more-in Branch post offices in the district remained closed on Friday too as part of the nation-wide strike of Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS). Though departmental post offices resumed operations on Friday as postal assistants, who had been part of the strike for the past 10 days under the National Federation of Postal Employees (NFPE) and the Federation of National Postal Organisation (FNPO), called off the stir following conciliation talks held in Thiruvananthapuram. The leaders of GDS associations made it clear that they would call off the stir only after getting their grievances addressed. “Only postal assistants, who expressed solidarity with our demands, have called off the stir. We are still continuing with the agitation and it has completed 11 days,” said V. Raveendran, secretary of the National Federation of Postal Employees under the Kozhikode circle. He said more than 500 branch post offices remained closed on Friday too as part of the protest under the Kozhikode postal division. Though postal assistants were on duty at department post offices and the head office, the absence of Extra Departmental (ED) staff for various duties interrupted the functioning in a big way. Mainly, sorting and packaging works were interrupted at department post offices. Mail delivery was resumed only in some offices. Leaders of the striking unions said they would hold a discussion with Central government representatives on Saturday about the demands to end the protest. The main demand would be the implementation of the salary revision and no conciliation measure was acceptable without considering it, they added. NFPE and FNPO leaders said they called off the indefinite strike only after securing assurance from higher authorities that they would compassionately consider the demands of GD staff.

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