REPORT ON JOINT CONVENTION-GUJARAT CIRCLE HELD AT AHMEDABAD ON 12.06. 11

A very successful Joint Convention of Gujarat Circle was held at Ahmedabad on 12^th June, 2011 Sunday at Jilla Panchayat Bhavan, Lal Darwaja, Ahmedabad. The function was presided over by Com.Bhagirathsinhji Jadeja Vice President AIPEDE Union(CHQ) and graced by valuable presence of leaders of Central Head Quarters namely Com. K.V.Shridharan G/S AIPE Union Group ‘C’ and Shri. D.Kishan rao G/S NAPE Group-C. All Circle Secretaries as well as Circle Union office bearers from NFPE/FNPO/GDS Unions were present and delivered their esteemed speeches and conveyed a clear message to the Divisional Secretaries to form JCA at Divisional levels throughout Gujarat Circle and prepare hard for proceeding on Indefinite Strike from 5^th July. Nearly 150 representatives including most of Dnl Secretaries attended the meeting.

Com.Shridharan and Shri.D.Kishanrao, in their speeches, conveyed in one voice that now it is the time to be united under banner of JCA and make our struggle successful. The Department has issued orders for closure of 9797 Post Offices on advice of Mackenzie & Co. There are total 27360 departmental Post Offices and closure of 9797 Post Offices means reduction of about 36% of existing Postal Network. Leaders very firmly addressed the house that we will make long lasting struggle to save the Department of Post as a Government Service. This is a question of our existence. When all other Private Couriers and Companies are competing to canvass our customer by opening more and more outlets in the urban areas for extending their services to the doorstep of the customer why our department is resorting to such mass-scale closures? Department is giving more space for private companies to occupy more share in the mail market segment in the name of rationalization and optimization. Large Scale closure of PO and RMS will lead to inconvenience to the public leading to discontentment and also cause adversely affect to the interest of the employees. The Department had agreed as per strike agreement dated 12.07.11 that there will be no closure/merger of any Post offices but now in violation of the agreement the department is proceeding to close Post Offices and we will not be a silent spectator to such unilateral decisions. We will strongly oppose it.

The leaders discussed at length on each item covered in the Charter of Demands. All Divisional Secretaries assured that they will instantly form JCA in their divisions, jointly deliver Strike Notices at Divisional/regional/Circle level on 14.6.11 and make every effort to make the indefinite strike a splendid success.

Com.KVS had assured to stay two days at Gujarat but in connection with arrangement of Joint Convention of all Circle Secretaries at Chennai on 19^th June, he has to rush to Chennai. He assured to come to Gujarat in the next Circle Council meeting which will be held tentatively in the last week of July. General Secretary also went to the residence of Com.R.C.Waghela D/S Ahd City Dn who has recently come out from decease of Cancer and wished him early revival of health.