Some States announce imposition of ESMA

By Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI, DEC. 16. Some BJP-ruled States and Delhi today announced imposition of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against the striking postal employees. Unconfirmed reports said a few States have decided to invoke the Industrial Disputes Act which, however, is not as big a deterrent as the ESMA.

With the Central Government unable to impose the Act, the Union Cabinet Secretary had written to the Chief Secretaries of States asking them to take appropriate steps to maintain law and order in and around post offices. Accordingly, the Centre has started leaning on friendly State Governments to impose the ESMA which makes participation in strike a punishable offense.

In Delhi, the notification was signed last night by the Lt. Governor prompting non-delivery staff in about 25 out of the 500- odd post offices to attend office. ``We have joined duty out of fear of the ESMA,'' said employees who joined duty in two of Central Delhi post offices. But postal federation leaders said the situation would be ``corrected'' at local level meetings of the Joint Council of Action of postal federations. ``These post offices have been our problem areas during earlier strikes,'' they said. Even as the Communications Minister, Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, restricted his observations in Patna to appealing to the employees to join the strike, there were indications in Delhi of a meeting between postal leaders and the Minister who is arriving here tomorrow. Sources suggested that the Minister was planning to meet the postal federations but the outcome is unlikely to be fruitful unless the Government makes some positive offers.

`Strike will continue'

At a news conference earlier in the day, postal federations said the strike would continue in the absence of any meaningful negotiations with the Government. ``The cause of action for the present strike is the total refusal of the Government to honour the commitments made during previous negotiations. The postal workers will continue their struggle till the demands are conceded,'' said a joint statement by all the three recognised postal federations.

Several postal federations, including some from the telecom sector, have announced a rally on Monday in support of the strike. A joint statement by 11 Government unions called upon State Governments not to take repressive measures against the postal workers.

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