The new attack on the BSNL and its workers have compelled the latter to go on agitation. The JAC has already decided to organise fast on 27th September and strike on 10th October to protect the existing rights and safeguarding the viability of BSNL.
Unity and joint efforts are required for a mighty struggle. NFTE and FNTO are out of the JAC now. I have been trying to bring them also together for the struggle. We had a meeting with the leaders of NFTE today. There seems to be an opportunity for another joint struggle.
Well and Good.

Prime Minister is reported to have stated that there is no question of resignation by Minister P.Chidambaram though the finance ministry’s note gave clear indication of his involvement in the allotment of licenses.
Prime Minister had earlier stated the same words when allegations against Minister Raja was raised. Now Raja is in Tihar Jail. What about Chidambara?

The East India Company formed by two dozen British Merchants on 22nd September, 1599, looted India for 150 years till the British Government directly took over after the First War Of Independence in 1857. The British Empire accelerated the exploitation of the wealth of India for enriching its own country. It was only after one hundred years more of fighting for Independence that India became free on 15th August 1947.
We got political independence. But 54 years of independence has not improved the conditions of the poor in the country. The Planning Commission’s statement to the Supreme Court that Rs.25 daily is sufficient for a family to live, itself is the stark reality for the same.
East India Company has gone. But it is the India Company which is looting the people of this country. Let us be beware of them. Give a befitting reply to them at the first chance.

The Planning Commission under Montek Ahluwalia has submitted to the Supreme Court that daily income of Rs.25 in rural areas and Rs. 32 in cities are sufficient for private expenditure on food education and health! It seems that the Government and Planning Commission has lost all senses and have told the cruellest joke of the year.
These IMF-World Bank-WTO pensioners who lead the country have lost touch with the poor people of this country. In order to deny the benefits of the BPL categorisation to maximum people, they have made this inhuman conclusion. With the rocketing cost of essential provisions, vegetables and everything, the life of the poor has become miserable. And it is at this time that the Planning Commission has insulted those who are already injured.
The government has become insensitive. Nothing more than this can be expected from these ministers who are getting high salaries and all kinds of perks and pension and all other facilities. Take for example Minister Praful Patel. According to reports he increased his income every day by five lakhs. Ministers Sharad Pawar, P.Chidambaram, Jayanthi Natarajan etc. are having shares of crore of rupees in many companies. Congress M.P.Naveen Jindal is having an annual salary of Rs. 69.76 crore. These are the persons running the government. How can they understand the difficulties of the poor people to make both ends meet.
How many of these are having black money hoarded in the swiss and other safe havens? One day the truth will come out.
The only way is to ensure their defeat in the next election. Confiscate all the black money and utilise it for the development of the country and improving the condition of the poor.
In this connection read the article in Hindu dated 21st September “The Union Cabinet gets healthier” – ” The worse of the poor become, the healthier our ministers get” by veteran journalist, P.Sainath for a detailed study.

It has been reported that a note from Minister Pranab Mukherjee sent to the Prime Minister stating that P.Chidambaram, then Finance Minister, could have stopped the 2G spectrum allottment which caused about 1.76 lakh crore to Government, has been submitted to the Supreme Court by the petitioner in the case, Subramaniaswamy, President Janata Party.

Will the Government arrest and put Minister Chidambaram in Tihar Jail along with A.Raja?

The Joint Action Committee of BSNL Associations/ Unions have given call for one day strike on 10th October 2011 on the main demands of the workers including those for improvind the services and financial viability of BSNL. A one day fast will be organised on 27th September. Further details on the website of unions.

The Joint Action Committee of BSNL Unions and Associations will be meeting tomorrow, 21st September to discuss about the new attacks on the BSNL workers and plan agitation programmes. It is being held when the BSNL management is proposing VRS/CRS to about one lakh workers.

Bringing back all the unions back to JAC is another aspect the meeting will discuss. After the recognised union, BSNLEU, has taken a decision in its executive, the chance for unity is increased.

We will oppose VRS tooth and nail
The BSNL Management is proposing VRS/CRS for about one lakh workers. It has already given a presentation to DOT on the proposed VRS. Today, Management called the recognised union, BSNLEU, and gave a presentation on VRS, justifying the same. Along with General Secretary P.Abhimanyu, Dy. General Secretary P.Asokababu, Asst. General Secretary G.B.Salakky, I was there. The proposals are based on the proposal of the DPE. In fact, the proposal has been made as per the recommendations of the BRPSE as also the Sam Pitroda Committee.
I pointed out that such proposals have been made earlier also and the same has been strongly opposed by all the unions and the same was dropped. Further despite three VRS, MTNL could not stop its decline. This is only part of the government’s move to reduce the staff in order to have an easy conversion to private.
Another aspect is that BSNL will not be able to function, if one lakh workers are sent out. The Management will either outsource the work or engage contract workers (both executive and non-executive) so that it can exploit the workers shamelessly.
Let us hope that all unions oppose the VRS proposals as was done earlier under the Joint Forum/Joint Action Comm

It was on this day, 19th September, 43 years back, the Central Government employees of the country created history by going on a One Day Token Strike which rocked the entire country and the government itself. The strike was only for one day, but the effect of the strike continued for years. None of the employees, who participated in the strike, will ever forget the hard experiences and the brutality of the government in dealing with the fully justified strike of the workers.
The five days strike of the Central Government employees in 1960 was suppressed by the government utilising all the anti-workers laws and brute police force. The demand for a need based minimum wage was denied. The Essential Services Maintenance Ordinance (ESMO) was issued for the first time in Independent India to crush the workers. The government thought that the workers will never come up again.
But within eight years, the workers organised another strike. This time it was for only one day, 19th September 1968. Learning from the 1960 experience, the strike was well planned. Leaders of the Confederation and the CGE Unions toured all over India and convinced the workers on the need to fight for their rights and demands including the minimum wage. Massive propaganda was made for the strike.
This time the Government issued the ESMO in advance and wanted the state governments to arrest, jail and take all punitive actions against the strikers. It issued orders to suspend, terminate and issue charge sheets and punish the employees going on strike. The ruling Congress party called to its cadres to help the police in arresting the strikers, act as witnesses etc. to punish the strikers. The government treated the strike as a civil rebellion.
But the lone Left Front Government at that time, the EMS Ministry in Kerala, refused to implement the ESMA in the state. The Central government even threatened that the ministry will be dismissed.
Even before the strike started, all India, circle and local level leaders and activists were arrested to prevent the strike. But huge majority of the workers went on strike completely paralysing the Government machinery. It hit back with arrests, retrenchment, termination, charge sheets and so on. It was only a one day token strike, but the victimisation was beyond imagination. Comrades like me were suspended and charge sheeted and was taken back only after a period of three years, that too after transferring out of the district to distant stations. Criminal cases were filed against us by the instructions of the central government, since the state government in Kerala refused to file cases.
The fight against the victimisation went for years together. But nobody left the union or went against it. They very well knew it was only due to the efforts of the union that the demands are achieved. They stood solidly with the union.
On the 43rd Anniversary of the historic 19th September strike, I pay respectful homage to those valiant comrades who became martyrs at the hands of the police and the government during the strike! I take this opportunity to call upon our workers to remember all those lakhs of comrades who were victimised in one way or other. All those comrades who were in service at time have since been retired
The workers struggles have always been tried to be suppressed by the government and the powers that be. But they will rise again like Phoenix. It happened after 1969 strike also. During the last 20 years alone, the Central Government employees and BSNL employees have gone on 13 strikes along with the Indian Working Class. That is the lesson of the history of the working class.

The Central Executive Committee meeting of BSNLEU held at Jaipur from 16th to 18th September has called upon the workers to unite and fight against the attacks on the BSNL workers. The recent orders of BSNL reducing the facilities/benefits being enjoyed by the workers after sustained struggles, the new avatar of the VRS making all pressures on the workers to get themselves retrenched etc. has created a fear psychosis on the workers. The CEC decided to organise 3 days Hunger Strike starting from 27th September.

The CEC also called upon all the unions to come together under the umbrella of JAC and jointly fight to save BSNL and its workers.
The details of the CEC will be put on the BSNLEU website.