Though the Parliament March against PFRDA Bill is on 25th November, BSNL-DOT pensioners have started reaching Delhi to participate in the same. About 40 comrades from Calicut alone have reached Delhi today. More comrades are expected by tomorrow and next day. Comrades Ananta Bhattacharjee, President and K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary of All India BSNL-DOT Pensioners Association (AIBDPA) are also participating in the March. Jayaraj has already reached Delhi.
The decision of the cabinet even not to accept the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on FDI cap, assured return etc. have further infuriated the workers. They understand that the government is determined to use the pensioners deposits for the benefit of the market.This is unacceptable to the workers and pensioners.
That is why a large number of pensioners are coming to participating in the march. My Hearty welcome to all of them.

The CBI has now filed case against former DOT Secretary Shyamal Ghosh and former DDG J.R.Gupta for having given favours to the private companies by granting additional spectrum during the time of Communications Minister Promod Mahajan causing a loss of about Rs. 500 crores. Since former Minister Promod Mahajan has died he is not cahrged.
It seems that almost all the Communication Ministers after the introduction of the neo-liberal policy in the 1990s have patronised the private companies and granted favours while the BSNL and MTNL were discriminated.

The PTI report published in today’s newspapers states that the house where Gandhiji stayed in Johannesburg (S.Africa) for years and organised struggles on behalf of Indians against the the British colonialists, is made in to a hotel/museum. It is reported that the house was purchased by French Travel company, Voyageurs du Monde, two years ago from the owners of the house.
I had visited the house some four years back, when I had gone to attend the Trade Union International Conference held at Johannesburg. It was a well maintained house with the articles and things used by Gandhiji. Many photoes and other memorials were there. There was a printing press nearby, where the pamphlets etc. were printed. It was in a calm atmosphere and place.
It is a memorial to the Father of Indian Nation during his period of struggles in South Africa. When the auction has taken place, Indian Government should have taken it. It was not a question of money, but a question of the honour of our nation and Mahatmaji. Why the Government of India allowed it to be taken by a hotel for commercial purposes? Even now, the Government can try to get it back and keep it as a memorial to one of the greatest person India ever had.
Once again, this news emphasise that the corporates and big business are the sections which control the world. In India itself, almost all the palaces of the old kings are converted in to hotels.’Money can purchase any thing’ has become the order of the day. But at least in the case of the Father of the Nation, his residence could have been made a memorial to him.

After the decision for one day strike on 15th December 2011 has taken by the JAC, as Convener I spoke both to the General Secretary / President of NFTE and FNTO and suggested for a common/united struggle with their participation in the strike. Com. Islam Ahmed, President, NFTE has agreed that the meeting of the BSNLWA on Saturday, 19th November 2011 will take a favourable decision. Com. K.Vallinayagam, Secretary General, FNTO replied that his CWC is meeting at Chennai on 1-2 December which will take suitable decision in the matter.
The situation is developing for a joint massive strike. I call upon all the executive and non-executive unions to join the struggle which is intended to protect the existing rights of the workers and to advance the cause of BSNL and MTNL, as also their workers.

I had gone to CITU office to meet Com. A.K.Padmanabhan, President and Com. Tapan Sen, General Secretary CITU yesterday, 18th November. I informed about the decision of the JAC to go on strike on 15th December and explained the demands and the compulsion to start the agitation. Both of them conveyed their full support to the strike. Com.Tapan Sen, who is also a Member of the Parliament, assured that he will raise up the matter in the Parliament which is starting on 22nd November.
Today, 19th November, I met Comrades Shiva Gopal Mishra, Secretary General AIRF, S.K.Vyas, Secretary General NCCPA & Chairman Confederation of CG Employees and Workers, M.S.Raja, Secretary General, Audit & Accounts Association, V.Bhattacharjee, Secretary General, Civil Accounts Association and others. All of them assured full support to the strike and will propagate the BSNL situation to their members.
JAC is trying to meet leaders of all Central Trade Unions seeking their support to this just struggle.

New Delhi, November 19: The All India BSNL-DOT Pensioners Association expresses its strong protest at the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill already presented in the Parliament. The Bill is intended to take away the hard earned money of the employees for being utilised in the sharemarket by the Fund Managers and big corporates for their profit. It is not at all intended to safeguard the interests of the workers who are contributing to the Pension Fund.
This has become very clear with the rejection of the recommendations of the Parliamentry Standing Committee on Finance by the Central Cabinet. The Standing Committee recommended a fixed cap on the FDI, an assured return and facility of easy withdrawal by the employees. All the three recommendations have been rejected by the cabinet on flimsy grounds.
BSNL employees and pensioners will be attending in large numbers in the Parliament March on 25th November against the anti-worker PFRDA Bill
(Report in Ganashakti )

The Polit Bureau of CPI(M) reiterates its strong opposition to the Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority Bill which has been cleared by the Union Cabinet.
The Pension Bill will deprive lakhs of government employees both at the Centre and state level of their right to get an assured rate of pension at the time of retirement which they have been enjoying. The government has ignored the Standing Committee’s recommendations in this regard. The Bill will provide the legal backing for putting the pension funds into the stock market. This neo-liberal measure is being undertaken despite the pension funds in Western countries being badly hit by the 2008 financial crisis. Many employees found their pension benefits being sharply curtailed.
The provision for 26 per cent FDI in the pension sector has to be totally opposed. The government is not including this provision in the Bill so that it can increase the FDI component in later years without amending the law.
This Bill should not be passed in parliament. The CPI(M) appeals to the entire opposition to unitedly defeat the passage of the Bill.

It was announced that BSNLEU’s own building “K.G.Bose Bhawan” will be inaugurated on 11th December 2011, the 37th death anniversary of the revolutionary leader Comrade K.G.Bose, in whose memory the building is named.
Since the One Day Strike by the JAC is declared on 15th December 2011, the Central Secretariat of BSNLEU has decided to postpone the inauguration to a later date, which will be decided later.
Owning a building by the organisation is not a small matter. It is with the whole hearted support of our members that we have been able to purchase the building. After taking over, there will be some small finishing touches etc. to be done to the building. We would like to make it a really memorable occasion.Hence the suggestion has been mooted that a CEC meeting can take place at New Delhi, when the inauguration can take place. Further, more donations are yet to be received from the circles. Considering all these, it will be appropraite if the inauguration function is scheduled by January or so. A fine Souvenir can also be released at that time.

The discussion in the meeting of the Steering Committee of the anti-PFRDA Bill movement has shown that more than one lakh workers will be participating in the Parliament March on 25th November. Reports from the states/circles indicate that large number of workers are coming from even distanct states. The number will be much more from the nearby states/circles.
The decision of the central cabinet to reject the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Finance, that (1) there should be an assured return, (2) allowing easy wihdrawal from the Fund and (3) that there should be a cap on the FDI has been strongly opposed by the Steering Committee. The workers are angry with the governments anti-worker attitude.
The Parliament March will start from Jantar Mantar at 1100 hours. Workers should assemble there by 1000 hours. Comrades Basudevacharya, Tapan Sen, Gurudas Dasgupta, Thampan Thomas and other leaders are expected to address the March.

I am giving below a press report on the jail conviction to Mr. Sukhram, former Communications Minister for corruption:
“New Delhi, Nov 19 (ANI): Former Telecom Minister Sukhram was today sentenced to five years in jail by a Delhi Court for taking Rs. 3 lakhs as bribe to give a lucrative contract to a private firm in 1996.

Sukhram, 86, a cabinet colleague of Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, was held guilty on Thursday under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code.

The CBI, in its charge sheet filed in 1998, had accused Sukhram of showing undue favour in awarding the cable supply contract to HTL. Sukhram had been put on trial along with HTL chairman Devinder Singh Choudhary who died during the trial.

In 2009, Sukhram had been held guilty of possessing disproportionate assets worth Rs. 4.25 crore.

In 2002, he was awarded a three-year jail term under the Prevention of Corruption Act in a separate case relating to equipment supply for causing a loss of Rs. 1.66 crore to the state exchequer. (ANI)”.

It is said that all of the 13-14 Communications Ministers, except one or two,after the neo-liberal policies have been introduced were either chargesheeted,convicted, politically lost or did not get the post of minister afterwards. I do not want to mention the names. The fact is that the fast and huge money involved and the pressure by the MNCs for favours have created a situation where no minister is spared from disaster.