame  and separate identity of all cadres.

4.    Settle all the problems arisen out of implementation of C.S.I & R.I.C.T.

5.    Membership verification of G.D.S and declaration of result of regular employees membership verification conducted in 2015.

6.    Implementation of orders of   payment of  revised wages and arrears to the casual , Part time, Contingent employees & daily rated mazdoors as per 6^th and   7^th CPC and Regularize Services of  casual Labourers.

7.    Implement Cadre Restructuring for left out categories i.e RMS, MMS, Postman/MTS, PACO, PASBCO, Postal Acctts, Postmaster Cadre and Civil Wing etc.

8.    Stop Privatization, Corporatization and out sourcing in Postal Services.

9.    Scrap Bench Mark in MACP .

10. Implement 5 days week in Postal and RMS

11. Enhancement of higher pay scales to those categories whose minimum qualification has been enhanced e.g Postmen, Mail guard.

12. Grant of pension to the promoted GDS based on Supreme Court Judgement in SLP No (C) 13042/2014

13. Withdraw orders of enhancement of cash conyance limit without security.

14.  Implement all High Court and Supreme Court decisions in C/W MACP, RTP and others.

15. Cash less treatment under CGHS  and allotment of adequate fund under head MR & T.A

16. Retention of Civil wing in the Deptt of Post.

17. Holding of Deptt. Council Meetings and periodical meetings at all levesl.

18. Stop Trade Union victimization and in the name of unscientific targets.

19. Provide 40 percent SCF quota promotion in AAO cadre and amend RR incorporating the modifications demanded by AIPAEA.

20. Status of audit to SBCO.

21. Restore Special Allowance to PO & RMS Accountants and OSA to RMS/MMS Staff.

22. All NSH and I.C. Speed Post Hubs should be under the administrative control of RMS and All L-2 Mail Offices should be identified as I.C. Speed Post Hubs and as Parcel Hubs.

23. Permission to all Staff of Circle Office, Postmaster Cadre, SBCO, Postal Accounts and RMS/MMS Staff to appear in Departmental Examination for promotion to PSS Group-B.

24. Amendment in Transfer Policy guide lines and under Rule-38 Transfer guidelines.

Further the Federal Executive has endorsed the following call of NJCA.

1.    One day dharna and Demonstration on 13^th March 2019 at Jantar Mantar , New Delhi - focusing main demand as Scraping of NPS and Restoration of Old Pension Scheme: All are requested to take part in large number.

2.    One day Dharna 28^th March- 2019 by the All India leader of all constituent organizations of National Council , JCM at Jantar Mantar , New Delhi, for revival of JCM forum at all level.

All India leaders, Circle Secretaries, Divisional Secretaries of NFPE unions are requested to take part in Dharna.

The Federal Executive has also endorsed the following agitational programmes called by Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers.

1.    Campaign Fortnight from 15^th March to 30^th March, culminating in Mass Rally at all District and State  Headquarters for settlement of Charter of demands mainly focusing on demand “Scrapping NPS and restoration of OPS.

2.    (i) Day long Mass Dharna on 11^th April 2019 at all District and State Headquarter.

(ii) Candle light protest on 23^rd April-2019 at all District and State Headquarters.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY ON 08^TH MARCH-2019

All are requested to celebrate International Women’s Day on 08^th March-2019 focusing mainly on Women related issues.

NCCPA DHARNA ON 15^TH MARCH-2019 AT NEW DELHI

We as NFPE request entire rank and file to make all the programmes a grand success by larger participation

With revolutionary greetings.

Yours Comradely,

R.N Parashar

Secretary General

MOST IMPORTANT

URGENT

Circular Dated 16.02.2019

DECISIONS OF THE NATIONAL SECRETARIAT MEETING OF CONFEDERATION

National Secretariat Meeting of Confederation held at New Delhi on 15.02.2019, after detailed deliberations, took the following important decisions. Com. K. K. N. Kutty, National President, presided.

Confederation National Secretariat Strongly Condemned the barbaric attack on Indian security forces by Pakistan sponsored terrorists, killing 40 Jawans. Confederation conveys its deepest Condolences to the bereaved family members of the Jawans who sacrificed their life for the nation.

CONFEDERATION DECLARES THREE PHASE CAMPAIGN AND STRUGGLE.

FOR WORKING CLASS, ELECTIONS ARE ALSO PART OF STRUGGLE.

CHANGE IS INEVITABLE.

The BJP-led NDA Government is going to complete its five years tenure. General Elections to the Parliament is going to be declared shortly. Based on our five years experience, Central Govt. Employees and Pensioners and their families have to take a position and use our right to vote to protect our interest and the interest of the Nation at large. We should remember that “Ballots are more powerful than bullets” in a democratic country.

As far as 32 lakhs Central Government employees and 33 lakhs Central Govt. Civilian Pensioners are concerned this five year period is the worst in the post-independence period. None of our demands are favourably considered by the NDA Government, rather we have been betrayed and our hopes ended is despair. The same is the case with three lakhs Gramin Dak Sevaks of the Postal department and thousands of casual, contingent and contract workers.

Even though the Group of Cabinet Ministers headed by Shri Rajnath Singh, Home Minister and Shri Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister had given categorical assurance on 30.06.2016 that Minimum Pay and Fitment formula will be increased, in 2018 December, Govt. made it clear in the Parliament that “no such proposal is under consideration of the Government, at present”. Much publicity was given for the Constitution of “NPS Committee”, but the demand to “Scrap NPS &; Restore OPS” is rejected and even the demand for ensuring guaranteed Minimum Pension (i.e., 50% of the last pay drawn or Rs.9000/- whichever is higher) was also turned down. Again, Govt. replied in Parliament that the demand to scrap NPS & Restore OPS cannot be considered favourably due to various reasons. NPS employees are retiring every month with a megre amount of Rs.1000/- to 3000/- as annuity pension. Retirement of each NPS employee is just like a death due to uncertainty about the future life of NPS Pensioner and the family dependent on him/her.

HRA arrears from 01.01.2016 to 30.06.2017 was denied and each employee lost an average Rs. One Lakh. MACP Bench mark, date of effect from 01.01.2006, promotional hierarchy, everything fell on deaf ear. None of the anomalies of 7^th CPC are settled. Option-I parity recommended by 7^th CPC to Pensioners is mercilessly rejected. Revison of wages and pension of many Autonomous bodies are still pending. Compassionate appointment has become a cruel joke, as majority of the cases are rejected. Trade Union rights are under attack and pro-BJP Unions are given undue favours. All negotiating forums including National Council JCM are either defunct or ineffective.

More than six lakhs posts are lying vacant due to undeclared ban on recruitment. Three lakhs low-paid Gramin Dak Sevaks are cheated by denying arrears of pay for 30 months to be calculated proportionately on the basis of pay scales recommended by the Kamalesh Chandra Committee. Many positive recommendations are either rejected or diluted. Thousands of Casual, part-time, contingent, daily rated mazdoors and contract workers are denied equal wage for equal work. Regularisation of GDS and Casual/Contract workers has become a mirage. None of the 10 points demands of Confederation is settled including sectional demands of various cadres. None of the demands raised by JCM National Council Staff Side and National Joint Council of Action (NJCA) are also settled.

More and more attacks on existence of Central Govt. departments and employees are made. Privatisation of various functions of Railway department, outsourcing of more than 200 items in Defence sector, fast move to corporatize Postal, Closure of 12 out of 17 Govt. of India Printing Presses etc. are threatening the very existence of thousands of employees.

In short, under the BJP led NDA Government our wages and allowances are under attack, our job security and existence is under attack, our social security and pension is under attack, and our trade Union rights and facilities are under attack. Shall we vote for continuation of aggressive implementation of this destructive policies. No, not at all. It is in the above background Confederation National Secretariat has decided to implement the following campaigns and agitational programmes.

I.    CAMPAIGN FORTNIGHT FROM 2019 MARCH 15^TH TO 30^TH CULMINATING IN MASS RALLIES AT ALL STATE HEADQUARTERS AND DISTRICT HEAD QUARTERS.

Intensive campaign among the employees, pensioners and their families and also among the public should be conducted during the fortnight. General body meetings, conventions, group meetings, office to office campaign, seat to seat campaign etc. are to be organized by each COC and each affiliated organization. As a culmination of the campaign programmme mass rallies of employees and pensioners are to be organized in an impressive manner at all state Head Quarters and District/Divisional Head Quarters. Notices, leaflets, posters, boards etc. are to be printed and widely circulated. Maximum publicity through print and electronic media and also through websites and other social media is to be given. 10 point charter of Confederation, of which the 1^st and the most important demand is “Scrap NPS & RESTORE OPS”, shall be the basis of the campaign and mass rallies. Wherever Confederation units (COC) are not there, NFPE Divisional Secretaries shall jointly take the responsibility to organize the above programme and also below mentioned other programmes.

II. TWO PROGRAMMES EXCLUSIVELY ON NPS

(1)  Day Long Mass Dharna on 11^th April 2019 (Thursday) at all Centres – state and District Head Quarters.

(2)  “Candle light protest” on 23^rd April 2019 (Tuesday) at all Centres at state and District head Quarters.

In the Central Government employees sector Confederation is the only organisation which has been continuously organizing struggle programmes against NPS, including strikes. It is decided to organize the above two programmes, exclusively on one demand i.e., “Scrap NPS & Restore OPS”. These programme are to express our protest and anger against the totally negative attitude of the NDA Government and also to build pressure on other political parties to compel them give top most priority to the above demand. In both the programmes, maximum participation of employees and pensioners is to be ensured. Candle light programme is to be arranged in such a manner, so that maximum public attention and media attention will be received. In both the above programmes, like-minded political Leaders, trade Union leaders, important personalities etc. may also be invited to participate and address. Candle light procession is not required. Maximum mobilization at a selected place is enough on the evening of 23^rd April 2019 (Tuesday).

III.   NJCA PROGRAMMES

National Joint Council of Action (NJCA) met after a long gap. Eventhough Confederation Leadership reiterated our earlier stand i.e; revival of the deferred indefinite strike, the Railway Leadership (AIRF & NFIR) are reluctant to give a call for strike, for their own reasons. Finally it is decided to organize the following two programmes.

      1.   13^th March 2019 – NPS Dharna and Demonstration at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi

A massive demonstration – cum – dharna will be organized under the auspices of National JCA to highlight and focus the demand for the withdrawal of New Pension Scheme and restoration of old Pension Scheme for Central Govt. Employees. The National JCA will simultaneously write to all Political parties to make their stand clear on the issue of New Pension Scheme in their respective manifestos. The National JCA will spearhead a campaign amongst the employees for acceptance of the demand by the Political Parties. The dharna will be at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, and the same will be participated by the employees of Railways, Defence and Confederation working in and around Delhi besides NJCA Leaders. On the same day similar dharnas and demonstration will be held in front of the all Central Govt. offices throughout the country. The employees will also be requested to wear black badges projecting the demand for withdrawal of NPS.

Confederation National Secretariat calls upon all COCs and affiliated organisations to mobilise maximum number of Central Govt. employees from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Bihar on 13.03.2019. Dharnas and demonstrations may be organized in all major centres of other states, if possible jointly with Railways and Defence or Confederation alone.

     2.   28^TH MARCH 2019 – FOR REVIVAL OF JCM FORUMS

A protest day long dharna will be organised at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on 28.03.2019, in which all National Council Members will take part, to highlight the need to revive the JCM forums, thus ensuring constant and continuous interaction between the Government and the employees. It will also focus the intolerable attitude of the official side even in issuing orders, where Supreme Court has given the verdict in favour of the employees. The Cabinet Secretary will be informed of this decision well in advance. A huge demonstration will also be organized on the same day in front of dharna venue in which employees working in and around Delhi will participate.

National Secretariat of Confederation calls upon the Delhi C-O-C and affiliated organisations to ensure maximum participation of employees from Delhi in the above programme on 28.03.2019.

IV.NCCPA PROGRAMME – PENSIONERS DEMANDS – 15^TH MARCH 2019 – NEW DELHI

National Coordination Committee of Pensioners Associations (NCCPA) will be organizing a mass dharna at New Delhi on 15.03.2019 demanding early settlement of Charter of demands submitted by NCCPA to Govt. National Secretariat Members of Confederation, COC Delhi and all affiliated organisations are requested to mobilise maximum employees from Delhi to participate in the NCCPA dharna on 15.03.2019.

V.   A resolution on important demands of Central Govt. employees and Pensioners

is adopted in the National Secretariat meeting which is to be circulated widely among the Central Govt. employees and Pensioners during the campaign fortnight. Copy of the resolution will be exhibited in the Confederation website shortly.

VI.INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY ON 8^TH MARCH 2019

National Secretariat decided to celebrate International Womens Day on 8^th March 2019 in a befitting manner alongwith likeminded organisations wherever possible or separately by Confederation. Confederation Womens Sub Committee office bearers Com. Usha Bonepalli (Chairperson) Com. R. Seethalakshmi (Convenor) Com. Gita Bhattacharjee (Joint Convenor) had attended the National Secretariat meeting. An article written by Com. Usha Bonepalli on the theme of the 2019 Women’s Day and also about the importance of International Womens Day will be published shortly in the Confederation website.

VII.    NEXT NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF CONFEDERATION

National Secretariat decided to conduct the next National Conference of Confederation at Nagpur (Maharashtra). COC Nagpur will convene their meeting immediately and fix the dates and venue of the Conference. A preparatory committee will also be formed at Nagpur shortly to commence the preliminary work in connection with the National Conference.

VIII. ALL INDIA TRADE UNION CAMP

All India Trade Union Camp, as already decided in the last National Secretariat meeting will be organized after General Elections.

IX.  FINANCIAL REVIEW

National Secretariat decided to request all affiliated organisations and COCs to remit their quota arrears before 15.03.2019. Details of quota and arrears is already sent to all by Financial Secretary Com. Vrigu Bhattacharjee. As the Financial position of Confederation CHQ is precarious, all affiliates and COCs are once again requested to remit the quota and arrears before 15.03.2019.

Fraternally yours,

(M. Krishnan)

Secretary General

Confederation

Mob & WhatsApp: 09447068125

Email: mkrishnan6854@gmail.com