New Delhi: Two postal unions have been de-recognised by the Union government at the behest of a complaint filed by another union which is affiliated to the RSS's Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, according to The Hindu.

The two union, All India Postal Employees Union (AIPEU) and the National Federation of Postal Employees (NFPE), were de-recognised for making contributions to the farmers’ protests and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the CPI(M). The order was passed on Wednesday, April 26.

According to the newspaper, AIPEU was formed in Kolkata in 1920 and is one of the oldest unions in India. Meanwhile, NFPE is the largest federation in the sector. The Union Ministry of Communications said the decision was based on contravention of the Central Civil Services (Recognition of Service Association) Rules, 1993.

According to The Hindu, NFPE’s assistant general secretary P.K. Muraleedharan said, “Our organisation has support from employees of every ideological stream. This organisation has a history of agitating against the British rule. Now, this attempt to cancel recognition is to end all trade union activities in the sector.”

The two unions are accused of “funding a political party” by supporting the farmers' agitation against the three Central farm laws. “Funding the farmers movement through Confederation of Central Govt. Employees was categorically admitted vide letter dated 24.08.2022 of NFPE,” the order said, according to The Hindu. Additionally, money ̇as paid to the CPI(M), CITU and farmers’ solidarity funds. “The act of political donations was in contravention of Rule 5(b), Rule 5(h) and Rule 6(c) of CCS(RSA) Rules, 1993,” the order said.

The union accepted paying money to the farmers' movement, saying it standard practice to provide solidarity to protesting workers. NFPE said tht the donation to CPI(M) was actually the cost of purchasing some books from the party's headquarters, where there is a book shop. However, the order said: “The association has not provided any evidence in this regard... how a personal transaction can be made from the account of association.”

The complaint against NFPE and AIPEU was filed by the Bharatiya Postal Employees Association (BPEA), which is affiliated to the RSS's labour wing BMS. According to The Hindu, BPEA welcomed the decision and said that it had "already intimated on several occasions that these two bodies and a other few unions 'under their black shade' are enjoying several advantages or privileges over the years".

According to Business Standard, the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) condemned the action. “It is nothing new in India that Trade Unions extend support, solidarity and financial help to the struggling sister unions and workers of different sectors. There is no illegality or misconduct in these internationally accepted solidarity actions,” the statement said.

AITUC said asked how a recognised central trade union like CITU "can be branded as a political party". The move to derecognise AIPEU and NFPE "shows the blatant vindictiveness and biasness" of the Union government towards a union "which has got an established and verified membership of more than 70%,” added AITUC.

Central Trade Unions and farmers’ organisations have condemned this move, urging the Union government to revoke this decision immediately.

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