STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The postal workers on Monday staged a protest against the removal of the Central government's holiday on Rongali Bihu.
The protest was staged under the banner of National Federation of Postal Employees (NFPE) at Meghdoot Bhawan, Panbazar here.
The workers underlined that they will not accept the decision to remove Bihu holiday at any cost.
"It is a matter of grief that we didn't get a holiday to celebrate our regional festival Bihu," stated a postal employee.
It is to be noted that the holiday list of the Central government is prepared by the Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee (CGEWCC). The list for the year 2021 was finalized on December 9, 2020.
"Central government employees get 17 holidays in a year out of which 14 are national holidays. The rest three days are given according to the festivals in a respective State. Prior to this year, the employees of the Central government offices of Assam used to get holidays on both Magh Bihu and Bohag Bihu. This year, the committee declared holiday on Magh Bihu and Holi. The holiday for Bohag Bihu has been shifted to Durga Puja Dashami," said the NFPE.
A protester stated that the Postal Union has already informed the CGEWCC to release a revised list of holidays. However, they informed that the holiday list cannot be revised.
The NFPE demanded intervention of the State Chief Secretary and stated that they will not come to the office on Bohag Bihu.