Bruhaspati Samal
The Government of Odisha released a fresh list of frontline workers for Covid-19 vaccinations on May 13, 2021. The list includes forest department staff, bank/insurance staff, ATM maintenance staff, staff of logistic companies, railway staff, child care institutions’ staff, oxygen plant employees, filling station and call centre employees. However, postal employees have been excluded from this list. The decision of the government has disheartened about 25,000 postal employees and workers of 8,164 post offices in the Odisha Postal Circle.
During this national crisis, India Post, the largest postal network in the world, as one of the essential service providers, has come forward to stand with the government, the administration and the common citizens. It has kept opened all its 1.56 lakh post offices including 1.30 lakh post offices in rural areas to cater to the needs of both urban and rural people through its 5 lakh-strong workforce.
Last year, especially during the lockdown period, India Post ensured emergency mail services and financial transactions even through Mobile Post Offices wherever necessary. Working till midnight daily, it delivered hope and essential items to far flung areas. The Department of Posts has become a lifesaver guaranteeing supplies of essential items including medicines, testing kits, masks, sanitizers, PPEs and medical equipment like ventilators and defibrillators to all corners of the country. The department has also been delivering cash at the doorsteps of the old, the handicapped, and pensioners through Aadhaar Enrolled Payment System (AePS). The red motor van of India Post is a beacon of hope for the homeless and the needy in slums, migrant labourers and daily wage earners. For its significant role during COVID, the Department of Posts won the excellence in Digital Governance Award in Digital India Award in 2020 and Healthgiri Award, 2020 for Best Logistic Service Provider. During the second wave, India Post and its employees are moving ahead with the same temperament as before.
While a key section of these employees especially the delivery staff (postmen) and Gramin Dak Sewaks (GDS) are moving from door to door with biometric/handheld devices for delivery of letters and payment of money through AePS, another section (counter and frontline staff) is directly dealing with customers in vulnerable conditions. Biometric transactions and direct door delivery of mails make the staff vulnerable to the virus. Besides, post offices are remaining functional with full working strength.
While the activities of banking sector are limited to financial transactions, insurance sector are limited to insurance businesses and private courier services/logistics companies are meant for mail/parcel business only, India Post alone delivers all such services. Besides, the department has also facilitated the customers with 111 additional services across the nation under one platform — Common Service Centre.
How can these employees be treated inferior to others during this pandemic? Most regretfully, there is gross disparity between the employees of India Post and that of other departments. While the banking and insurance sectors availed reduced working hours with Saturday leave, employees of India Post are treated with step-motherly attitude both by the Union and the state governments during the pandemic.
Even for vaccination, postal employees are kept outside the priority list. Despite the Health Ministry’s direction to organise vaccination sessions at workplaces (both public & private) which are having about 100 eligible and willing beneficiaries by tagging these workplaces with an existing Covid Vaccination Centre (CVC), no such step has yet been taken either by the department or by the state government. These employees are finding out ways and means to be vaccinated on their own. Adding salt to injury, the death claim compensation of `10 lakh due to Covid, which was initially declared by the Central government to postal employees, including the GDS, was subsequently withdrawn. Though India Post has witnessed more than 250 deaths, including nearly 15 in Odisha till now, neither any compensation nor employment to one of the eligible family members of the deceased employee is considered.
Managing new risk and balancing ambition with capacity, the postal employees are playing a key role in fighting poverty and inequality, supporting the ageing population, meeting the needs of an increasingly mobile society in every manner.
Against this backdrop, there is an urgent need to identify the dedicated workforce of India Post as Covid Warriors and provide all facilities, including priority in vaccination, as given to frontline workers.
The writer is Organising General Secretary, National Federation of Postal Employees.