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Deal in the bag, postal workers promise to work ‘overtime’
View(s):The three-day strike launched by the Postal Department workers was suspended on Thursday following a written assurance by authorities that their grievances including issues on salaries would be addressed.
The union says workers will clear the backlog by labouring overtime, while officials deny there is a pile of undelivered mail.
Chinthaka Bandara, co-convener of the United Postal Trade Union Alliance, said that at a meeting with the secretary of the Ministry of Posts, Postal Services, Post Master General and other senior officials, assurances had been given.
He said officials agreed that proposals to convert post offices in Nuwara Eliya, Galle and Kandy into tourist hotels would not be implemented without trade union consent, while the ownership of the old General Post Office building too, would be given back to the Postal Department.
He said that the postal museum and the philatelic bureau would also be set up in the building.
Mr Bandara added that assurances were given on solving their administrative problems within two weeks.
“We hope our salary anomalies, issues related to promotions, recruitment schemes would be solved and the amendments to the Public Administration Circular No.06/2006 for the postal department would be implemented,” Mr Bandara added.
The two-day token strike on the 13th and 14th of this month was extended as an indefinite strike by the trade unions from Monday midnight to Friday morning.
Thousands of letters and parcels piled up, while people were troubled by the closure of more than 3,400 sub post offices, 640 main post offices as claimed by the trade unions.
The delivery of urgent letters, examination letters, telephone bills, credit card bills, other important letters from banks, leasing and insurance companies were disrupted.
The state university admission process came to a halt. The University Grants Commission extended the deadline for the registration twice from June 23 to June 30 and then again to July 7, as many students had not received letters advising them of selections on time.
Even those who had received their letters were affected as they were unable to notify their acceptance to the UGC via registered post.
The grade one school admissions for 2018 were also delayed.
A leading private mail delivery company, which handles bank letters and telephone bills deliveries to the postal department said it was unable to hand over the bulk mailings. However, some banks had sent letters via email.
People in the rural areas suffered. Many could not collect the government allowances given to the elderly and cancer patients, and those with thalassemia, and chronic kidney disease.
Meanwhile, the revenue of divisional secretariats increased after they began accepting traffic fines during the strike. Many could not pay the fines at post offices, while long queues formed at divisional secretariats.
Scenes at the GPO in Fort during the three day strike: Empty sorting racks, piled up mail and empty desks. Pix by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi
An official at the Dehiwala Divisional Secretariat said between 200 and 300 people came every day. She added that the daily collection from fines exceeded Rs 150,000.
Jagath Mahinda, president of the Lanka Postal Services Union, claimed that the strike was a success with more than 21,000 workers of 25 trade unions joining.
He estimated that 300,000 to 400,000 letters piled up at the central mail exchange in addition to 150,000 foreign mail at the airport.
Mr Mahinda said the backlog would be cleared by working overtime.
However, Post Master General Rohana Abeyaratne disputed the claims.
There was no backlog at the central mail exchange as there was no inflow or outflow of mails during the strike, he said. Mail received before the strike had been distributed, he said. However, he noted that mail could have piled up in provincial post offices as well as in post boxes.
D. G. M. V. Hapuarachchi, secretary, Ministry of Posts, Postal Services & Muslim Religious Affairs, told the Sunday Times that the demands of postal workers would be presented at the next cabinet meeting.