STRENGTH AGAINST WAR ECONOMY (continued)

On the 18th December 1942 Mr. Harold Schoobert the then Director General of Posts and Telegraphs invited all the Central Unions’ representatives in Calcutta to discuss various problems confronting the P and T workers. Dr.Noronha, Indian Telegraph Association, Mr. P.C.Chatterjee, All India Telegraph Union, Mr. K.M.Prabhu, Indian Posts and Telegraph Union, Mr. Bhupen Ghosh, All India Postal and RMS Union (authorized by Central Union), Mr. Rohini Roy, All India Postmen and Lower Grade Staff Union, Mr. D.N.Ganguli Administrative Office Union and others met the DG P and T in a round table conference. The internal political situation of the country had gone from bad to worse. All the Congress leaders including Mahatma Gandhi had been arrested on the night of 8-8-42 and put in jail and there was general uprising throughout the country on 9-8-42 known as the August Movement. Hundreds of Post Offices had been burnt and telegraph lines cut and in the East in the Assam border the Azad Hind Army was advancing. The anti-British feeling was intensely growing, rather it was at its height. In such situation Mr. Schoobert made an appeal to the Union leaders for co-operation and for rendering every assistance to the war efforts of the government. The P and T Department, he reminded plays an important role in war. The assurance of co-operation and help were given by all. The question relating to sanction of dearness allowance at the increased rates was the main item discussed in the conference. Dr. Noronha placed his suggestion for five rupees increment of dearness allowance for every 20% increase in cost of living index. His suggestion appeared to be a very reasonable one and based on scientific calculation. Ultimately this suggestion was also accepted by the Pay Commission. The conference urged for measures for protecting all P and T buildings and construction of shelters in all areas which were possible targets of bombing.

Mr. Prabhu’s presence in Calcutta gave me an opportunity of discussing afresh with him about the possibility of him and others in the I.P.T.U. specially belonging to Madras Presidency, coming back to the All India Postal and RMS Union which was the parent body. Mr. Prabhu replied that it was more or less a question of prestige and it would not be possible for them to come back; on the other hand, he raised the issue that even if the Postal and RMS members would come back to All India Postal and RMS Union what would happen to those belonging to Telegraph and Engineering arms of the services as I.P.T.U. was a combined union of both Post and Telegraph workers. He suggested that the All India Postal and RMS Union should change the name and constitution so that all the P and T workers could be accommodated in it. Many of the officials in Telegraph Engineering divisions in Uttar Pradesh and Linemen in Bengal had already been pressing the All India Postal and RMS Union to enroll them as members. During the war period many of the Postal signallers had gone on deputation to the Telegraph arm and they were influencing the Postal signallers to join as a whole the All India Telegraph Union. The Director General of Posts and Telegraphs however rejected the prayers of Postal signallers joining the Telegraph Union and the Engineering people and Linemen joining the Postal and RMS Union. The suggestion of Mr. Prabhu went in to my brain straight. I began, with all earnestness to create an atmosphere in favour of building one union for all P and T workers and took courage to propose that All India Postal and RMS Union should be dissolved and all in a body should join the I.P.T.U., but any how there was no response to this – so I concentrated all my energy to change the constitution of the All India Postal and RMS Union so that the Telegraph workers in general and members of the I.P.T.U. in particular, specially belonging to Madras Presidency may be induced to join the organization. In the whole of Northern India from N.W.F.P. to Assam the members of the I.P.T.Union were mostly Muslims but such was not the case with Madras.

It may be recalled that the All India Postal and RMS Conference held at Allahabad in 1935 had tried its best for full three days to bring about a settlement between the leaders of the two rival provincial unions of All India Postal and RMS Unions in Madras headed by Mr. Soma Sundaram Mudaliar and Mr. K.M.Prabhu. The conference gave a verdict that a fresh Provincial conference to be convened under the joint signature of Mr. Prabhu and Mr. Mudaliar at Mysore. The followers of Mr. Prabhu instead of joining the conference called at Mysore preferred to join the I.P.T.U. and formed a separate circle union. A section of members in I.P.T.U. in Madras later on had been feeling about the importance of reamalgamation of unions. The pressure from a section of Engineering and Linemen workers as has been stated above was already there. The Postmen and Lower Grade Staff Union advanced a new scheme for reamalgamation of their union with the All India Postal and RMS Union provided at the divisional level the funds were kept separate and secretary was a common man who should be an outsider to be helped by joint secretaries one from Class III and one from Postmen and Class IV. The movement inside the All India Postal and RMS Union for changing the name and constitution began to grow. Even the leadership of the All India Telegraph Union verbally supported the move and gave some sort of assurance that in case the All India Postal and RMS Union change its name and constitution they would consider the question of merger favourably. The war situation was gradually bringing all the P and T Unions closer. (To be continued )

STRENGTH AGAINST WAR ECONOMY (continued)

The rates of dearness allowance which were sanctioned and were being paid up to 1942 to the P and T workers and other government servants, specially those belonging to the lower strata of services, were mainly on the basis of the findings of the G.I.P. Railway Court of Enquiry. Shri S.C Joshi, who was then the Hon. Secretary of the All India Postal and RMS Union, Bombay Provisional Branch, and head of the salaried employees with which the All India Postal and RMS Union was affiliated took an active part in the Court’s enquiry of course, his connection with the Railway Federation gave him the full opportunity to advocate the Railway workers’ cause before the court which ultimately benefitted the P and T workers as well. During the pendency of the Court’s enquiry the Postal and RMS Union with a view to give him impetus to the Railway workers’ movement for increasing the dearness allowance through the efforts of Shri Joshi, was able to create an All-India wide movement. At many places there were joint meetings etc. The All India Postal and RMS Union Conference held at Agra gave further impetus to the movement. The young progressive group took a leading part in the fund collection.

The All India Postal and RMS Union at this stage was found to be ever ready to advance the P and T workers’ movement and was willing to work conjointly with all other unions. The All India Telegraph Union and the Indian Telegraph Association were as it appeared, determined not to work with each other on a common platform and the Indian Post and Telegraph Union was playing altogether a different role which will be discussed later on. The political, economic and war situation had brought, outwardly at least, all the unions closer to one another at the earlier stage but the real earnestness for bringing unity of thoughts, deeds and work began to grow by the end of 1942. The political situation in the country had worsened during the year which created confusion amongst the lower and upper middle class people but the working-class practically remained firm, their only concern being increase in dearness allowance.
Sudden grant of evacuee allowance to Government employees working in Calcutta and other border districts for removing their family members, created worst confusion amongst the people in general and the Government servants in particular. All were found busy in removing their family members to the interior. This sudden and unasked for action of the government made the people panicky for the time being. The P and T Unions through their concerted action were able to keep the P and T workers in good spirit. Although the Unions had assured the department all help and co-operation, the Government issued an ordinance prohibiting all P and T employees, who belong to essential services from leaving station without the previous permission of any Gazetted Officer in the Department.

However, on receipt of the news of the desertion by 19 P and T workers at Dimapur ( Manipur Junction Road) and S.O.S calls from other stations, I left alone for my Assam tour on 27th May, 1942, and during my entire tour I had to address the numerous meetings. In every meeting I stressed upon the workers the need of sticking to work and not to be deserters. The only slogan I raised was “Guard your hearth and home and stick to your duty at this hour of crises”. I visited Barisal, Comilla, Chittagong, Sylhet, Silchar, Shillong, Lumding, Mariani, Dimapur, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and on my way back – Narayan Ganj, Dacca, Mymensing. I remember while I was addressing a big meeting of the P and T workers at Chittagong Maheshkhali Aerodrome, located in a part of the town, it was being bombed. The meeting went on smoothly and it adopted a resolution that the staff should not leave the station. The Department was contemplating to shift the non-essential sections of Chittagong P and T offices to Dacca but in fact as a result of the resolution, the idea was given up.
The P and T workers from all Bengal and Assam had been drafted to Dimapur to cope up with the extra rush of work in civil Post Offices. Besides, there were field post offices also in their large numbers. Thousands of evacuees from Burma were found moving westward. The P and T workers who deserted, did so not so much out of fear but for want of proper supply of ration and water and other necessities of life. My entire tour was a successful one. The P and T Workers not only made up their mind to stick to their duties but began to work with changed outlook. The memory of those dreadful days is still vivid in my mind. I still feel contented that I did not fail to discharge my duty as General Secretary of the Bengal and Assam Provincial Union – and could go to each and every centre of Eastern Bengal and Assam to take care of co-workers whom I had the good fortune to serve through the union.
I came back on the 9th of August, 1942, the memorable day when the August movement was launched, collecting “Splinters of Bombs” for presenting them to my second son, aged six, who was ailing. But I learnt that the boy had died on the 8th, a day before my arrival. Misfortune never comes alone. After a few hours of my arrival, my wife expired. Repentance came to me for my neglecting them and I took a vow not to keep any connection with the union in future. (To be continued.)