UNDERSTANDING THE UNION

Dear Comrades,

With my little experience what I have observed,  now a days there are several loopholes in our struggle movements / preparations  so far as the staff problems and other allied matters are concerned. We are yet to be united irrespective of cadre and wing. With a little effort I wrote “United struggle is the only alternative” and posted in this blog on  September 9, 2011 which invited several comments. But I remained in doubt, if the leaders who are given such responsibility have noticed it or not. Except  from Com. B B Mohanty, Circle Secretary, AIAIASP, Odisha Circle branch and few members, no response was received either from any sister union or from higher / lower forums. But I am sure , the article might have drawn the attention of all leaders. Perhaps, as commented by Com. B B Mohanty, “With Mir Jafars and Jaychandras all around, leaders having no respect for sister outfits and leaders hankering after own personal benefits,  the real unity is a distant dream, though I do not want to be a pessimist”.    

To note another experience, my poem ( written for the leaders only )  “Am I the same leader my members expect - Or just have availed the opportunity?” published in this blog on November 7, 2011 did not receive the same response as my earlier poem ( written for the members only )  “Let me think, If I am an active member, or just belong ?" published in this blog on June 13, 2011 which was reproduced in several websites. Certainly there is a discrimination. The matter is being differently viewed and weighed when it is coming towards the leadership.  As if, we are more inclined towards passing instructions rather than obeying the same.

However, I don’t find any harm at all in expressing the truth. At this moment, when the Confederation is struggling  hard for the PFRDA Bill, I find it relevant  to reproduce one of my articles written earlier and published in February - 2008 issue of  Bhartiya Post, the monthly journal of All India Postal Employees Union, Group-C, CHQ.

UNDERSTANDING THE UNION

                ( Published in February - 2008 issue of  Bhartiya Post )

Bruhaspati Samal

Secretary, AIPEU, Group-C, Bhubaneswar Division

                  The N F P E alone observed the one day strike on 14^th December, 2006 for 16 point Charter of demands. The N F P E and F N P O jointly observed the one day strike on 30^th October, 2007 in association with the Confederation of Central Govt. Employees and Workers for 12 point Charter of Demands. But the entirety postal workers in true sense from ED to AD are yet to be assembled in a common platform.  Before accusing others, I would like to ask the non-striking / non- participating  employees/ associations of our Department a question – Aren’t they affected with price rise ? Aren’t  they worried on imbalanced public distribution system? Aren’t they aware of the dangerous consequence of the PFRDA Bill ? Won’t  they accept the awards of the Board of Arbitration, the revised pay and Interim Relief from 01.01.2006, if acceded to ? Won’t be they happy if interest rates on GPF and small savings are increased  ?-  Casual labourers are regularized ? -  Downsizing, closure / merger are stopped ? If yes, then why they are still slipping and not joining with the mainstream ? Is there any thing not understandable ?  For such comrades, I have the following few words to say.

When Maharishi Vyas completed the Eighteen Mahapuranas  comprising of one lac chants, the common man could not follow exactly what he had intended to tell. Thus, Vyas explained the gist just in two lines for understanding of the common man:

“ASTADASA PURANESU VYASASYA BACHAN DOYAM,

PAROPAKARAYA SORGAYA , NARKAYA PARAPIDANAM ”.

Thus, if we clearly understand the meaning and importance of  these two thing  - PAROPAKARAYA SORGAYA and  NARKAYA PARAPIDANAM, we need not have to go through the Eighteen Mahapuranas. Similarly, we need not have to digest the entire  SRIMAD BHAGWAT GITA, but just to understand the first and last word of it. What is the first word ? –

“DHARMA KHETRE KURU KHETRE SAMABETAH YUJUSTUVAH ,

MAAMAKAAH  PANDAVAASCHAIBA KIMKURBATA SANJAY”.

So the first word is Dharma. What is the last word then ? - “

JATRA JOGESWARAH  KRISHNO  JATRA PARTHO DHANURDHARAH,

TATRA    SRIRVIJAYO VUTIRDHRUBA    NITIRMATIR MAMA ” .

So the last word of the Gita is Mama. Thus, “Dharmam  Mama ” means we have just  to realize our Dharma and the entire Gita is finished.

Comrades ! What is our Dharma then ? It has a very broader concept. It is not reading Gita, Bible, Quran , etc. but discharging one’s duties and responsibilities according to his capability with sincerity and honesty which has been categorically emphasized in  the “KARMAYOG ” of the  holly Srimad Bhagwat Gita and many other holly books of different religions. The duties and responsibilities as a true human being – may be as a member of the union, as an employee of any organization, as a father / mother, as a brother / sister, as a son / daughter  in the family and above all as a responsible citizen of the nation.

Being in a service union / association, our Dharma is nothing but to serve and to be united. So to have a clear understanding of the entire union, the very concepts of Service and Union are to be understood. We have to serve united and we have to be united to serve. Service is the motto of the union. Only two words and two aspects. The theory is very simple. It is required only to think in a positive affirmation with cultivation of personal life which depends on rectification of the mind. Being affected by wrath, fear, fondness or worries and anxieties to any extent  and beholden to personal desires with complete attachment to individual interest, we fail to serve whole heartedly.

Thus , in the interest of common cause, let us forget our individual differences keeping aside our personal desires  and try to gather in  a common platform irrespective of cadre and wing  since our goal is one. And perhaps, this is quite inevitable and is  the need of the time and the situation when the working class in general is being seriously ill treated by the bureaucracy in the Department supported with the anti workers policy of the Government . Any Government, may be NDA, may be UPA should learn a lesson that in spite of our individual differences, we are united for common cause and we can go to any extent when our existence is questioned. Comrades, this is not the end but the beginning only. So, get yourself ready to fight against the draconian policies of the Govt. adopted in the name of  liberalization, privatization and globalization and going against the interest of the working class as a whole. Nothing will happen by just giving the slogan, “ United we stand, Divided we fall ”  but to implement  it  in letter and spirit with solemn swearing.