More than five thousand BSNL workers, Contract Workers and BSNL Pensioners marched to Parliament today, 15th November 2010 protesting against disinvestment, retrenchment of  one lakh workers through VRS, sharing of BSNL cables& towers with private companies etc and also demanding honouring of financial commitments made by the Government at the time of corporatisation, immediate procurement of adequate mobile lines, settlement of absorption of ITS officers, granting 78.2% IDA fixation, revision of pension for pre-01-01-2007BSNL retirees etc. The march which started from Bharat Sanchar Bhawan went through the main routes like Janpath and was stopped at Parliament Street by the police authorities, where the rally was held. Com. V.A.N.Namboodiri, Convener, JAC welcomed all and mentioned about the main demands. Com. Basudev Acharya, M.P., and leader of  CPI(M) , Lok Sabha, inaugurated the march and assured all support to the demands of the BSNL Workers. He also assured to take up these issues in the Parliament. General Secretaries of the unions, Coms. P.Abhimanyu(BSNLEU), Chandeswar Singh (NFTE), Vallinayagam (FNTO), G.L.Jogi (SNEA), Prahlad Rai (AIBSNLEA), K.G.Jayaraj (AIBDPA), Tapas Ghosh (BSNL C&CWF), V.Subburaman(TEPU) Sureshkumar (BSNLMS) and others spoke.

The Memorandum to the Prime Minister was presented by the leaders going to PMO.

The Parliament March and the rally was a show of strength of the BSNL Workers and their determination for struggle till the demands are met.

The employees have rejected shares offer in most of the PSUs being disinvested. The shares allotted to employees have not been taken by them in Coal India Limited, National Mineral Development Corporation and Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited.  The workers are fully aware of the adverse effects of disinvestment. They have decided to observe 1st December 2010 as Disinvestment Day.

The Central Trade Unions viz. AITUC, CITU, INTUC, HMS, UTUC, AICCTU,TUCC and AIUTUC  has decided to organise a Parliament March on 23rd February 2011 in continuation of the 7th September Strike on the same five point demands including, inter alia, containing price rise, strict implementation of labour laws and stringent punishment for violation , universalisation of social security for the unorganised sector workers including provision of adequate funding and stoppage of disinvestment of PSUs. The Central Trade Unions have called upon all unions/federations to implement the call effectively.

The All India Co-ordination Committee of Public Sector Trade Unions in its meeting held at New Delhi on 13-14th November 2010 has decided to observe 1st December 2010, the first day of the 3 days strike of BSNL Employees as “Anti-Disinvestment Day”. All the PSU units connected with Co-ordination Committee will organise demonstrations on that day and send telegrams to Prime Minister as follows: “STOP DISINVESTMENT IN PSUs FORTHWITH”.  We are thankful to co-ordination committee for the support and solidarity.

Some management has become so arrogant and all-powerful so that they can even shoot at agitating workers. That is what happened in Allied Nippon company in Ghasiabad. The management officers came to the place where the workers were agitating against retrenchment of seven workers. There was some exchange of angry words and all of a sudden, one of the officers fired shots at the workers. The workers of course reacted and beat the officers in retaliation. The anti-labour and pro-employer policy of the government is such that the managements are taking law in to their hands and attacking workers.

 The famous pro-democracy leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi has been freed from house arrest on 13th November by the Military Junta, who made her a prisoner for the last more than 15 years. She won the elections with huge majority in 1990, but was arrested and kept prisoner. The entire world leaders have been demanding for her freedom, but the junta continued to imprison her. Her freedom is a big victory for all the democratic forces in the world. Let us greet her on her freedom.