Many Indian Students in USA studying in California-based Tri-Valley University has been tagged with radio anklets to  radio-track their activities, tour etc. This is inhuman as stated by the External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna.

But  the immediate issue is what the Indian Government is going to act against this inhuman act. Simple protest will not do. But to expect that the Government of India will do some thing more is a wishful thinking. Whether it was the screen checking of Ministers and Diplomats at US Airports or any other such ignomities, India Government has only simply protested and left it at that. If that is the case even when Ministers are involved, what the government is going to do in the case of poor students?

These are all the evils that is tagged with the subjugation of India’s neutrality and the ‘ junior partner’ status of US.  The Government of India should not only protest, but also has to act strongly against this inhuman act.

I have toured almost al the circles and have discussions with the circle leaders about the ground situation with regard to the membership verification. There is a very positive support for the BSNLEU / United Forum with the very good settlement of the wage revision and the Promotion Policy implemented. The hundreds of other settlements and achievements during the last six years of recognition of BSNLEU have also enthusiased the workers.

On the basis of the reports an assessment has been mad by me. According to this, BSNLEU / United Forum will get more than 1,30,000 votes while NFTE may reach 60,000 and FNTO 15,000. Other unions may get some votes and there will be about 5% who may not be casting their votes. This shows that even though 18,000 voters have been reduced, still BSNLEU will get more than last time.

A very good position for the United Forum.! BSNLEU will be elected with good majority once again!

According to Kapil Sibal, Communications Minister, “In the future, the spectrum will not be bundled with licence, but made available only through market-driven process.” He also stated that the government will ” need to seriously consider the adoption of an auction process for allocation and pricing of spectrum beyond 6.2 megahertz while ensuring that there is adequate competition in the auction process.”

These observations are important in as much as the New Telecom Policy is going to be introduced. These are the indications on which way the Government is thinking. As stake-holders in the telecom sector, the unions have the responsibility to ensure that the correct policy is adopted.

Two lakhs and thirty thousand BSNL Non-Executives will go to polling booths tomorrow, 1st February 2011, to cast their votes to elect the Representative Union in BSNL.

This is the fifth membership verification being conducted in BSNL. In the first verification, NFTE won with 35% while BSNLEU got 30%. NFTE was recognised. In all the next three verifications, BSNLEU won with 50% or more support of the polled votes. Now BSNLEU is facing the verification with more strength and is expected to get 50 to 60% votes.

The good wage settlement, Promotion Policy and large number of other settlements benefitting the workers have increased the support base of BSNLEU. More and more workers are supporting BSNLEU /United Forum in this verification.

I hope that BSNLEU will win with good majority.

As per the TRAI Press Release dated 25th January 2011, BSNL has provided 29,90163 connections in the wire less sector while it has lost 2,65,242 landline (wire line) connections in the same month. Hence the total growth in October stands at 27,24,921 connections. During the same period Airtel  added 31,10986 connections, Reliance 30,16,654 and Vodafone 31,24,948 connections. The total connections and market share of the first five telcos are as follows:

1. Airtel                15,26,36,406          19.96%                                                                      

2. Reliance           12,35,79,526           16.16%

3. Vodafone          12,11,63,116           15.84%

4. BSNL                 10,95,09,779         14.32%

5. TATA                  8,38,55,304         10.96%

The Teledensity has increased to 64.34%      Broadband Connections 10.71 million

CPI(M), W.Bengal State Committee is planning to establish a centre for Social Studies and Reasearch in memory of Com.Jyoti Basu, the legendary leader for the working class and democratic movement. It is proposed to be established in Jyoti Basu Nagar (New Town Rajarhat) near Kolkatta. It will undertake research on the communist and mass movements. Besides, it will create an archive of documents related to the life and work of Comrade Jyoti Basu. It will have an auditorium, a seminar hall, a library and a guest house of limited capacity.

In order to build and establish the Centre, funds are required. The  W.Bengal CPI(M) Party Committee has called for donations. We expect and request comrades and friends to donate liberally to this good project.

Kapil Sibal, Communictions Minister has stated that a New Telecom Policy is going to be framed. He also stated that the spectrum will be delinked from the licences. He also stated that charges will be levied for the additional spectrum allotted to companies including BSNL.

Each Telecom Policy has been framed suit the requirement of the big business and MNCs. First telecom policy gave licences for private companies as also gave them the mobile licence first, ignoring DOT (BSNL was not formed at that time) and MTNL. According to the same policy Licence Fee was charged from the private operators, but on the pressure from them it was changed to revenue sharing resulting in a loss of about Rs. 50,000 crores to Government.

While introducing the second New Telecom Policy (NEP 1999), DOT services were privatised and BSNL was formed with the intention of disinvesting and later privatising it.  BSNL and MTNL, the PSUs,  were very much  discriminated in all respects. Government wanted disinvestment, introduction of VRS etc. in BSNL, but  it could not be implemented, only because of the strong opposition from the Joint Action Committee of BSNL. The Government has extracted more about Rs. 40,000 crores from BSNL towards dividend, taxes, licence fee etc., almost finishing the reserve money of the company. They insisted that BSNL pay maximum, almost double of what private companies have paid. Government lost more than 1.76 lakh crores in the 2G spectrum scam.

We do not know what are the major policy directions of the New Telecom Policy. We have to wait and watch and be ready for sustained struggles in case it is against BSNL and its workers.

I was at Mathura yesterday in connection with the Membership Verification campaign along with other leaders of the United Forum viz. Comrades N.D.Ram (SEWA BSNL), S.S.Tomar (BSNLMS) and R.S.Fauzdar, Circle Secretary, BSNLEU, UP (West) Circle. In the meeting,  the Circle Secretary of BSNL Casual & Contract Workers Federation , Com. Sonia Arora also spoke. She said that despite the orders of the Government and BSNL C.O. to pay the stipulated wages to casual and contract workers, only about half of that wage is being paid – about Rs.2000 to 3000. After the union has been started and she was elected as the Circle Secretary, she has been removed from work by a conspiracy between the mnagement and the contractor. This the case with many others also who are activists of the union. The management and contractors want to terrorise the workers so that they will not join the union and stand up for their rights. She spoke well and requested all those present to help the contract workers to get full wages and social security benefits.

Wherever I go the casual-contract workers come to me and narrate similar stories. I am ashamed of those officers and others who want to exploit these poor workers who are working sincerely and trying to meet both ends and to look after their families.

The Union has taken all these matters with the management, Parliamentary Standing Committee etc. But that is not sufficient. A strong and militant movement of the BSNL regular employees and the casual/contract workers led by the unions are very much necessary to weed out this injustice and ensure justice and fair play to these exploited workers.

It is as usual ! Nothing to be surprised ! The discredited and disgruntled leader has again come with hollow claims. This time, the claim made is about the achievement of Pension Revision of pre-2007  BSNL Retirees. After the implementation of VI CPC Recommendations, the leader claimed all the credits for the benefits, even though he was never a party to any discussions with the Pay Commission or the Government. He claimed the  credit for the IDA revision for BSNL absorbees, though he did not attend even half of the meetings on the negotiations with the BSNL Management. He claimed loud and high about his fight against the revisionist policies of Com.OPG, but when his union was merged with BSNLEU, his supporters in 7 major circles shifted to OPG side! In the middle of the crucial first membership verification, this leader ran away from the battle field, just like a soldier deserting his army when the fight is going on. A leader who can not function without the recognition of Government/ Management!

His latest claims is that the Pension Revision has been done at his behest! Wonderful. The two years hard bargaining in the Wage negotiation, the discussions in the DOT-BSNL-BSNLEU tripartite Committee, several discussions with the Secretary, DOT, Member (Finance), Member(Services) and other senior DOT Officers, the several strikes and agitations organised by the BSNLEU and United Forum as also AIBDPA (after it was formed), the struggles organised under Joint Action Committee, the agreement with the Minister after the 20th April 2010 strike, the discussions during the 1-2 December 2010 strike and assurances which are all documented with minutes and details of discussions which led to the present achievement of Cabinet decision on Pension Revision of pre-2007 BSNL retirees are nothing to this great leader. According to his claim, some information received from here and there are the real reason for the settlement. wonderful!

Workers and Pensioners have understood this self-proclaimed leader years back. They are amused. Further details on hollow claims of this leader follows.

As I have stated on 19th January 2011, that when the MNP (Mobile Number Portability ) is introduced from 20th January, the maximum loser will be BSNL unless immediate remedial measures are taken by the management. What I actually feared has happened. According to the statistics published to-day the Port-out from BSNL is 76,234 whereas the port-in is only 19,672 resulting in a los of 56,562 numbers for BSNL. Today (27-01-2011) alone the loss is 5894 ( 6587-693). All circles have lost. The worst losers are the following circles: Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Orissa, W.Bengal and Kolkatta. .

 Unless immediate remedial action is taken, this shifting will have serious repercussion on BSNL. Management has to act fast. Workers also.