Category Archives: P&T TU Movement

Telecom Trade Union Movement – A Saga of Struggles, Sacrifices and Achievements (5) – Grand Reception at Delhi

09 Thursday Aug 2018

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It was a great surprise! We were thinking of silently going to Dada Ghosh Bhawan. But lo! there were hundreds of P and T employees waiting for us in the New Delhi Railway Station. But they were not OPG’s men opposing us. They were comrades who were happy at our election and have come in large numbers to receive us at the railway Station. The P and T comrades under the leadership of Comrades K.Adinarayana, Secretary General NFPE,  P.S.Raman Kutty, GS T.III, N.M.S.Rao, AGS R.III Union etc. were waiting for some time and as soon as we stepped down from the train they started shouting slogans  welcoming us and garlanding both of us. It seemed that they were more happy  that O.P.Gupta was defeated which nobody expected was feasible. We were taken as giant killers. There were no supporters of OPG.

A meeting was held at the RMS office premises in the railway station and the leaders welcomed us and we also spoke. The leaders and workers extended all help in our functioning at CHQ, Delhi. It was a great relief.

After safely placing all the records including the ballot papers etc. at  the ITEF office, we reached Dada Ghosh Bhawan, the CHQ of E.III Union. We did not face any problem there, as was feared. O.P.Gupta welcomed us and arranged our stay, though temporarily. He told us that since he is no more General Secretary of the Union, his residence will be shifted within one month and Moni Bose, the new General Secretary can occupy the same. Union charge was handed over to Moni Bose. He handed over the old car also. A small kitchen was arranged for the new General Secretary. Its expense, about Rs. 30,000 was to be handed over to him. (In fact, neither did Gupta hand over the quarters to Moni Bose, nor hand over the accounts and other records. He stayed there continuously for a very long time and planned conspiracies and with   the connivance of the government split the organisation. All about that later.)

OPG handed over the list of new office bearers with Coms. Moni Bose as General Secretary to the Secretary, DOT and introduced him. Both  VAN and Moni Bose started functioning from Dada Ghosh Bhawan.

Central Secretariat meets.

The meeting of the central secretariat of the union was held within days presided over by President V.A.N.Namboodiri. Asst. General Secretaries elected from OPG’s panel, Com. S.Jagannathan and R.K.Kohli were also present. Head Quarters Allowance of a nominal amount of Rs. 350 was allowed both to General Secretary and Asst. General Secretary (RK Kohli). Immediate tasks to be attended to were finalised. CHQ started functioning in right earnest.

Conspiracy

While all these were going on, a deep conspiracy was being hatched behind. Com. Raghubir Singh, Chairman of FNTO, Leader of the Staff Side of the Joint Consultative Machinery and a close friend O.P.Gupta gave a letter to the DOT stating that Moni Bose can not be accepted and recognised as General Secretary, since he was a terminated employee in connection with the proposed strike of 1949. The letter was typed in the Letter Head of the JCM, of which O.P.Gupta was the Secretary, Staff Side. This was handed over by R.K.Kohli to the Secretary, DOT. This was a well planned operation. Letter was received within two days from the DOT by Moni Bose that a terminated employee can not be accepted as General Secretary and that President V.A.N. Namboodiri is authorised to do the correspondence etc. The conspiracy of OP Gupta – Raghubir Singh – DOT  was totally exposed.

It became clear that OPG was not prepared to accept the democratically elected leadership at Bhopal AIC. May be there was strong pressure from his senior comrades also, who were afraid of their own position. The stand of the DOT was ridiculous. The same department which had recognised O.P.Gupta, who never worked in the Department, as General Secretary for more than three and half decades was objecting to a person who had worked in the Department and was terminated without even a show cause notice for alleged participation in a strike, which never happened. How surprising are the ways of the administration to help a favourite.

Though withdrawn recognition, Moni Bose continued his regular functioning at CHQ. For correspondence and dealing with the department V.A.N.Namboodiri President also stayed at Delhi to assist Moni Bose. There was no other way to safeguard the organisation. It was the starting of a continuous stay at Delhi for long 25 years.

At the unjustified rejection of recognition as General Secretary, Moni Bose filed a case in Calcutta High Court through eminent Parliamentarian and Senior Advocate Com. Somnath Chatterjee, who later became the Hon’ble Speaker of the Parliament. (To be continued)

A Saga of Struggles, Sacrifices and Achievements (2) – Bhopal All India Conference, Start of A New Era.

17 Tuesday Jul 2018

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The All India conference of All India Telecom Employees Union Class III, the biggest affiliated union of National Federation of Telecom Employees (NFTE), was held at Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, from 24th to 29th October 1991. Along with our comrades from Calicut (Kozhikode), where I was working at the time, we started two days in advance so as to tour the nearby places as also to meet the delegates in advance to discuss organisational matters. Comrades M.Balasubramaniam, wife Rojana, V.Nalini, M.V.Sadanandan, P.V.Nambissan, K.Damodaran, C.P.Sadanandan, Radhakrishnan, my wife Pankajam and many other comrades were with me. It was a two day journey by train and after reaching Bhopal Railway Station, we stayed at a nearby hotel as the Reception Committee had not yet arranged the accommodation etc.
The two days before the AIC was utilised to meet the delegates coming by train and discussing with them about the organisational issues, mainly the support being given by Com. O.P.Gupta, General Secretary of the union to the anti-working class policies of the government as also the anti-democratic functioning of the union itself. Many comrades agreed with our opinion.
In between, we also found time to visit the ancient caves nearby, the famous mosque in the city etc.
The AIC was being arranged by constructing a very big pandal in the extensive maidan, New Dasra. Though there were provisions in the constitution of the union for the number of delegates to the AIC, the convention was that all those who came and remitted the delegates fee were accommodated as delegates.
There were about 3,000 delegates including a large number of women. Many have come with family and were interested to visit places of attraction, even when the proceedings are in progress. Only about half of the delegates will be present most of the time, while others are either in the dining hall for taking breakfast/lunch/dinner, or were out for sight-seeing. Families will sit there one day or so and then leave the place. There was enough scope for doubt that this kind of situation was created purposely to avoid any serous discussion in the AIC.
However, there used to be serious discussions, debates and fight on the issues, the organisational matters and agitations. There used to be bitter fight on the policy to be adopted in settling the issues of the workers. The inner struggle was always there in E.III Union. This is what happened in the Bhopal AIC also.
The Conference was presided over by Comrade Homi Daji, M.P., President of the union. It was the convention of most of the unions in NFPTE from the start to elect a Member of Parliament to be the President. Many were the top T.U. leaders and M.P.s who were Presidents of the unions. Comrades S.M.Banerjee, Mahesh Dutt Mishra, N.K.Bhatt, Subhadra Joshi, S.B.Das, Homi Daji were some of them. One reason was that these leaders could raise many of the issues in the Parliament and focus them for settlement. This was stopped by the government later, but still certain unions continued the system for some more time.
Comrade Homi Daji was the General Secretary / President of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and was elected more than once to the parliament from the Indore constituency in Madhya Pradesh. He used to preside in the AIC from the first to the last, instead of a token presence only.
Open Session
The open session was held in the main pandal, which was attended by about 5000 including the delegates and public. Chairman, Telecom Commission H.V.Wagle, Advisor (HRD) V.Rajagopalan, CGM M.P. D.K.Gupta, GS T.3 Union P.S.Raman Kutty, GS Line Staff Union Chandrasekhar, GS RMS – 3 Union N.M.S.Rao, GS T.IV Union Sagir Mohammed and other leaders addressed.
(to be continued)

Book on Historical One Day Token Strike of 19th September 1968.

12 Thursday Jul 2018

Posted by in CG Employees, P&T TU Movement

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The One Day Token Strike of Central Government Employees on 19th September 1968 was historic in all aspects, the demands, the huge participation, the draconian punishments, arrests, dismissals, terminations and so on. Striking workers were killed by gun shots as also by running train over the picketers – the eternal martyrs. The fight against victimisation was a saga of determination and tenacity to ensure that each and every dismissed / terminated worker is reinstated.

19th September 2018 is the 50th anniversary of this mighty struggle of lakhs of workers. I am writing a book on the One day Historic Strike to be released on 19th September. There were 290 comrades terminated in P and T in Kerala alone. I would request our comrades in Kerala, who have got some information about the strike in their towns/cities/area like participation in the strike, victimisation, fight against victimisation etc. to kindly send to me so that those incidents can also be included. Photographs, if any, in connection with the strike, including the photoes of the leaders may kindly be send to the following address;

V.A.N.Namboodiri, S-8, Alhind Elite Apartments, P.O. Nadakkav Kozhikode – 673011. Mob: 9868231431 E-mail: van.namboodiri@gmail.com

Thanks to all.

Homage to Com.N.J.Iyer and Com.S.K.Vyas

12 Monday Feb 2018

Posted by in CG Employees, Obituary, Tributes, P&T TU Movement

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13th February is the death anniversary of two great leaders of the Central Government and P and T employees.

It was on this day in 2000 that Com.N.J.Iyer, the indomitable fighter for the cause of P and T and Central employees, left us forever.

It was on this day again, in 2015 that Com. S.K.Vyas, the legendary  leader of the Central government employees passed away.

Both of them were unparalleled fighters who led several struggles of the CG employees and achieved many results.

I had the fortune to be guided by them in my TU activities.  I came in touch with both of them after the 1968 historical strike and especially during the inhuman victimisation of the workers who went on strike. Whenever I went to Delhi, I got one free meal from Com. Iyer and staying place by Com. S.K.Vyas at the Confederation Office premises. I avoided  going to Dada Ghosh Bhawan, the CHQ of E.III since there was constant fight on the question of policies to be adopted and action organised with GS Com. O.P.Gupta.

After I shifted to Delhi in 1991 consequent to being elected as the President of E.3 Union (affiliated to NFPTE) there was constant touch and interaction with both of them, Com. Iyer as the GS of R.III Union and Com. Vyas as the SG Confederation. I still remember the confidence shown  by Com. Iyer, by handing over the valuable original typed copy of the Article by Com.Dada Ghosh  on ‘Origin of P&T Trade union movement’ which after getting typed a fresh copy, was returned to him.

Both were leaders with great vision  served the workers in very difficult situations. Their lifestyle was the simplest. Both prepared their own food and served others when there were visitors. Vyasji used to come to Delhi by Bus from Rajasthan and after getting down from the bus walked about one kilo meter to reach Confederation office opposite Sir Gangaram Hospital, till the last days. Iyer was not different. The image of Com. Iyer marching with a red cap in his head,  ahead of  thousands of P&T workers through the streets of Delhi after the P&T Convention in 1972, from West Patel Nagar to Boat Club near Central Secretariat for many kilometers, as the commander of an army  still inspires me. It was also noteworthy that the Communications Minister Shri H.N.Bahuguna,  came to the Raisina Junction and received the memorandum, instead of waiting  in his office for the delegation to come.

They were giants of the Trade Union movement who guided the workers at the most difficult times and showed the correct path to the future generations.

Red Salute to Com. N.J.Iyer and Com.S.K.Vyas on their death anniversary!

 

Release of Book “P and T Trade Union Movement” by Com. Tapan Sen, M.P., GS CITU

11 Saturday Nov 2017

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” The P and T Trade Union Movement” written by V.A.N.Namboodiri and published by NFPE was released on 6th August 2017 by Com. Tapan Sen,M.P.., General Secretary, CITU at the All India Conference of AIPEU Class III at Bengaluru. Com.M.Krishnan, Secretary General Confederation of  CG Employees and Workers, Com. R.N.Parashar, Secretary General NFPE, Com.C.C.Pillai former SG NFPE, Com.K.Rahavendran, former SG NFPE, Com.K.V.Sreedharan, former GS P.III and  other all India leaders were present. The book is having a forward by Com. A.K.Padmanabhan, Vice-President, CITU.

The book contains the history of the P and T Trade Union movement since 1900, the formation of the various unions, formation of UPTW, NFPTE as also the detailed report on the historical strikes of 1908, 1919, 1946, 1960, 1974, 1984 etc. and upto the bifurcation of the Department in to Postal and Telecom and the consequent bifurcation of NFPTE in to NFPE and NFTE.

Revolutionary Greetings on 19th September Strike Anniversary!

19 Tuesday Sep 2017

Posted by in BSNLEU, CG Employees, P&T TU Movement

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On this 49th Anniversary of the Historic One Day Strike of 19th September 1968 by the CG employees and workers, my Warm Greetings to all of our senior comrades who participated in the strike and also to all comrades, friends and well wishers of the CG and BSNL employees!.

This is a day to remember our glorious past and to pledge ourselves to the great tasks that are before us.

On this day, we remember and pay homage to the great martyrs who sacrificed their valuable lives in the cause of the working class!

Com.N.P.Padmanabhan, the Indomitable Fighter

01 Tuesday Aug 2017

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(I am giving below a brief memorial on the life and activities of Com. N.P.Padmanabhan, the revolutionary leader of the P and T and Central Government employees who organised several mighty struggles in Kerala. He was the Convener of the Confederation, Convener of the P and T Co-ordinating Committee and Secretary NFPTE for many years. Our readers may kindly point out if there is any factual error and / or may give further details to be included for which I will be thankful )

Com.N.P.Padmanabhan – The Indomitable Fighter

Comrade N.P.Padmanabhan, who was respectfully and affectionately called ‘Pappettan’, was an indomitable fighter for the cause of the working class, especially the P&T and Central Government employees. His life was a continuous struggle against the ruling class and the bureaucracy.
Padmanabhan was born in March 1926 ( exact date not known) at Eramala Panchayat in then Malabar District. His father was Shri Gopala Kurup and mother Smt. Ammalu Amma. His elder brother N.P.Balagopal worked in Deshabhimani and later became Sales Tax Prctitioner. Advocate.
Pappettan studied at Mahe School and Government Brennen College, Tellicherry. He was an excellent Volley Ball and Ball Badminton player and participated in many tournaments.
Com.Padmanabhan joined as a Postal Clerk at Tirur in 1947. From the date of his joining he was interested in the union activities. The successful P and T strike of 1946 and connected developments resulted in the formation of a united organisation, Union of P & T Workers (UPTW), on 13th August 1947. Padmanabhan became an active worker and organised the union in the Malabar area. The department was not happy and transferred him first to Wynad, then to Tellicherry Head Post Office and then to Sub-Post Office Panur. He was elected as the Secretary of UPTW, Tellicherry Branch.
The P&T Department was expanding and the employees were working under heavy strain. Though the British has left India, the bureaucracy continued as such. The working condition was severe and employees were punished for no fault of theirs. Extra hours of work were imposed on them. There was acute shortage of staff. Com. Padmanabhan stood up for the workers and organised many struggles for settling their issues.
It was at this time that the National Federation of P&T Employees (NFPTE) was formed on 24th November 1954, amalgamating all the existing unions in to one Federation and 9 compulsory affiliated unions. Com. Padmanabhan was elected as the Divisional Secretary of the All India Postal Employees Union Class III (NFPTE), Tellicherry. President of the union was Advocate V.R.Krishna Iyer, who later became Law Minister in the EMS Ministry in Kerala and then Judge of the Supreme Court. It was usual at that time to elect M.P.s and prominent trade union leaders as the Presidents of the union. Tellicherry Divisional Branch was one of the strongest in the whole of the Madras P &T Circle. Almost all the senior leaders in the Madras circle, including Coms. A.S.Rajan, D.Gnaniah, D.Lakshmanan, A.M.A.Majeed and others have visited Tellicherry and addressed meetings on invitation from Pappettan. Shri V.V.Giri, INTUC leader who later became the President of India, also attended the NFPTE meeting at Tellicherry in 1956.
Com. Pappettan brought many other youngsters in the movement, who themselves became leaders. Coms. T.M.Janardhanan, N.O.Anandan, N.C.Narayanan, K.Narayanan, P.Narayanan and others belong to this group. Myself, who joined in Cannanore in 1959 on transfer from Kottayam, also got inspired by Pappettan.
Pappettan was the leading force in organising the Five Days Glorious strike of the Central Government employees which continued from 11th July to 16th July 1960. It was brutally suppressed by the Jawaharlal Nehru Government imposing Essential Service Maintenance Ordinance (ESMO) and other black rules. Thousands were arrested, suspended, dismissed and charge sheeted. Pappettan was arrested on the first day of the strike under ESMO and convicted for 6 months rigorous imprisonment. The arrested and jailed comrades were released only after many days. It took more than 5-6 years to remove the scars of the victimisation.
Kerala P&T Circle was formed in 1961 consequent to the formation of Kerala State in 1956. The first Circle Conference of all the nine affiliated unions were held jointly at Trivandrum. Important decisions were taken in the Joint conference to hold the conferences together every year, form a Co-Ordinating Committee of P&T Unions, joint circle conference and common journal. These decisions stood the test of time and strengthened camaraderie among the workers.
In the fourth joint conference of P&T Unions, Kerala Circle, held at Calicut in 1965, Com. Padmanabhan was elected as the Asst. Circle Secretary of Postal Class III Union and shifted to Trivandrum to work from the headquarters. In the next Conference at Quilon in 1966, he was elected as Circle Secretary. In the Palghat Conference in 1967 he was elected as the Convener of the mighty P&T Co-ordinating Committee. The “P&T House” in Trivandrum, the circle headquarters of the P&T Unions, became his residence for many years.
Under the vibrant leadership of Con. Pappettan, the P&T Co-ordinating Committee became a mighty force. This was the time when serious discussion was going on about the correct line to be taken by the organisation. There was no doubt as far as Kerala circle was concerned. Unity and struggle was the accepted line. The Post Master General and the top officers were adopting a hostile line to the union activities. Workers issues were not settled. This resulted in a large number of local struggles for settlement of issues. Many struggles were organised by the Circle P&T Co-ordinating Committee under the leadership of Pappettan. The organisation became strong and militant. There was a new awakening. He was also elected as the Convener of the Confederation of Central Government employees and workers in Kerala.
This was the time when Com.E.Padmanabhan was elected as the General Secretary of the Kerala N.G.O.union, mighty organisation of the state government employees, and joined at Trivandrum. Many struggles were being organised in that sector also. There was good co-ordination between the state and central government employees. During 1967, a prolonged struggle was organised demanding supply of rice etc. through the government.
At that time workers used to joke that Trivandrum was under the control of ‘three Padmanabhans – Shri Padmanabha Swamy (deity of the Padmanabha Swamy Temple) , N.P.Padmanabhan and E.Padmanabhan.’ Such was the influence of these two great leaders.
The historic one day strike of 19th September 1968 by the central government employees demanding minimum wage, DA according to the increase in cost of living etc. was complete in Kerala Circle. Then Chief Minister of Kerala, Com. E.M.S.Namboodiripad declared that he will not implement ESMA against the striking workers, despite the threat of his government being dismissed by the centre as in 1959. But as per instructions of the Central government, hundreds of cases were filed against the striking workers by departmental officers. 300 temporary officials were terminated from service and almost double that figure suspended. Almost all the strikers were victimised one way or other. As the Convener of the P&T Co-ordinating Committee, the main responsibility of defending the workers and getting them reinstated fell on Pappettan. The three years after the strike was a period of acute hardship and hard work for getting the terminated, dismissed and suspended employees reinstated.
Donations and collections were made from the employees and other unions and somehow managed to give the terminated employees some salary every month. In some places full salary could be given. After sustained agitation, court case etc. by about three years, all the terminated employees were taken back.
Pappettan was first transferred to an interior place called Uppala near Karnataka border, then suspended and after departmental proceedings dismissed. Even after reinstating almost others, he was not reinstated, despite court orders. Department went on appeal to Supreme Court, but the same was dismissed, but still was not reinstated. He continued to be outside, but fully utilised his time for the organisation. Only after the Janatha Government came to power in 1977, he was reinstated.
It was during this time that the rented house accommodating P&T Co-ordinating Committee was purchased by the union at the initiative of Pappettan. (The present P&T House was constructed there in 1988 and inaugurated by Com. Jyoti Basu on 27th August 1989).
Com. Pappettan was elected as Secretary NFPTE, in the Federal Council held at Bangalore in 5-9 May 1978 and shifted to New Delhi to attend to his new duties. Along with Coms. N.J.Iyer, GS, RMS Class III Union and K.Adinarayana, GS Postmen Union, he fought against the revisionist leadership of NFPTE Secretary General Com. O.P.Gupta and organised valiant struggles for settlement of workers’ demands. He was re-elected as Secretary NFPTE in the Federal Council held at Cochin on 27-30 April 1980. He was also elected as the Vice-President of the All India Postal Union Class III. He stayed and worked in the NFPTE office itself for his entire tenure of office-bearer ship. After the Federal Council in February 1983, Pappettan returned to Trivandrum.
Com. Pappettan was a pillar of strength for any struggle of the workers. His leadership was clearly evident in the CRPF Strike in Trivandrum which continued for months. The sustained agitation for the regularisation of RTPs was another instance as also the agitation against the anti-worker actions of Communications Minister C.M.Stephen, at whose instance a large number of union office-bearers were transferred to distant places.
Com.N.P.Padmanabhan retired from service on superannuation on 31st March 1984. Later he shifted to his residence in Kannur, but continued his activities in the union.
Gradually his health began to deteriorate. Pappettan breathed his last on 5th March 1994 at the age of 68, due to severe cardiac attack. He was cremated at Payyambalam, Kannur. The P&T fraternity has lost one of their great leaders. Thousands of people attended the funeral ceremony and paid homage to the departed leader. A fitting memorial was erected at Payyambalam for Pappettan near the memorials of Coms.P.Krishna Pillai, E.K.Nayanar and other leaders.
His wife Smt. Devi stays with his daughter at Kochi. His son Com. Sathyanathan was employed in Postal Accounts and has since retired. His daughters Sasikala is married to Com. Chandrasenan (Retired from SBI) and Subhashini to Com. P.Janardhanan ( Retd. SDE BSNL).
Com. N.P.Padmanabhan was one of the great leaders of NFPTE, who guided and led the P&T movement in Kerala to the present position. He was an excellent speaker and agitator. He led the numerous struggles of the workers. He also guided many struggles of other CG employees. P&T House, in his time became the centre of many other organisations also.
Since 1959 till his death, I was closely connected with him. We were together at Trivandrum during 1977-81, when I was functioning as the Circle Secretary of All India Telecom Employees Union Class III. He used to write letters to me on organisational and family matters while I was in Delhi after I became the All India President/General Secretary of the union and shifted to there. I keep those letters still as a valuable possession.
Com.N.P.Padmanabhan will ever be remembered as the architect of the militant NFPTE organisation in Kerala and also for his great sacrifice for the cause of the workers.

.

‘K.G.Bose Bhavan’ inaugurated at Manjeri, Kerala.

16 Friday Jun 2017

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A newly constructed building for the office of the NFPE at Manjeri,’K.G.Bose Bhawan’ was inaugurated by Com. Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister, Kerala on 13th June 2017.  A large number of employees and public were present in the function. Many of the union offices of NFPE/BSNLEU in  Kerala are named in the memory of the great Revolutionary leader Com.K.G.Bose, who showed the correct path for forward march. It is worth mentioning here that the first Memorial to Com. KG Bose was constructed in Kozhikode as the office of the P&T Co-ordinating Committee which was named ‘KG Bose Mandiram’ and inaugurated by Com. Parul Bose, wife of Com.K.G.

Our hearty congratulations to comrades of Manjeri for their great effort!

Meeting the stalwarts of working class at Kolkata.

03 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners, BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers, BSNLEU, P&T TU Movement

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I have been away to Kolkata to attend the Circle Conference of AIBDPA  Kolkata Circle as also meeting at Telecom Factory and at CTO building (W.Bengal Circle) during the period 25th to 29th April 2017. The conference and meetings were well attended and I addressed them. The latest developments were explained to the employees, pensioners and casual contract workers.

I could utilise the stay in Kolkata during this period to meet some of the veteran senior leaders of the trade union movement. Com. Sisirda, the senior most leader of P&T employees, who is 97 at present, came to the meeting in the Telecom Factory and addressed the workers. Even at this age he is active and we discussed about the latest developments. A copy of the AIBDPA  Tirupati AIC Souvenir with my article on Sisirda was handed over to him.

On 26th evening along with Coms. Saibal Sen Gupta, Circle Secretary BSNLEU and Biplab Das, Secretary Co-ordination Committee, I went and met Com. Sukomal Sen, former Secretary General All India state Government Employees Federation and a former M.P. He was not well and is under treatment at home. He was happy to meet all of us and we discussed his health problems and other issues.

On 28th April, along with Coms. Pabitra Chakraborty and Arindo Rai, Asst. Circle Secretary, BSNLEU Kolkata  Circle, I visited Com. R.L.Bhattacharjee, Patron, NCCPA at his residence which is about 30 miles away from Kolkata. He is almost bedridden and unable to move out. We had about one hour discussion on the various issues of the pensioners etc.

On 29th morning I went to the residence of late Comrade Moni Bose to meet Com. Jyotsna Bose who is  not well. She used to attend all the meetings earlier. I could meet both the families of Coms. K.G.Bose as well as Moni Bose. Com. Babu (s/o KG Bose) and family had visited Kerala last month and he was very happy that all arrangements have been made for his stay etc. by Com.K.Mohanan, CS BSNLEU and other comrades. I had lunch from there and spoke with all the family members.

Com.Ananta Bhattacharjee, President of AIBDPA and a veteran leader was present in the AIBDPA Kolkata Conference and along with Com.K.G.Jayaraj, General secretary, we could discuss some important issues.

During the stay there, I addressed the SNEA comrades, sitting on Hunger strike in Telephone Bhavan as per decision of CHQ demanding settlement of their demands.

This tour to Kolkata was successful,especially in that I could meet the senior leaders. All the circle Secretaries of BSNLEU, Coms. Animesh Mitra (WB), Saibal Sen Gupta (Kolkata), Om Prakash Singh (TF) and Adhir Kumar Sen (TS) along with Com. Biplab Das, Mihir Dasgupta, Swastika Dasgupta, Sandib Banerjee, Pijush Chakraborty, Supriyo Mitra, Arindo Rai, Amitab Chatterjee, senior leaders Comrades Dilip Das, Prabir Dutta, Gouri Haldar – all helped me in duties assigned to me. I could not meet Coms. Tapas Ghosh and Tapos Banerjee, leaders of BSNLCCWF due to their being out of station to attend meetings.

All these comrades are functioning under great strain due to the special situation in W.Bengal. My Congratulations to all of them for their great tradition and committed service to the organisation.

W.

Com.P.S.R.Anjaneyulu, Commander of the 1960 Strike

27 Tuesday Dec 2016

Posted by in P&T TU History, P&T TU Movement

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It is four decades since Com. P.S.R.Anjaneyulu, former Secretary General of NFPTE, passed away. His death anniversary falls on 16th December. A homage to his memory is given below:

Com.P.S.R.Anjaneyulu, Commander of the 1960 Strike

(03.09.1922 – 16.12.1977)

V.A.N.Namboodiri

Com.P.S.R.Anjeneyulu, former Secretary General of NFPTE, is one of the most respected leaders of the P&T Trade Union movement. It was he  who led the P&T workers in the historic Strike of the Central Government Employees in July 1960.

Patibandla Seetha Ram Anjaneyulu was born on 03.09.1922 in a well to do orthodox Brahmin family at Vijayawada. Father P.Subba Rao died early leaving his wife and children orphans. After completing graduation from Madras University, he got appointment as a Telegraphist in CTO Madras and joined there on 16.11.1945. Later Anjaneyulu got transfer to Vijayawada, his own place. In between, he worked at Kurnool also. His mother died while he had gone to attend a meeting of the Federal Executive Meeting of NFPTE.

PSR, as his colleagues and friends affectionately called him, was an expert and efficient worker and was much appreciated by his superiors and colleagues. He was very much interested in union activities and became the General Secretary of the then All India Telegraph Union (AITU) in 1953 and shifted to Calcutta, union head quarters. At his initiative, the head quarter was shifted to New Delhi (W.E.A. Karol Bagh) and he started functioning from there. He worked closely in co-ordination with the Union of P&T Workers (UPTW), which was formed by merging most of the unions in P&T. During this period he visited London, Switzerland, France, Italy and Germany and participated in the Third Session of Advisory Committee on “Salaried Employees and professional Workers” of ILO and addressed the same as the General Secretary of AITU.

This was the time when serious discussion was going on for realignment of all the unions in P&T to form a single Federation. In addition to the union leaders, Minister Communications Jagjivan Ram also took keen interest to bring in the Realignment Scheme. Accordingly National Federation of P&T Employees (NFPTE) was formed on 24th November 1954 in the Convention held at Vinay Nagar, New Delhi. Initially PSR was reluctant to merge due to the pressure of Dewan Chaman Lal President of AITU, but he convinced him and AITU was also merged with NFPTE.

Com.PSR was expected to be the first General Secretary of the T.III Union affiliated to the New Federation. In addition to his name, two other names also came,  that of S.N.Misra and K.Krishna Murthy. There was no doubt that in the election, PSR would have won. But he did not want an election and withdrew his candidature. S.N.Misra was elected by majority votes as the General Secretary. In the 1957 All India Conference of T.III., PSR was elected as the General Secretary and continued as such till 1960, when he was elected as the Secretary General of NFPTE, after B.N.Ghosh (Dada Ghosh) vacated the post. During the period, PSR gave oral evidence before the Telegraph Enquiry Committee in a very effective way.

It was in the Gauhati Federal Council held on 19-25 April 1960 that PSR was elected as the Secretary General. There was a feeling among the leaders and workers whether this quiet and calm young man of 38 years will be able to take this high responsibility of leading the mighty organization, especially when it was preparing for an Indefinite Strike.

As Secretary General of NFPTE, he co-ordinated with all the General Secretaries in a very cordial way, as one among equals. There were leaders committed to different political ideologies, but PSR ensured that every decision is taken democratically and had the support of all. Immediately after taking over as the SG NFPTE, his responsibility was to lead the historic Indefinite Strike against the retrograde recommendations of the II Central Pay Commission.

In the negotiations with the government before the start of the strike, he took a firm position. Immediately after his return from the talks, within hours, he was arrested, handcuffed and taken to Tihar Jail. He was presented handcuffed before the Magistrate, who ordered the police to remove it immediately. The photo published in the P&T Labour, organ of NFPTE, with PSR handcuffed being taken to the Court, shows a calm and non-agitated person with almost his usual smile on his face. The photo became famous with the caption “Lion in Chains”.  Thousands of strikers and non-strikers were arrested, jailed, dismissed, terminated and so on. The strike was withdrawn after five days by the leaders in jail, including PSR.

P.S.R.Anjaneyulu as SG NFPTE, made out all efforts to end the victimization. But it was not an easy task. It took many years to end the victimization at least to a certain extent. After the strike, recognition of NFPTE was withdrawn. PSR was posted back to Vijayawada CTO.

In the Ambala Federal Council held on 21-26 February 1965, PSR on his own stepped down from the top post. D.Gnaniah was elected as Secretary General. PSR was elected as Vice-President and continued till 1970. PSR was the President of T.III Union from 1960 to 1974 and President of T.IV Union from 1968 to 1972.

After he was promoted to TTS-II, a class II Officer, he was posted at Vijayawada CTO. Though he accepted the post, he continued his close connection with T.III Union and NFPTE. He gave guidance and advice to the union leaders and workers.

As an administrator, he was one of the best. He was punctual, disciplined and committed and he wanted other officials also to be in the same way. His subordinates saw him as a model officer.

PSR Anjaneyulu was a man of simple living and high thinking. His dress was always of white cotton shirt. He never smoked or drank. He continued as a strict vegetarian. He was amenable with all whom he contacted. Though mild-spoken he was firm in his principles and an excellent negotiator. All those who were in contact with him were enamored by his sincerity and firm convictions. Shri L.C.Jain, then Chairman P&T Board, said about PSR that he is an “Ocean of Calmness.”

PSR expressed his opinions clearly and argued for its acceptance. Even if the decision was against his opinion, he worked to implement the decision with 100% sincerity. He was a democrat to the core. He participated in the discussion with both II and III Central Pay Commissions.

Since he was an excellent Officer, the administration entrusted with more and more responsibility. On a few occasions, he was at the same time, functioning as STT, as Superintendent of Hyderabad CTO and some other function also. The hard work made him weak and sick, but he did not take much care about his health. He neglected his health and continued to over work.

PSR Anjaneyulu was admitted in the Hyderabad Nursing Home 0n 15th December 1977. His condition became worse and despite best treatment, he passed away at 07.42 AM on 16th.

The news of his sudden illness and death shocked the entire P&T fraternity. The news spread like wild fire. Through telegrams and telephone calls, the sad news reached all over India. Condolence messages reached his bereaved family, wife Kamala Anjaneyulu and daughter Lalita, in hundreds.

All India leaders and many active comrades from many parts of the country reached Vijayawada hearing the news. GMT Hyderabad and other top officers also reached there. All of them paid homage to the departed leader. The body was covered with the Red Flag of NFPTE.

A big funeral procession was taken through the streets of Vijayawada participated by hundreds of P&T workers and other comrades and reached the banks of river Krishna, where the body was put on the funeral pyre after rituals. Com. PSR Anjaneyulu has left us forever.

The following words of Com.N.J.Iyer, then General Secretary of R.III Union gives a befitting picture of Com. PSR:

“Wearing a smiling face, giving patient hearing to all  views, firmly holding his own and fearlessly giving expression to it and implementing the policies and programmes decided upon, Com. P.S.R.Anjaneyulu, unified the movement of P&T and through it , the Central Government employees movement. Looking back, he has a right to be satisfied for doing his best to bring credit to this great organization”.

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