Meeting of PJCA (NFPE & FNPO) (RMS) leadership of RMS ‘N’ Division Cuttack with Chief PMG, Odisha for a negotiated settlement to call off the ongoing Indefinite Strike

Meeting ended with no decision

Staff Side decided to continue with the Indefinite Strike

As per discussion already made with Com. B Samal, Circle Secretary, AIPEU, Group-C, Odisha and Chairman, NFPE, Odisha State CoC on 15.05.2019 during morning hours, a meeting was conducted by the Chief Postmaster General, Odisha Circle in the Conference Room of the office of the Chief PMG at 5.30 PM for bringing an amicable solution to the crisis now developed in RMS ‘N’ Division, Cuttack with regard to forceful shifting of the office of the SSRM, RMS ‘N’ Division Cuttack to Bhubaneswar.

The following Officers and Staff representatives participated in the meeting.

Official Side:

1.    Dr. Santosh Kumar Kamila, Chief PMG

2.    Shri Aditya Kumar Nayak, SSRM, RMS ‘N’ Division Cuttack

3.    Shri Basant Kumar Panda, APMG (Vig), Circle Office

4.    Shri L N Mishra, Asst. Director (Legal), Circle Office

5.    Shri B N Purihit, Asst. Director, (Building), Circle Office

Staff Side:

1.    Com. B Samal, , Circle Secretary, AIPEU, Group-C-Cum Chairman, NFPE, Odisha State CoC and Leader RJCM (Staff Side), Odisha Circle

2.    Com. Dusmanta Kumar Sethi, Circle Secretary, R-III (NFPE) and Secretary, RJCM (Staff Side), Odisha Circle

3.    Com. Ashok Kumar Mohanty, Circle Secretary, R-IV (NFPE), Odisha Circle

4.    Com. R N Pattnaik, Circle Secretary, R-III (FNPO), Odisha Circle

5.    Com. Fani Bhusan Tripathy, Divisional Secretary, R-III (NFPE), RMS ‘N’ Division, Cuttack

6.    Com. Shakti Ketan Parida, Divisional Secretary, R-III (FNPO), RMS ‘N’ Division, Cuttack

At the outset, Com. B Samal thanked the Chief Postmaster General for accepting his request and arranging this meeting. Clearing the views of the Staff Side, Com. Samal told that that the striking employees of RMS don’t want to do any harm to the interest of the Department except expecting an early solution and restoration of work in RMS in such a time when the sorting / dispatch works have been badly affected due to devastations caused by the sever cyclonic storm ‘Fani’ on 03.05.2019 and the members of public are seriously registering their complaints before the Post Offices putting undue pressure on the staff members for non-receipt of their important documents now in transit.

What we want is to retain the RMS Divisional Office in Cuttack only since shifting to Bhubaneswar will   change of the head quarters of the RMS ‘N’ Division which has already been approved by the Postal Directorate and presently there is no such order to change the head quarters. The issue is only to temporarily accommodate the office somewhere in Cuttack till completion of the new building for the Divisional Office which has been approved by the Directorate since June-2018.

Since the Chief PMG was not in favour of any rented building in Cuttack on one hand and there is ample space available in Postal Printing Press, Bhubaneswar after its closure on the other, Com. Dusmanta Kumar Sethi, Circle Secretary, R-III (NFPE) and Secretary, RJCM (Staff Side), Odisha Circle gave a list of vacant quarters at various places in Cuttack which can accommodate the Divisional Office temporarily. In addition, the proposal of taking over  the 2^nd floor of the office of the SSPOs, Cuttack City Division occupied by the BSNL authority and to examine the feasibility of the 1^st floor of Cuttack RMS to run the Divisional Office was also discussed by Com. Sethi, Com. Mohanty, Com. Pattnaik and Com. Tripathy.

But all the proposals given by the Staff Side were straightway rejected by the Chief PMG considering those as unfeasible since the same are not appropriate considering the Schedule of Accommodation for functioning of the Divisional Office and keeping an eye to the status of a Class-I Officer (SSRM).

After serious arguments and counter arguments, the Chief PMG suggested to visit the  1^st floor of Cuttack RMS by a team of the Staff Side accompanied with Com. B Samal, Leader RJCM (Staff Side) and come for discussion once again with to reconsider the proposal, if found feasible.

In the end, the Chief PMG appealed the Staff Side to withdraw the strike for the betterment of the Staff members, public and the Department. Com. R N Pattnaik, Circle Secretary, R-III (FNPO), Odisha Circle proposed to withdraw the irregular order of the SSRM for shifting the Divisional Office overnight to Bhubaneswar so that the Staff Side will consider withdrawing the strike. But the proposal of Com. Pattnaik was also rejected by the Chief PMG.

As witnessed, the Official Side is not in a mood to accept any proposal given by the Staff Side except to act upon their own decision only to shift the RMS Divisional Office to Bhubaneswar by any means.

Thus, the Staff Side intimated the Official Side to continue with the Indefinite Strike till their proposal is acceded to.

The meeting was ended with no decision except to examine the feasibility of the 1st floor of Cuttack RMS by the Staff Side and report to Chief PMG for further consideration or otherwise.

= B. SAMAL =

Chairman, NFPE Odisha State CoC &

Leader, RJCm (Staff Side), Odisha Circle