All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association : Tamilnadu AIPRPA 2nd Conference a great success!

2^nd State Conference of AIPRPA Tamilnadu State

Resolves to build a stronger Postal & RMS Pensioners Organisation

Decides to build stronger ties with CG and Postal Trade Unions and stand together in all the struggles

The 2^nd State Conference of All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association Tamilnadu State was held in Coimbatore City from 19^th to 20^th December, 2015. The Conference hall in Sri Durga Mahal was named after the late lamented leader Comrade S.K.Vyas. Comrade M.Kannaiyan State President presided over the Conference.

The Reception Committee headed by its Chairman Comrade P.R.Natarajan (Ex-Member of Parliament) and Comrade S.Karunanidhi (General Secretary) had made excellent arrangements for the State Conference and a band of volunteers from AIPRPA District Committee and NFPE P4 and GDS Coimbatore Divisional organizations made the conference very successful with their dedicated involvement.

The Conference commenced with the flag hoisting function with the national flag hoisted by our Patron of the State Association Comrade A.G.Pasupathy; AIPRPA flag hoisted by All India Advisor Comrade KVS; and the NCCPA flag hoisted by the senior most leader of AIPRPA Tamilnadu Comrade Thanjai Sadasivam. The Martyrs Column with the photo of Comrade S.K.Vyas was given floral respect by the Chiarman Reception Committee to be followed by all senior leaders and Delegates and Visitors.

The Chairman Reception Committee delivered his special welcoming address combined with his punctuating speech on current developments that are attacking the interests of Pensioners. Comrades K.K.N.Kutty (NCCPA Secretary General) inaugurated the Conference. His elaborate speech traced the history and difference between the Pay Commissions that incorporated labour representative and those Pay Commissions like 7^th CPC which do not have any labour representative member. He exposed the areas of distortion by the Pay Commission that deliberately reduced the quantum of need based minimum wage and the resultant low fitment factor. He stressed that the grant of fitment benefit to improve the question of parity of pension between the past and the present pensioners and recommendations for improving the medical treatment facilities of pensioners notwithstanding, the rejection of many issues of pensioners are also a point of disappointment. The decision of NCCPA to focus before the Government all the anomalies of pension fixation and the modifications required in the Report for appropriate modification was explained by him. He also called upon to strengthen NCCPA in such a manner the P&T movement strengthened the Confederation from the days of formation to build a common movement of CG Pensioners in the country.

Comrades A.G.Pasupathy (Patron); K.V.Sridharan (All India Advisor); D.Gopalakrishnan (CHQ Vice President AIBSNLPWA); C.K.Narasimhan (Circle Secretary AIBDPA); S.Ragupathy (Assitant Secretary General NFPE); J.Ramanurthy (CHQ President P3 NFPE); R.Chandraprakash (AIPRPA State Working President & former BPEF P3 CHQ President); N.Chinnasamy (State President Tamilnadu Electricity Board Pensioners Welfare Association); Y.Nagabhushanam (AIPRPA CHQ AGS); H.V.Kurup (AIPRPA CHQ OGS); V.Janakiraman (AIPRPA CHQ OGS); K.Shanmugha Sundar Raj (AIPRPA CHQ OGS); M.Sudhakaran (President Coimbatore CGPA) addressed the session.

Our Guest of Honour Smt.Manju P.Pillai the Postmaster General of Western Region Tamilnadu Circle attended our Conference and greeted. Her speech highlighted the importance of Pensioners Movement and assured her administration's help in genuine issues of pensioners.

There was a memorable occasion in the Conference when the former Secretary General NFPTE and senior most leader of P&T movement Comrade D.Gnaniah was given a special honour by the Conference. Comrade D.Gnaniah who is on the verge of completing 95 years of age also delivered a special address to the conference with recollecting the entire history of P&T movement. Comrades AGP, Thanjai Sadasivam and K.Ragavendran General Secretary spoke before the speech of Comrade D.Gnaniah and remembered his great role in building the P&T Movement.

Sri.Perur Natarajan former four-time M.L.A., of Perur constituency, in which area falls our State Conference venue, graced the Conference and was garlanded by the State President comrade M.Kannaiyan on behalf of the Reception Committee.

In the Subjects Committee after the tributes to all departed leaders and comrades, the Biennial Report was submitted by the State General Secretary Comrade K.Ragavendran. The Audited Accounts were submitted by the Treasurer Comrade S.Santhanaraman. There was a lively debate by the Delegates and Office Bearers of the State Association on the organizational review in general and the Pay Commission Report in particular that brought out many important points in the Pay Commission’s Report on which modifications are absolutely necessary as well as those areas of improvement made out by the 7^th CPC. The debates pinpointed the need to expand our presence to all the districts of the state as well as to increase the membership in all weaker districts to emerge stronger. The Conference resolved to extend fullest cooperation to all struggles of Central Government Employees as well as the Postal Employees to modify the retrograde recommendations of Pay Commission by mobilizing our membership in all places of such struggle programmes.

The Biennial Report and the Audited Accounts were unanimously adopted by the House. Finally after the Presidential Speech by Comrade M.Kannaiyan, the summing up speech of the debate was made by the State General Secretary Comrade K.Ragavendran.

The Conference adopted Resolutions on many issues including problems of Pre-2006 Pensioners that still remain to be sorted out; Calculation of revised pension from 1.1.2006 by taking the quantum of Dearness Pension also to Pre-2006 Pensioners; Post 1.1.1996 Postman Pensioners issue; the need to modify the table of Matrix that was prepared with the command of “Round” into a command of “Round up” to ensure rounding up of the amount to the next hundred; and on the question of Medical Needs of Pensioners.

The State Conference expressed deep sympathy towards all the people severely affected by the recent heavy rains and floods in Chennai City, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore and Tiruvallur, Tuticorin and Tirunelveli Districts. The effort of Erode AIPRPA that has collected donations from its members towards flood relief is appreciated by the Conference and the State Conference requested the District Associations to directly send such flood relief to appropriate places as they deem fit.

The State Conference nominated a Patron and an Advisor to the State Association as follows:

Patron: A.G.Pasupathy

Advisor: K.V.Sridharan

Thereafter the following Comrades were unanimously elected as the State Office Bearers for the ensuing term:

State President: M.Kannaiyan

State Working Presidents:

1. P.Rajanayagam – Kanniyakumari

2. Thanjai Sadasivam – Thanjavur

3. K.Sivaraman – Chennai

4. R.Chandraprakash – Chennai

5. A.C.Dharanipathy – Chennai

6. G.C.Narasimhulu – Ambathur

7. R.Savithiri – Vellore

State Vice Presidents:

1. D.Ramachandran – Chennai

2. M.R.Meenakshisundaram – Chennai

3. R.Muthu – Pondicherry

4. D.Sivagurunathan – Chennai

5. L.Purushothaman – Chennai

6. P.Shanmugam – Chennai

7. V.Venkatarangan – Chennai

8. G.Rajamani – Chennai

9. R.Masilamani – Chennai

10. K.Sivaraman – Chennai (PSD)

11. K.Rajendran – Coimbatore

12. T.Subramanian – Coimbatore

13. N.Devarajan – Tiruvannamalai

14. V.Gnanasambandan – Chengalpattu

15. R.Kanagavel – Salem

16. S.Swaminathan – Mayiladuturai

17. A.Dhakshinamurthy – Tiruchirappalli

18. R.Murugesan – Erode

19. I.Subramanian – Kancheepuram

20. A.Mani – Kancheepuram

21. G.Krishnan – Tirunelveli

22. N.Radhakrishnan – Arni

23. M.Chidambaram – Vellore

24. N.B.S.Manian – Tiruvallur

25. V.Nirmala – Chennai

State General Secretary: K.Ragavendran – Chennai

Assistant State General Secretaries:

1. R.Natarajan – Pondicherry

2. N.Selvan – Tiruchirappalli

3. V.Rajaram – Dindigul

4. K.Shanmugha Sundar Raj – Tirunelveli

5. S.Appanraj - Chennai

6. N.Shanmugam – Salem

7. A.Murugan – Chennai

8. T.Mani – Tiruchengode

9. P.Sanku – Dharmapuri

10. P.Subburaj – Kovilpatti

11. S.Karunanidhi – Coimbatore

12. P.Thiruvengadam – Vridhacahalam

13. C.Sekar – Chennai

14. P.Mani – Chennai

15. N.Karuppusamy – Tirupur

16. P.Murugan – Tiruvannamalai

17. S.Veerannan – Kovilpatti

18. C.Senjimani – Tirupathur

19. K.Rajendran – Tiruchirappalli

20. Nethaji Subash – Salem

21. M.B.Sukumar – Chennai

22. P.Natarajan – Palani

23. S.Thiagarajan – Tirunelveli

State Treasurer: S.Santhanaraman – Vellore

Assistant State Treasurer: G.Kumar – Chennai

State Organising General secretaries:

1. N.Ramasamy – Erode

2. T.Nagappan – Udumalpet

3. S.Durai – Chennai

4. B.Ragunathan – Chennai

5. N.Avudaiappan – Tenkasi

6. A.Marudai – Dindigul

7. P.Subramanian – Dharmapuri

8. S.Govindarajan – Tiruchirappalli

9. A.Chandran – Kancheepuram

10. P.K.Rajaram – Salem

11. R.Subramanian – Erode

12. R.Asaithambi – Thanjavur

The State Conference also authorized the State Executive Committee to co-opt Office Bearers if necessary to accommodate representatives from such areas that are being concentrated for expansion of AIPRPA.

The Reception Committee got great appreciations from all in general and by the State Association in particular for making the Conference a memorable one to all participants. All the volunteers of Reception Committee were honoured by the leaders of the State and CHQ at the end of the Conference.

K.Ragavendran

General Secretary