No. P3NFPE-Odisha/03 - 07/2020
Dated at Bhubaneswar the 6th July, 2020
To
Com. R N Parashar
Secretary General, NFPE
North Avenue P O Building, New Delhi – 110 001
Sub:- Discrimination in between operative and
administrative staff of Department of Posts during COVID-19 pandemic -
Regarding.
Ref.- Directorate letter F. No.
Z-92011/25/2020-Coord./O and M dated 06.07.2020
Respected
Comrade,
To
escape from the harmful effects of COVID-19 pandemic, the Department has
decided to stop physical despatch of communications (Letters / Statements /
Reports) from Directorate to Circles and vice versa and even within Directorate
vide its letter under reference.
It is quite surprising that while taking such a decision, the Department
forgot the condition of lakhs of its employees who are working in post offices
and physically handling innumerable letters/parcels/packets moving though
different modes of transmission under different temperature in different places
where possibility of carrying novel corona virus is more. This order proves
that the lives of the employees working in administrative offices are more
precious than the lives of the operative employees in the eyes of the
Directorate. Perhaps for this reason, operative employees are not even spared
on weekend shutdown declared by several State Governments and full attendance
is enforced in Post Offices in spite of clear guidelines to reduce the staff
strength to 33% / 50% with
staggering of work / business hours, screening and hygiene, frequent
sanitization etc. by MHA. What to speak of 5 working days in a week for these
employees? It is now a dream for the operative staff.
While
the operative staff members in Post and RMS Offices are working day and night
without PPE, proper and regular sanitization of workplaces due to non-supply of
machine and disinfectants, zero thermal scanning of customers due to non-supply of thermal scanners
by the administration, violation of social distancing due to cramped
accommodation and want of proper sitting arrangement for the members of public,
there is every apprehension that very soon the post offices will be converted
into maternity home of COVID-19 if we take a look on the increasing trend of
traced, positive and death cases throughout the nation.
At
this critical juncture, while the Department is not at all serious towards the
operative side where the staff members are more vulnerable to novel corona
virus, the above order depicts a gross discrimination in between the
administrative and operative staff members which is highly condemnable. The
supply of preventive materials like hand wash, sanitizer, hand gloves, face
masks etc. has remained in pen and paper. Even after 3 months of horrible
condition of COVID-19 pandemic, neither the supply of such materials to post
offices by the Divisional administration is regular nor the SPMs/Postmasters
have been specifically ordered for the purpose to purchase and submit the bills
for sanction so far. It is witnessed
that the employees are purchasing such items out of their own pocket to save
their lives.
As
such, we would like request you once again to appraise the Directorate to look
into the following aspects in an urgent manner without any plea or delay to
contain spread of COVID-19 and to save the lives of the staff and their family
members.
1.
To
stop discrimination in between operative and administrative staff members.
2.
Temporary
sitting arrangements for customers with provision of chairs, writing tables,
fans and drinking water facility in the available space of the PO premises till
restoration of normalcy.
3.
Supply
of Thermal Scanners and Sanitization Machines to all POs with permission for
purchase of required disinfectants and other preventive materials like hand
wash, sanitizer, hand gloves, face masks etc as and when necessary.
4.
Issue
of metal or plastic tokens bearing serial number and name of the Post Office
for supplying to the customers to avoid unnecessary rush in the available
counter / public space of the Post Office.
5.
Deployment
of a person on daily wage basis at the main entrance of the POs, especially in
bigger offices with unexpected rush of customers for thermal scanning, requesting / helping each customer to wash
hands and to use sanitizer and for giving tokens to restrict entry of customers
to the Counter Hall till restoration of normalcy since with the existing
manpower, POs can’t do the same.
6.
To
close down all post offices on each Saturday in the areas where weekend
shutdown is declared by the State Govt.
7.
To
run the Post and RMS Offices with 50% staff.
8.
To
stop operation of PMA and functioning of P O Aadhaar Centres once again.
9.
To
stop doorstep delivery of articles once again.
10.
To
reduce the business hours of post offices from 8 hours to 5 hours.
With regards.
Comradely yours,
(Bruhaspati Samal)
Circle Secretary
thank you sir
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