In 1998 and earlier this year, postal workers staged strikes and protests over the issue. Within hours of the strike, letters and parcels began piling up at mail service centres. In an effort to get some mail through, the government is using the Army Postal Service and home guards to operate postal vehicles, sort mail and act as security guards at various post offices. The strike has affected other services besides mail deliveries. More the 40 percent of all banking, particularly into savings accounts and fixed deposit schemes, is conducted through India's 156,000 post offices.
Union leaders are due to meet with the chief labour commissioner next week.
Sacked hotel workers protest in Sri Lanka Laid-off employees of the Colombo Intercontinental Hotel in Sri Lanka demonstrated outside the hotel on December 4 against attempts by management to rob them of their redundancy compensation. The hotel was once run under an international chain owned by Bass Hotel and Resorts, but the company terminated its lease agreement with the hotel in July. According to Intercontinental workers, Bass had provided 330 million rupees for compensation but the local management only allocated 40 percent to staff and distributed the remaining 60 percent between 11 people in top management. The protest was triggered when management and government labour officials attempted to force workers to sign agreements accepting the arrangement. Local government officials sent hundreds of police to the scene and at least five workers were arrested.