21 hours Ago
Postal employees working as gramin dak sevaks (GDS) have announced an indefinite strike from March 25, demanding their inclusion in the 8th Pay Commission. The decision was taken during a state-level meeting held in Ludhiana under the banner of the All India Gramin Dak Sevaks Union, where union leaders from across Punjab gathered to discuss their long-pending demands. Ajaib Singh, general secretary of the All India Gramin Dak Sevaks Union, Ludhiana, emphasised that GDS workers play a significant role in the rural postal network, yet they remain excluded from direct benefits under the central pay commissions.
Instead, their service conditions are reviewed by separate committees, whose recommendations are allegedly delayed and inadequately implemented. During the meeting, state secretary Jagtar Singh said the GDS workforce would not accept another separate review committee this time. “Gramin dak sevaks must be directly included in the 8th Pay Commission to end decades of discrimination,” he stated.
The strike is expected to severely disrupt rural postal services across Punjab, affecting services such as money orders, banking transactions, and direct benefit transfers (DBT) of social welfare schemes. Notably, on January 17, union leaders had submitted a formal request to the central government, urging the inclusion of GDS employees in the 8th Pay Commission. Additionally, the 4th Pay Commission had acknowledged GDS employees as central government workers, yet they were excluded from subsequent commissions, they said.
The union also referred to the Kamlesh Chandra Committee, which was appointed by the Government of India in 2015 to study the pay structure and working conditions of gramin dak sevaks. The committee had proposed higher wages, job security, and improved service conditions, suggesting a three-tier wage structure based on working hours, and had also advocated for retirement benefits and medical allowances for the GDS staff. Despite these recommendations, the government has continued to place GDS workers under separate review committees instead of granting them direct inclusion in the Pay Commission, prompting them to resort to an indefinite strike, the union said.
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