NewsLetter No. 22 - 72 Hrs. Hunger Strike begins on 23rd April, 2007

News Letter– 22

STOP NOT TILL THE GOAL IS ACHIEVED

Dear ASTO Members,

A meeting of the Executive Committee of ASTO Delhi unit was held on 19th April, 2007. The members took stock of the situation and the resolutions that were passed in the meeting held at Mumbai on 27th March, 2007.

The committee also noted that for taking up the issues related with the officer’s community Sh. Sanjay Goel instead of coming together has served a warning notice to Sh. C.R. Das. The members were very agitated that the present CWC has signed an MOU on PRBS without taking into cognizance the views of people who are going to contribute to this scheme. They have also violated the spirit of CWC resolution – the resolution on which the CWC and the PRBS committee would have negotiated. The members were aghast to note that while we are being paid only 30% of the profit sharing money whereas 40% has been signed off for the PRBS scheme. Further, some of our colleagues (on deputation) are not getting the due profit sharing every year whereas their profit sharing money shall be put into PRBS Fund. We have also not been paid the profit sharing money for the year 2002-03, 03-04 and 04-05 that was approved in the Board meeting held on 6th September, 2006. Surprisingly the MOU has no date of implementation. The issue of present CWC being declared unconstitutional by Registrar of Societies is also hanging in front of us.

The members also noted with great concern that there are number of issues on which the officer’s community are being taken for a ride. Number of issues has been mishandled by the present CWC. The glaring ones are – PRBS, Laptop Scheme, Communication policy, payment of profit sharing, selection of C&MD, ONGC, E2 to E5 pay anomaly and perks on housing accommodation. While we have tried our level best to apprise the present CWC about the sentiments of the people but they have not paid any heed to our advice but instead have tried to marginalise the democratically elected body that has the legal right to represent you by co-opting defeated candidates as well as people who are being protected from getting transfers from Delhi. Friends, with all this in view we have been pursuing all the issues under the coordinator ship of Sh. C.R. Das President ASTO Mumbai and the senior member of ASTO.

In the last five months most of the issues have taken a back seat. But we can’t just stand and watch the present state of affairs and hence we have continued our struggle – against the non resolution of our long pending issues. Hence in this struggle we are going to start in the typical Gandhian way and go for a hunger strike for 72 hours w.e.f. 23rd April, 2007. If the management and the Government fail to realize the gravity of the situation then we shall have no other alternative but to go for indefinite strike w.e.f 26th April, 2007.

ASTO Delhi would also like to share that one of us have filed an application under RTI Act, 2005 for getting information related to selection of Post of C&MD for ONGC. On receipt of the documents we shall be deciding further course of action keeping in view the recent happenings on this front.

Our experience in the past has proven that we shall be getting our due only when we succeed. Some of our friends may be of the opinion that since there are cracks amongst the ASTO leadership hence the chances of success are very slim. But friends’ chances of success are there no matter how slim they are. It is these chances that are needed to be converted into success.

Friends this fight is for the issues, it is for you and for the whole of officer’s community. Hence we request you all to gather for the 72 hours hunger strike at 1000 hrs at Jeevan Bharti Building, New Delhi from 23rd April, 2007. ASTO leaders from other units shall be participating in this hunger strike.

We will keep you posted with all the developments. Keep in touch with our website www.astodelhi.com.

LONG LIVE ASTO UNITY