BSNL to organise lunch hour demonstrations on May 2, demands immediate restoration of NFPE & AIPEU Group 'C'

New Delhi: The All India Centre of BSNLEU has unanimously decided to call on the employees to organise black badge-wearing lunch-hour protest demonstrations on Tuesday, said the trade union in a statement on Monday. Further, the statment added that the decision was made by the union as the Department of Posts had withdrawn the recognition of National Federation of Postal Employees (NFPE) and AIPEU-Group ‘C’ on April 26 due to allegations that these unions were engaged in political funding.

3 allegations made by Department of Posts on NFPE & AIPEU

The BSNLEU condemned the fact that "the Department of Posts has branded Rs 30,000 given by NFPE and AIPEU to support the Farmer’s Agitation as 'political funding'," said the statement. Further, it added, "The year-long united agitation organised by the farmers, was purely a non-political movement. Even the ordinary citizen of the country knows that the farmers have gone on agitation only to save the agriculture and food security of the people of this country."

The trade union regarded the donations made by NFPE worth Rs 50,000 to CITU as its contribution to the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU). The BSNLEU explained it precisely and said, "Since, individual unions are having difficulty in remitting their contribution directly to the World Federation of Trade Unions, the same is routed through CITU, which is a Central Trade Union. Further, CITU is a Central Trade Union and not a political party."

Additionally, the Department of Posts has branded online payment of Rs 4,935 for purchasing books from CPI (M) Publications as 'political funding', the statement by the union noted. Adding to this, the union said, "The Secretary General of NFPE has submitted in his explanation that, Rs.4,935 has been remitted through online payment mode, to the CPI(M), for the books purchased from the CPI(M) Publications. Even after this explanation, the Postal Department has reiterated that it is political funding."

Trade unions condemned withdrawal of recognition of NFPE & AIPEU-Group 'C': BSNLEU

"Many Central Trade Unions, as well as industry-wise Trade Unions / Associations have condemned the withdrawal of Recognition of NFPE and AIPEU-Group ‘C’ by the Postal Department," said the statement.

Govt conspiring to silence organisations: BSNLEU

The union added that on April 29, BSNLEU discussed this issue at length. It also said that "NFPE and AIPEU-Group ‘C’ are having a paid membership of 70 percent of the postal employees of this country. Both these Organisations are spearheading struggles against the attempts of the government to convert the Postal Department into a corporation and to subsequently hand it over to the private / corporates. Hence, the withdrawal of the recognition of NFPE and P-3 Union, is nothing but the conspiracy of the government to silence the organisations which are fighting against the sell-out of the Postal Department."

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