The final list of applicant unions for the membership verification in BSNL for grant of recognition has been issued along with their election symbols. None of the 15 applicant unions have withdrawn from the contest. But the main contenders are only three- BSNLEU, NFTE and NUBSNLW(FNTO). Each of these unions has some alliance unions also with them. BSNLEU’s symbol is Cell Phone. It was its symbol since second membership verification.

BSNLEU (United Forum) has won the elections in all the last three verifications. It alone has a got a membership of more than 1,30,000 out of the total voters of about 2,40,000. In addition it has got the support of 5-6 unions, which are to be finalised soon. The moot  question is not which union will win, but how much majority BSNLEU will get. Last time it got 53% of polled votes. Whether it can garner 60% this time. At leaset we have to achieve this target.

On 20th December 2010, I have been to Raipur to attend a massive meeting of BSNL Employees being held to discuss about the membership verification. I had arrived at Raipur from Bhubaneswar  and before starting of the meeting our comrades took  me to the Coffee House to have breakfast. The coffee-house was accommodated in the newly built Government Rest House complex and was well maintained. I asked our comrades Atma Pujya, Circle Secretary and Dawle, a senior leader of BSNLEU  who were with me, whether they know about the origin of the present Coffee Houses throughout the country. They did not know. I told them the inspiring story.

Coffee houses were being run by the Coffee Board under the Government of India. It was intended to provide good coffee at cheap rates. But when losses occurred, Coffee Board decided to wind up the coffee houses. The result will be that  a lot of workers will become jobless. The workers went to Com. A.K.Gopalan, the veteran Militant trade union leader, who at that time was a Member of the Parliament. Comrade AKG immediately took up the matter with the Government and proposed that the coffee houses be handed over to the workers who will run them on co-operative basis.  Com. AKG’s persuasion prevailed and the government accepted the proposal. That is how the present Coffee Houses started. They are run by Co-operative societies where all the workers are shareholders. It is being run in almost every city in a very good way. And the prices are comparatively cheap. You get not only coffee but idli, dosa, roti etc.etc. as also meals in some places.

In most of the coffee houses you can see the photo of Com. AKG, who ensured job and  life to thousands of workers.

It is on the death anniversary of this legendary working class leader  ie. 22nd March, that BSNL Employees Union was formed in 2001 at Visakhapatnam.

The workers are the first casualty in any industrial accident. The latest is that two workers, a chemist and a contract worker in the Dr. Reddy’s Laboratory located in Medak, Andhra Pradesh has succumbed to a gas leak in the factory. They were on night duty when the accident happened. It will be clear only when the inquiry is over to what resulted in the accident. However, there is every chance that there might have been criminal  negligence on the part of the management as is usual.

It is reported that many sensitive files connected with the tenders, contract, budget etc are missing from the Commonwealth Games Committee office. It is the usual method through which the big fish escapes. The nexus of the big business, politicians and bureaucrats ensure that they are never caught. The CBI is reported to have stated that there seems to be criminal conspiracy to destroy these files or to tamper them. Whether the Government will act! It is doubtful when its own top leaders are involved.

United Forum of BSNL Unions will meet on 24th December 2010 to finalise the alliance and strategy  for the Fifth Membership Verification. United Forum has won in the last three verifications each time with more than 50% of polled votes and this time also the result will not be different. Except SNATTA and BTU which left, all other alliance partners are standing together. Some other unions are expected to join the UF shortly.

The UF is sure that the workers will vote for it for the achievements it

 19 years back on this day, 23rd December 1919, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as the President of the great Soviet Union and dismantled the USSR. This was a sad day for the entire working class and progressive forces all over the world who have been looking towards the USSR as the bulwark against capitalism and the reactionary forces.  

It was a set back, of course. It was a hard lesson learnt. But socialist and communist forces are advancing. China has become stronger and is an economic giant only next to USA. The Latin Countries are arising opposing capitalist and imperialist forces. Cuba has survived years of economic blockade by the USA and its allies. Vietnam and North Korea are growing strong.  More and more people from their own experience are realising the true nature of capitalism. The future days will see the victory of socialism over capitalism.

Communications & IT Minister  Kapil Sibal met the heads of the major private telecom companies on 21st December 2010 and discussed about their concerns in view of the reactions due to 2G spectrum scam and its fall outs.  Since the issues are concerning the private companies, immediate discussion took place by the Minister. But in the case of PSU companies, BSNL & MTNL, where there are many serious concerns, there is no discussion either with the unions or the managements how to sort out them. Even when a complete strike took place from 1st December 2010, there was no meeting by the Communications Minister or State Minister with the Unions.

Govt.  repeats every time that there is an equal field. But what is the truth? Always private companies are given special treatment and discrimination to PSUs.

The National Executive Committee meeting of the National Co-ordination Committee of Pensioners Association (NCCPA) held at New Delhi today ( 22-12-2010) has decided to join the Parliament March on 23rd February 2011 called by the Central Trade Unions opposing price strike, disinvestment& privatisation, as also demanding settlement of the issues of the unorganised workers, demanding the government to stop anti-worker policies etc.  State units as also affiliated associations are requested to prepare for the same.

Com.RL Bhattacharjee, president presided. Com.S.K.Vyas. Secretary, NCCPA briefed the developments. Com.VAN Namboodiri, Patron NCCPA and Advisor AIBDPA participated and declared support of AIBDPA to the programmes.

The Contract Workers Demand Day was organised on 21st December 2010 in many centres all over India as per the call of the All India Co-ordination Committee of Public Sector Trade Unions. BSNL Casual & Contract Workers Federation had endorsed  the call. Demonstrations were conducted in front of BSNL offices under the auspices of BSNLEU and BSNL C&CWF.

The demands included the regularaisation of left out casual labours, payment of the minimum wages to contract workers and also implementation of the social security benefits to both the casual and contrat workers.

The President, Pratibha Patil issued orders on 21st December suspending B.S.Lalli, Chief Executive Officer,  Prasar Bharti on charges of irregularities, misbehaviour etc. The allegations are connected with the allotment of broadcasting rights in the Commonwealth Games also.

But it was only after the Delhi High Court seriously and adversely commented upon the CEO, that action has been taken. The fact is that the CEOs etc. are selected not on the merits but on extraneous considerations. The Public Sectors are not the priorities of the Government. The government inaction has resulted in three vacancies being unfilled in the BSNL, one of the biggest PSUs in the country for more than half a year. The post of Director(Finance) is vacant for about two years! What has happened to the PSUs ‘The Temples of Modern India’ as per Pandit Jawaharlal,  under the UPA-II Government ! The NDA government raised the infamous slogan ‘Business is not the business of the Government’. UPA government is following it faithfully, rather more aggressively than the NDA.