After a tumultuous 365 days, 2011 is passing away. It has its ups and downs and a lot of developments national and international. The rise of the people and workers in many countries against injustice and inequality has been most important. In India, it was a year in exposing corruption and fighting against it. This was a period of recession due to the capitalist path of growth, which created endless price rise, unemployment  and misery to the people.

The New Year 2012 will arrive from tomorrow. We welcome it and hope that it may give a better time and future for one and all.

Welcome to New Year 2012 ! Best Wishes to comrades, friends and all Well Wishers for the New Year 2012.

It is reported that MTNL is planning for revenue sharing with private companies  for some its business. It is stated that this will improve its revenue position. There are proposals to move for leasing of land assets to private companies. It proposes to launch its BWA scheme with private partners.  In addition, a VRS scheme for retrenching 15,000 employees are also on the anvil. This will be about one-third of the existing employees in MTNL. Already 2-3 VRS have already been implemented.

The developments are a clear picture of how the path to privatisation is being cleared. More than 45% shares are already sold, making privatisation nearer by selling about 10% more. The staff has already been reduced considerably and the present VRS will make the staff less making it suitable for privatisation. Citing the loss, the government can justify the privatisation process. By increasing the outsourcing and revenue sharing the private companies gradually can claim for strategic position. All these are only the methods of privatisation of this once prestigious telecom company.

UPA government has already stated that it will aggressively pursue neo-liberal policies and reform in the new year 2012. Whether MTNL is its target this year? The MTNL Workers have to seriously think and decide how to stop this attack, if not already planned.

After a lot of delay, the Recruitment Rules for the DGM, PGM, CGM etc. is issued. This is to allow the repatriate ITS and other officers to come back to BSNL through direct recruitment. The RR is in the DOT site and also in the BSNLEU website: www.bsnleuchq.com

IDA is likely to be increased by 4.7% for revised pay w.e.f.01-01-2012. In the pre-revised pay, it may be 8%. Accordingly in the revised pay the IDA will be 56.7% and in the pre-revised 164.6%. Orders are yet to be issued.

Comrade Tapan Sen , General Secretary CITU and Member of Parliament, while participating in the discussion on the Lok Pal Bill in Rajya Sabha yesterday, 29th December, while mentioning about the wide-spread corruption in the country, mentioned about the serious exploitation and corruption while employing contract workers. He stated that this corruption all over India will be bigger than the 2G scam. From experience in BSNL, we know what is happening in this sector while employing contract labour. The government even did not respond to the charge.

I thank comrade Tapan Sen for exposing the government about the corruption in the unorganised sector as also in the PSUs on this issue.

Good news for retired employees! The demand raised by the BSNL Employees Union in the National Council and also the demand raised by the AIBDPA for allotting quarters to the retired employees has been accepted and orders issued, today,   vide BSNL No.482-16/2007-BG dated 30-12-2011. The management was unnecessarily delaying the issue of orders though it has accepted the demand in the National Council meeting held in June 2011 itself. This will benefit many retired persons. Many comrades have been enquiring about the same. The copy of the order is put in the website of BSNLEU, www.bsnleuchq.com

The  UPA government utterly failed to pass the Lok Pal Bill in the Rajya Sabha yesterday. Had they accepted the modifications suggested by the opposition to make the weak bill as a strong bill, it could have been adopted by majority in Rajya Sabha. Instead the government cleverly manipulated the time and ensured that no voting takes place since they are in minority. The Rajya Sabha has adjourned sine die. The future of the bill is not clear. It seems that the same will have to be presented in the Rajya Sabha again.

It is now very clear that the UPA government is against a strong Lok Pal Bill. The people will have to put pressure on the UPA government.

The  issues of the casual/contract workers have to be urgently settled, since they are pending for a very long time and there is no justification to further delay settlement. The inhuman exploitation  of these labour has to be put an end to. The New Year 2012 is to be treated as the Year of the Casual and Contract Labour and all efforts to be made to see that their issues are settled.

As the first action, the BSNLCCWF is addressing letters to Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Labour Minister, Shri Kapil Sibal, Communications Minister, Chief Labour Commissioner and CMD seeking urgent settlement. Further, BSNLCCWF Secretary General Com. Tapas Ghosh, Vice-President Com. Animesh Mitra and other leaders will be meeting the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour when it meets at Kolkata on 2nd January 2012. The President (Myself) has already met the Standing Committee earlier and presented all the facts and issues.

My suggestion is that 28th February 2012, when the entire workers are going on a one day nationwide strike in which the issues of casual/contract/unorganised workers have been given a prominent place,, should be observed as Casual and Contract Workers Day by the BSNL CC Workers.

Unite and Organise to settle the justified demands!

The 150 Birth Anniversary of the great Poet and Nobel Laurate Rabindra Nath Tagore starts today – A report from Dacca, the capital of Bangladesh, where India and Bangladesh together is organising a three day festival, Rabindra Utsav.

Dhaka, Dec 29 : Bangladesh may have created a record today in the world of music when one thousand singers– male and female mostly from Bangladesh and India played songs penned by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore .
Noted composer and music director from Kolkata , Debojyoti Mishra conducted one-hour long inaugural musical orchestra “Shohosro Konthe Gaan” ( song by thousand voice) performed by one thousand Tagore singers from across the country . It thus lightened up the exclusive musical extravaganza which has been described as the first of its kind in the country.
Organizers said this is the biggest festival of Rabindranath Tagore any where in the world.
Today’s program was the start of a three-day Rabindra Utsav in the city to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.
Bangladesh and India are jointly (at government level) celebrating year long 150th birth anniversary of Tagore, the poet who has the rare distinction of penning the national anthems of two countries.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the gala event this afternoon at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city organized by music school Shurer Dhara, run by eminent Rabindrasangeet singer Rezwana Banya . Speaking on the occasion, Sheikh Hasina said Rabindrath is intimately linked with all aspects of our life..She reiterated her government’s commitment to set up a university in Bangladesh after Rabindranath who Hasina mentioned has spent a size-able part of his life in present day Bangladesh.
Nobel laureate Amartya Sen who was present as the chief guest at the event, unveiled an album of 22 DVDs containing 2300 songs, dance drama and opera titled” Shruti Geetabitan” .Four hundred Bangladeshi Tagore singers have recorded the songs of Geetabitan.
Noted Tagore exponents, poets, litterateurs and educationists from countries other than Bangladesh and India are taking part in the event that also features eight seminars at the venue.
A 35-member international orchestra named “Gandharvaloka Orchestra”, featuring star musicians and singers from over 15 countries — Canada, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, the USA, the UK, Scotland, the Netherlands, Columbia, Brazil, Poland, Slovakia, Macedonia, Iceland and New Zealand performed Tagore songs at the program.
Professor Emeritus Anisuzzaman , president of festival organising council chaired the inaugural function.  (By courtsey ‘Ganashakti’)