The strike call has been given by the National Federation of Postal Employees and the Federation of National Postal Organisation to press the government to accept their 10-point charter of demands including improved pay-scales and finalisation of a bonus formula.

However, another Union, Bharatiya Postal Employees Union, which is affiliated to the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh has opposed the strike. According to them, the strike was politically motivated as the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations have already been accepted.

Even as the Post Master General V Sadasivam maintained that 54 post offices were functioning in different parts of the city, B B Bhadake, secretary of the Postal Employees Joint Actin Committee, Pune district claimed that the strike was 100 per cent successful. Over 4500 employees of East, West and Rural divisions, Railway Mail Service and MMS did not report for work today in response to the strike call, he said.

According to Bhadake, Pune region which has around 4000 post offices has a daily turnover of around Rs. 10 crore which includes money orders, speed post articles, postage stamps and registered letters. With barely 15 per cent reporting for work, transactions worth atleast Rs 10 crore have been severely affected. Only seven to eight offices were open in some parts of the city today, he said. The department has already stopped accepting accountable articles.

The department which receives around 7-8 lakh second class mail articles could manage to distribute only 20 per cent. Besides 25 speed post articles were delivered to reduce the backlog with the assistance of 50 odd homeguards. Meanwhile, demonstrations were held outside the City Post Office, Pimpri-Chinchwad Post Office and the office of the Post Master General.