In an interview given by Shri R.K.Upadhyay, CMD BSNL to Business Line, he has stated that BSNL will make a turn around by two years. Certain urgent measures are being taken to restore the earlier position, he had stated.
To a question he replied as follows:” BSNL is the market leader in landline and broadband business segements with 71.93 % and 63.49% market shares respectively. BSNL also has prominent shares in mobile and leased circuit segments. BSNL earned cellular business as a late entrant in October 2002 when private operators had already spread their arms for over 6 years. Our net work expansion stumbled during the last few years for reasons beyond our control. However, we have initiated the process to increase our mobile capacity and hope to revive the growth process.”
But nowhere in the interview he has stated about the workers initiative for providing a better service through “Customer Delight Year 2011-12” etc.
(For full interview see Business Line – 15th October)

The recommendations of the TRAI to increase the 8 digits of the land lines to 10 digits may not be accepted by the Government. The DOT committee which deliberated on the issue has suggested to continue with the present 8 digit system. The change to 10 digit system will cause many hurdles which can be avoided by continuing the existing system. Further the land lines are not increasing making it necessary to increase the digits.
The DoT panel has also suggested that only numbers starting from 2 and 3 is to be allotted to the land lines of all telecom operators including the private and numbers starting from 3,5,6 which are now used by the private companies can be shifted for mobile connections.
No final decision has been taken by the government so far.

The news coming in connection with the workers strike in Maruti Manesar Plant is disturbing. It is the right of the workers to form their union, nobody can question it. It is the fundamental right of the workers and accepted all over the world. But this right is denied to its workers by the Maruti Management. Almost the entire workers in the Manesar plant are on agitation to get this right accepted by the management.
Who is to intervene and ensure the right of the workers? It is the Haryana government in this case. The Labour department should intervene and sort out the issue. Instead, it is completely siding with the management. In the earlier strike also the government has taken the pro-management stand. Now the workers have been vacated from inside the factory to outside the factory stating that they can not sit within 100 metres of the plant.
The entrie workers in the Maruti companies, in addition to the Manesar Plant are on agitation on this issue. The anti-worker actions of the Maruti Management is well known, liking cutting salary for even two minutes delay, restricting even time to go to toilet, snacks etc. as also cutting salary on flimsy grounds.
The Haryana Government had stated that the concilliations will start soon. But the government should stop its pro-management stand and be a true negotiator ensuring the rights of the workers.

” While the BSNL workers are focussing on Customer Service through their programme of ” Customer Delight Year”, the Government is focussing on corporate service”, stated Comrade Brinda Karat, ex-M.P. and Polit Bureau Member of the CPI(M) in her speech in the Open Session of the BSNL Employees Union Kerala Circle Conference held at Kannur on 13th October 2011.
With many examples she substantiated her point including that of in the BSNL sector. Despite heavy rain in the open maidan meeting, thousands of people inluding BSNL workers heard Com. Brinda Karat with rapt attention. She demanded the government and BSNL management to ensure that the casual workers are paid minimum wage and social security measures are implemented.
The meeting was held after a successful procession in the town. More than 20 sister organisations including AIBDPA and BSNLCCWF greeted the jatha in various places on the road side.

The government and the BSNL management is continuously repeating that the large number of workers are responsible for the loss to the company. This is an absurd argument as can be seen from below.
When BSNL was formed, there were about 3.5 lakh workers. With these 3.5 lakh workers the company was making profit of Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000 crore with a total revenue of Rs.40,000 crore.
Now the total number of staff are only about 3 lakhs and there is loss to the company. As per govt./management argument there should have been more revenue and profit since the number of workers have been reduced. In fact the revenue and profit has been reduced when there is less staff.
This clearly shows that it is not the number of staff that is the reason for the loss. It actually is the wrong policy of the government and mismanagement only.

Today I had the chance to visit the Payyambalam Beach,in Kannur city, along with other comrades. It is here that many of the working class leaders have been buried and memorials constructed for them.
One of the first constructed memorial is for Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai, a fearless journalist who criticised the wrong doing of the Travancore Raja and Diwan and who was banished from the kingdom. He died at Kannur in 1916 and is buried at Payyabalam.
Comrade A.K.Gopalan, one of the greatest working class leaders in the country, is also buried here. His body was taken from Thiruvananthapuram by Road which was paid homage by lakhs of people on the way.
Memorials are built here for Comrades C.Kannan, O.Bharathan, CITU leaders as also to Comrade Chadayan Govindan, who was the State Secretary of CPI(M).
Com.N.P.Padmanabhan and Com. T.M.Janardhanan, two stalwarts of the P andT trade union movement are also buried here and memorials erected.
The place was just like a pilgrimage centre. We paid our respectful homage to the memory of these comrades which will certainly help us in our journey forward.

Kerala roads have become horrible. After every monsoon, the road becomes broken and will be repaired. But this year the situation is horrible. Almost all the roads including the National Highways are in a such a condition that even travelling for about one hour will make you sick by the jolts that you receive due to the bad roads.
Most of the people has started to travel by trains even for small distance to avoid the road journey. I also travelled from Kozhikode to Kannur by train only.
Is the UDF government in Kerala prepared to do something?

The undue delay in settlement of the pre-2007 pension revision cases is unacceptable. It was after sustained struggle and that too with two strikes in April and December 2000 by the BSNL workers as per the call of the JAC that the long pending issues could be settled. The government issued the orders in March 2011. It was mentioned in the order itself that all the payments should be cleared by September at the latest. But still only about 50% of the cases are settled in most of the circles. In some circles, even it is not settled. This undue delay is inhuman as the senior comrades are waiting endlessly for getting the payment.
The Management and the DOT has got the responsiblity to ensure that all payments are made urgently, failing which another struggle will start.

I have come to attend the Circle Conference of BSNLEU Kerala Circle at Kannur. It has always been a pleasure to participate in the Circle Conferences of Kerala, not only because it is my home circle but also the disciplined way in which it is organised. The confeence is being attended by more than 1000 comrades including delegates and visitors. There are only 11 SSAs ince the circle being a small one geographically.
The Conference was inaugurated by Com. A.K.Padmanabhan, President CITU on 12th October. In addition to the delegate session, there is a seminar on the relevance of BSNL in the present context, a Women’s convention, Open session, procession etc. In the open session and the seminar about 30 fraternal delegates from the various service organisations greeted the conference showing the close connection of BSNLEU with these organisations. The afiliates of JAC also addressed. All of them very much appreciated the role taken by the JAC. Com.P.Abhimanyu, General Secretary BSNLEU gave a clear picture of the organisational and general issues. I spoke about the tasks to restore BSNL to its past glory.
Kannur, the northern SSA of Kerala has shown by its increase in MNP as also the increased connection and development, that despite the wrong policy decisions of the government, improvement could be made if the workers and the management jointly make efforts. All appreciated Kannur SSA for the excellent development. My congratulations to Kannur Comrades!
The Conference will continue on 13th and 14. October.

I have been regularly attending the Circle Conferences of BSNLEU Kerala Circle. I think I have attended almost all the Circle Conferences of NFPTE, E.III and BSNLEU organised in Kerala since 1961, when the Kerala Circle Union was formed. It has always been a pleasure to attend Kerala Conferences, not only because it is my home circle, but also because of the systemic conduct of the conferences. Our comrades all over India has seen how magnificiently Kerala conducted the AIC of BSNLEU last year in Thiruvananthapuram.
The present conference is at Kannur, the northern most district of Kerala. The trade unions and progressive forces are strong here. It is the place of Coms AKG and E.K.Nayanar, beloved leaders of the working class. Com.N.P.Padmanabhan, the veteran P and T leader of Kerala also belonged here. In fact, I also belong to this district, though I shifted to Kozhikode District later.
This time I may not be able to be in the Conference all the three days. Due to some personal difficulties, I have to urgently return to Delhi.
My hearty greetings to the Kerala Conference.