AIPRPA CHQ CIRCULAR NUMBER FIVE
Dear Comrades / Colleagues,
The latest Circular of the CHQ has already been despatched to all CHQ Office Bearers and State General Secretaries. However, for the information of all members the same is reproduced hereunder:
Circular No: 5/2015 Dated 01.08.2015
To
The CHQ Office Bearers / State General Secretaries
Dear Comrades / Colleagues,
NCCPA NATIONAL CONVENTION HELD SUCCESSFULLY
As notified the national convention of CG Pensioners under the platform of NCCPA was held successfully in Sundarayya Vignana Kendra, Hyderabad with more than 300 Delegates from various states representing all affiliates of NCCPA. Exactly 100 Delegates representing AIPRPA took part in the convention. This growing strength of Postal & RMS Pensioners in the united activity of CG Pensioners is a positive development and the CHQ appreciates the initiative taken by our State Organisation leadership for enthusiastically organising for this convention. AIPRPA delegates from eight States viz., Tamilnadu (29); Andhra (20); Kerala (18); Maharashtra (15); Karnataka (6); Telengana (4); Odisha (4) and Delhi (3) attended including two women delegates from Kerala. In addition to the General Secretary four delegates from AIPRPA viz., the CHQ President Com.D.K.Rahate; State GS of Kerala Com.V.A.Mohanan; CHQ Organising Secretary from Delhi Com.Rajinder Prasad Verma; and Kasargode District Secretary of AIPRPA Com C.H..Shobana (Woman Delegate) deliberated on the Draft Declaration of the Convention. Some more Postal Pensioners addressed on behalf of the State Committees of CGPA organisations like West Bengal, Assam, Odisha and Amravati (Maharashtra).
Highlights of the Convention:
Inauguration: Comrade A.K.Padmanabhan CITU All India President inaugurated with his remarkable speech contained all the attacks of neo-liberalisation in the world and in India; the issues of Pay Commission for employees and pensioners vis-à-vis the policies of the Central Government in attacking the economic interests of working people; the motive behind amending the labour laws to attack the collective bargaining and association rights of working class; importance of 2nd September all India Strike etc.
Special Addressess: Comrade Shiv Gopal Misra (GS AIRF); Pathak (President AIDEF); KKN.Kutty (President Confederation) elaborately covered the issues before the Pay Commission especially for Pensioners and the need to organise effective struggles in future to defend the interests of pensioners.
Subjects Committee: The Draft Declaration as submitted with his speech on important points of the Declaration by the officiating Secretary General Com.Pavitra Ranjan Chakraborty was discussed in the hose. Comrades K.G.Jayarajan (GS AIBDPA); K.Ragavendran (GS AIPRPA); P.C.Nair (GS Para Military Pensioners Association) supported the Declaration and suggested improvements and modifications wherever necessary. Several State COC of CGPA organisations and Delegates representing affiliated organisations like AIBDPA, AIPRPA etc took part in the debate on Declaration.
Important Decisions: The Convention has unanimously decided to extend total solidarity to the 2ndSeptember Strike and to organise solidarity action like dharna or demonstration etc according to local conditions. It was also decided to support the strike of CG Employees from 23rd November by our solidarity action. A campaign programme to highlight the important issues as finalized by the Charter of Demands in the national convention has been planned. It was emphasized by delegates including the GS AIPRPA for working towards a united platform of all Pensioners organisations to face the situation that will arise in the aftermath of submission of its report by the 7th CPC.
Reception Committee: The host organisation viz., the Telengana State All Pensioners & Retired Persons Association headed by Comrades Prabakhar Nair and M.N.Reddy had organised the convention in a nice manner despite the availability of short time to it.
Victory of Pre-2006 Pensioners after a long battle
The issue of orders by the Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare on 30th July for granting fixation of pension in accordance with the original OM dated 1.9.2008 read with the fitment table annexed to the orders from 1.1.2006 instead of 24-09-2012 for all Pensioners in addition to S-29 Scale Pensioners is a big victory to the Pensioners. Now those category of Pensioners whose pension was fixed only based on minimum of pay band instead of the pay in the pay band with appropriate grade pay will get their pension revised from 1.1.2006 and if there is any increase due it will be granted. The Government instead of hearing the viewpoints of Pensioners’ Organisations and dragging the settlement only after a long long legal battle is deplorable. Now the problem is almost settled as far as the fixation of pre-2006 pensioners except for those whose service had fallen short of 33 years. The Government while conceding defeat in one aspect is still refusing to incorporate the judgment on another aspect viz., grant of full pension for those pre-2006 pensioners whose total qualifying service was between 20 years and less than 33 years. The battle however for this aspect shall have to continue by all Pensioners Organisations.
Solidarity to 2nd September 2015 Strike
In Tamilnadu State, the COC of 17 Pensioners Organisations including our AIPRPA has decided to sit in half a day dharna in Chennai Metro as well as in all District headquarters from 10.00 A.M to 1.00 P.M. to show solidarity to the strike. The NCCPA National Convention noted that in states due to lack of transporation on the day of strike it may not be possible to organise long dharnas and therefore it was decided to organise dharnas or demonstrations etc as per local conditions. The CHQ therefore calls upon our AIPRPA State and District Association leadership to consult other Pensioners Organisations as well as the Confederation of CG Employees and Postal Federations to decide the type of solidarity action best suited to all. The important point is that the Pensioners cannot remain idle as the fight on 2ndSeptember is not only for workers but also to protect the interests of pensioners and senior citizens under attack by neo-liberal policies. All are therefore requested to plan and intimate by email or SMS to CHQ the nature of programmes conducted on 2nd September with photos to facilitate the CHQ to exhibit them in our website.
Expedite formation of AIPRPA
It is again urged that those States where the Steering Committees of AIPRPA is not yet formed to take initiative to organise the Association should not waste more time in this task. It is more than one year since our 1st and foundation AIC at Vellore. The inability to organise even a State Convention of Postal Pensioners to form a Steering Committee of State AIPRPA is unfortunate. The CHQ Office Bearers are expected to perform this task with their experience and understanding. The CHQ urges for immediate action in States like Punjab, Bihar, Karnataka, J&K, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, North Eastern States excluding Tripura etc. The CHQ also urges the existing Steering Committees in States like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttarpradesh and Tripura to take serious efforts to complete the formation of District / Divisional formations at the earliest and organise a State Conference within the next two or three months (before November at any cost). Please keep in mind that we have to act as per the joint appeal of AIPRPA and NFPE / NFPE Affiliated Unions issued in the month of April 2015 in building the organisation. All the existing State and District formations are requested to remit the quota to CHQ as per the bylaw viz., 50/- per member per year to ensure a strong finance in CHQ.
Issue of pamphlets in local languages
All our States and CHQ Office Bearers are requested to issue a pamphlet in their respective regional languages by translating the contents of this circular, so that all can understand the issues better. Issue of a circular by the State Association, and by the CHQ Office Bearer where no such State Formation has come into existence will be much useful for organising our lower formations. Moreover the need to organise solidarity action to 2nd September strike etc are very important to be understood by our membership and postal pensioners.
Monthly journal of CHQ
The CHQ has already applied online for title verification with the RNI and also completed the initial formalities with the Metropolitan Magistrate Court in this regards. We have applied for one the three titles viz., Pensioners Post; Postal Pensioners or Pensioners Unity. The CHQ will have to wait for another one month for approval by the RNI for the title and thereafter action will be continue with the Magistrate Court for further permission to issue the journal in the approved name. We are confident that all formalities will be completed and the first issue of our monthly journal will be in your hands within three months.
Oncoming important events
1.NCCPA AIC: The NCCPA All India Conference is scheduled from 6th to 7th of November, 2015 in the city of Kolkata. West Bengal being one of the strong centers of pensioners movement, the AIC of the most militant joint forum of pensioners viz., the NCCPA will be an important milestone. Number of Delegates allotted to each State will be intimated shortly. But however the CHQ Office Bearers, State General Secretaries and State Steering Committee Secretaries can go ahead and book their reservation as trains are getting full already due to Diwali on 10th November, 2015.
2. AIPRPA AGM: Immediately in the aftermath of submission of its report to Government by the 7th CPC, the Annual General Body of AIPRPA CHQ will have to meet. The CHQ Office Bearers, the State General Secretaries, the State General Conveners of the Steering Committees, and the District / Divisional Secretaries are the eligible delegates to participate. The venue of this AGM will be New Delhi and the Delhi AIPRPA has taken the responsibility to organise this AGM in their city. Date will be announced shortly. Due to necessity comrades are requested not to mind the travel two times for Delhi and Kolkata in close interval.
Comradely yours,
Sd/-
(K.Ragavendran)
General Secretary
