CHAPTER – VIII
GATEHERING STORM

Since the day of termination of war in the East, the Post and Telegraph workers of Bengal and Assam including those working in RMS C and N Divisions which were under the control of the P.M.G. Bihar and Orissa respectively, became restive. The apprehended disbandment from Defence of India Corps (P&T), a measure which would substantially reduce their monthly emoluments at a time which the cost of living was not only exorbitantly high but was continually going up and up so the discontentment were brewing. The officials in their large members throughout India who had been working in the P&T Department for years together as temporary staff apprehended from the department to make room for the war service candidate in whose favour orders were already issued by the Government, which created discontentment and dissatisfaction amongst them. The political situation in the country was uncertain and the Trade Unions were also making all efforts to consolidate the working class movement. The P&T movement in India specially in war affected areas like Calcutta and Bengal and Assam took a turn. Eight young Postal Officials of Calcutta started a Reorganisation Party with the object of revitalizing the P&T Trade Union movement by placing it on a democratic foundation and to win the objective through mass movement. Their small organization rapidly gained in strength by their activities which were of new type. They were able to spread magnetic influence over the entire youngsters of Calcutta and outside. The twelve mass meetings which they arranged in different Post Offices in Calcutta during October and November 1945 created mass enthusiasm amongst the workers. The last meeting which was held in Calcutta G.P.O on the 7-11-45 was memorable one. The rally was attended by thousands. Those who addressed the meeting issued a clarion call to the workers to be prepared for any sacrifice. I had occasion to address most of these meetings. One of our leaders had described the speeches delivered by some of the youngsters to be of highly explosive nature and declared that they were preaching sedition. The police took note of it. I had to defend those youngsters. I remember to have said “We do not believe in sedition but let it be noted by all present here that we no longer believe in petitions as well.” On the Eighteenth of December 1956 under the leadership of Shri.Kamble, the General Secretary of All India Postal and RMS Union, we met Shri.Krishna Prasad, the then D.G.P&T at Delhi and placed the demands for substantial increases in dearness allowances, specially in Bengal and Assam where the Defence of India Corps was disbanded with effect from the 30-11-45 and the staff were in extreme hardships. During the discussion with the D.G. P&T, I had occasion to tell him that we had gone to him for the last time like the five Pandavas asking for five villages only, viz, increase in dearness allowance, and if that would not be granted there would be Kurukshetra War. This threat even was of no avail. The All India Conference of Postal and RMS Union had already, under pressure of the progressive group in the Union, taken a militant programme and was preparing for the Hungry Badge Campaign. The reorganization party of Calcutta, whose membership had swelled to several hundreds, took decision to spread their activities throughout India and had actually issued leaflets to all parties of India. This reorganization party came into existence with the bold object in view, firstly to make the entire organization a democratic and a fighting institution to look after the welfare of the P&T workers and secondly to run it on trade union principles, not free from politics which is needed to secure full socio-economic justice for the workers. Anyhow, sometime after the Reorganisation party came in to existence, I found myself to be a member of the party, but I had no occasion to attend any of their executive meetings. Nevertheless I could feel that the eight persons who took initiative to organize the party belonged to three, if not four, distinct schools of thought and ideology, and yet could work together for a common purpose which was to turn the entire P&T movement in to a fighting organization. It is difficult to say what was going on in other parts of India but in Uttar Pradesh, the leaders of All India Postal and RMS Union were able to enroll a large number of Engineering workers as members of the U.P.T.R.(I), the new name given to the Postal and RMS Union . The leaders of the I.P.T.U in Madras presidency were trying to bring unification in the organization and in the movement through the newly established Federation. Rightly or wrongly from the very beginning due to various reasons I had my dislike for this federation. However our union leaders took a decision to make best uses of it. The President of the Federation Dewan Chaman Lal and many others leaders of other unions and a few in the All India Postal and RMS Union itself pleaded for suspending the Hungry Badge Campaign which was to be started on the 16th of February. I disagreed. Earlier the Director General of Posts and Telegraphs had threatened Bihar Union leaders with punishment for launching the Badge campaign. The All India Conference at Mymensingh had accepted the challenge thrown by the D.G.P&T to the Bihar Union leaders, it was therefore considered not to suspend the contemplated campaign but to go on with the programme without caring for the opposition. The Federation and the Postmen and Lower Grade Staff Union simultaneously served the Govt. with a strike notice on the 24th February 1946 on the demands for revision of scale of pay of post-31 officials only. The Government forth with referred the matter to Adjudication and Justice Rajadhyaksha was appointed Adjudicator. The terms of reference fixed by the Government was, “As to what little interim benefit could be given to the entrants”. On the 5th March, The Executive Committee of the Federation assembled at Western Court New Delhi. The All India Council of the Postmen and Lower Grade Staff Union had met separately on the very date to discuss and decide as to whether to accept the adjudication or not. The postman union’s decision was in favour of accepting the adjudication. The Federation followed suit. The General Council and the Executive Committee of all the federating unions also met at the time in Delhi. The Western Court Meeting of the Federation was attended by the representatives of all the unions. It was a gathering of eighty stalwarts. Dewan Chaman Lal and Shri D.K.Lahiri Choudhury influenced the house to adopt a similar resolution to that of the Postmen and Lower Grade Staff Union and accepted the adjudication. I was the singular person to oppose it and suggested for boycott of adjudication proceedings but could not carry the house and walked out of the meeting alone. The adjudicator was not appointed to adjudicate over the demands for which the strike notice was served. Hence it was irregular on the part of the Federation to accept it.

Earlier on the 7th February, 1946 the Central Legislature had adopted a non- official resolution urging upon the Govt. to appoint a Pay Commission for revising the pay scales of the entire Central Government Employees. This resolution was practically sponsored by the P&T Unions. The Government thereupon had announced its decision for appointment of pay commission. Efforts were thus made to check the movement from within and outside by adopting this two fold method. Despite, the P&T workers movement continued to progress.

The decision taken at the Western Court meeting in favour of accepting adjudication which was appointed not to consider the demands put forth in the strike notice but some other new issues and for withdrawal of strike notice created annoyance not only in the mass of the workers but also in a section of leaders which found exposition through my walking out of the meeting. The postmen union had taken earlier decision in favour of adjudication and cancellation of strike notice and their decision to some extent influenced the leaders of the Federation and the federating unions which had served strike notice separately, to take a similar decision. Besides the entire central leadership in the Federation and in the federating unions which from the very beginning never meant going on strike and was vacillating all through, took it as an additional plea for cancellation of strike notice. Among those who were against withdrawal of strike notice and were in favour of going Sahay Srivastava, Basanta K Chakravarthy were the prominent persons. I myself it goes without saying, shared the views held by Sri.Raj Bahadur and others and could be one of those who led the opposition. Shri.Sati Raman Prasad M.A.B.L, an eminent lawyer of Muzaffarpur who was then the General Secretary of the then Bihar and Orissa Provincial Branch of the All India Postal and RMS Union and was found in the first days’ meeting to associate with the opposition group, on the second day crossed the floor and joined hands with Sarbasree Dewan Chaman Lal , D.K.Lahiri Choudhry Dr.G Noronah P.C.Chatterjee, B .S Kamble and M.A Jabbar as it seemed opposed to direct action in any shape including “Hungry Badge Campaign”. While the mass of the workers who were under extreme economic pressure wanted to ameliorate their wretched service conditions and improve their economic life through trial of strength but the bureaucracy’s agents in the Unions and in the Federation were acting in a different way in the interest of the Govt, which was playing tactics anyhow to delay matters and ultimately kill the movement. (To be continued)

CHAPTER : VII
UNITY EFFORTS
I remember I issued a circular letter to all the forty branch unions in Bengal and Assam giving a cautioning not to fall in trap of those so-called labour leaders. There was a rumour afloat at that time that Dewan Chaman Lal was contemplating to organize a Federation of P&T Unions. The All India Postal and RMS Unions conference which met at Mymensing during X-mas of 1945 was from many points of view a momentous session. The Hungry Badge Campaign which was started by Bihar and Orissa Provincial union and had to be suspended on getting a threat of punishment from the then Director General of Posts and Telegraphs, Shri. Krishna Prasad, was revived by the conference which fixed the 16th February, 1946 as the day for launching. Hungry Badge Campaign for one week throughout India. The conference issued a clarion call to all Postal and RMS employees to join the badge campaign to draw special attention of the government to the pitiable condition of the Postal and RMS workers and also issued an appeal to sister unions to join the movement.
Shri.P.C.Chatterjee , the General Secretary of the All India Telegraph Union not only attended the conference, spoke eloquently in favour of such a move and was seen wearing a badge himself .
This session of the conference also took a unanimous decision to change the name of the All India Postal and RMS Union to “The Union of Posts, Telegraph and RMS (India)”. The very object of changing the name was to bring within its fold the Telegraph, Telephone and Engineering people, and it was also our intention to bring back within our fold the members of the I.P.T Union who had earlier seceded from All India Postal and RMS Union and were not willing to come back unless the name was changed. I feel proud to say that I was the author and mover of the resolution for changing the name to U.P.T.R(I).The Indian Posts and Telegraph Union was already functioning as combined union therefore there was no reason as to why Govt. should object to our changing the name. Shri.Chatterjee also supported this move.
All Present at the conference carried this impression that the All India Telegraph union would merge with the U.P.T.R(I) and that union would join the Hungry-Badge Campaign . It is worth recording that the said union in practical field opposed both these moves. The All India Telegraph Union and the Indian Telegraph Association joined hands and asked the D.G.P&T not to accord recognition to the U.P.T.R(I). So our attempt met with failure. The DG P&T refused to recognise the change. The union however started utilising the new name for all internal correspondence.
The All India Telegraph Union, to our utter surprise, issued a circular letter to all its branches not to have any connection with the Hungry-Badge campaign and did not rest there but went to the length of describing the move to be an illegal one.
There was opposition also from a section of leaders of the All India Postal and RMS Union against the Hungry Badge Campaign, in spite of the fact the campaign met with success throughout India. Although the All India Postmen and Lower Grade Staff union did not fall in line with the movement, the rank and file of the union at many station joined the campaign. This Hungry Badge Campaign in fact according to many, was nothing but the ground – work for 1946 July struggle.
The rumour which got currency in September 1945 took a real shape in January, 1946. On the 24th of January, 1946 on the initiative taken by Dewan Chaman Lal with himself as President a loose Federation under the name –The Federation of Post and Telegraph Union came into existence. It is worth mentioning that those leaders of the different P&T unions, who per chance were present at Delhi at the time, got seat in the Executive of this new Federation. The Unions which joined the Federation had not taken any previous sanction of their respective central councils or conferences, but had done so only on the initiative of their leaders which was widely resented by the Circle and Branch Unions of the federating unions. Inspite of these facts, the Federation got prominence and later on, the representative Executives of the federating unions, as there was no way out of it, ratified the actions of the General Secretaries of the different unions for their joining the Federation. Shri. B.S.Kamble General Secretary, All India Postal and RMS Union was elected as the first General Secretary of Federation. The Postmen and Lower Grade Staff Union however, preferred to keep away from the Federation and the Indian Telegraph Association, of which Dr.Noronha was the General Secretary, was at this initial stage also kept out of it. There was opposition to this latter organization coming into the federation at least from one of the federating unions. Shortly after, on pressure from other unions, Dr.Noronha was invited to Delhi by Dewan Chaman Lal and his Association took a decision to affiliate itself with the Federation. There is a hearsay that he agreed to join the Federation on the condition that he should be given opportunity to be its General Secretary and shortly after this it so happened one day that Dr. Noronha was declared to be the General Secretary of the Federation by replacing Shri.Kamble. It still remains a secret how it happened, who were the persons to take initiative to effect this unwarranted replacement.
Prominent among those who took an active part to bring the Federation in to existence and to set it in to a workable condition were Mr. M . A. Jabbar, Shri. Raja Ram Rao, Shri.Jestin Banerjee, Shri.B.S.Kamble, Shr.P.C.Chatterjee, Shri. Raj Bahadur, Shri.Basant Singh, Shri.Gian Chand Khanna and others.
It must, however, be admitted that inspite of many defects, the federation attracted the notice of the Govt. as well as of the workers. The new organization gained quick popularity and everyone was maintaining high hopes that the Federation will be in position to deliver the goods to the workers. Hence there was jubilation and enthusiasm. (To be continued)

12 Jun 2020
Supreme Court on Friday passed the Following interim directions on the issue relating to the payment of wages during national lockdown amid Covid-19 pandemic.

i) The private establishment, industries, employers who are willing to enter into negotiation and settlement with the workers/employees regarding payment of wages for 50 days 3 for any other period as applicable in any particular State during which their industrial establishment was closed down due to lockdown, may initiate a process of negotiation with their employees organization and enter into a settlement with them and
if they are unable to settle by themselves submit a request to concerned labour authorities who are entrusted with the obligation under the different statute to conciliate the dispute between the parties who on receiving such request, may call the concerned Employees Trade Union/workers Association/ workers to appear on a date for negotiation, conciliation and settlement. In event a settlement is arrived at, that may be acted upon by the employers and workers irrespective of the order dated 29.03.2020 issued by the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs.

ii)Those employers’ establishments, industries, factories which were working during the lockdown period although not to their capacity can also take steps as indicated in direction No.(i).

iii)The private establishments, industries, factories shall permit the workers/employees to work in their establishment who are willing to work which may be without prejudice to rights of the workers/employees regarding unpaid wages of above 50 days.

The private establishments, factories who proceed to take steps as per directions (i) and (ii) shall publicise and communicate about their such steps to workers and employees for their response/participation.

The settlement, if any, as indicated above shall be without prejudice to the rights of employers and employees which is pending adjudication in these writ petitions.

iv)The Central Government, all the States/UTs through their Ministry of Labour shall circulate and publicise this order for the benefit of all private establishment, employers, factories and workers/employees.

In event, any settlement is entered between the employers and employees in the establishments which are before us, an affidavit giving details shall be filed by next date of hearing.

(Courtesy: Vimala Vidya, Journalist)

WAR CLOUDS VANISH
OR
(AGAIN UNDER SUNSHINE)
In the theatre of war, dramatic changes were coming in quick succession. Of the three Axis powers, Italy and Germany capitulated by this time. But in the eastern frontier, war with Japan was still going on in full swing. Enrollment of men in Defence of India Corps (PT) both combatant, were going on as usual.

As the cost of living index was gradually going up and as the war was coming to an end, which would result in all round disbandment, labour unrest was visible everywhere. It may be recalled here that the Council meeting of the All India Postal and RMS union which elected Com. Kamble as General Secretary adopted a resolution also for obtaining the views of all the Branch Unions on the possibility of launching direct action for compelling the Govt. to increase dearness allowance and revise scales of pay. The movement, however, was not properly conducted and there was very little response to the call issued by the Central Union. Besides, a considerable number of P&T workers were not at all in favour of direct action as on conviction they were against putting obstacles in war efforts of the Govt. With the sudden capitulation of Japanese Army by the middle of September, 1945, the entire situation took a turn. A rumour reached Calcutta that to arrest the possible labour unrest, the prominent labour leaders who were in good books of the Government were being approached to do their best to control the situation and see that there be no untoward situation in any part of the country and so that demobilisation, disbandment and retrenchment of nearly one crore of men who were in employment in connection with war effort of the Government may be carried out smoothly. ( (to be continued)