I was going through an interesting report in today’s ( 26-12-2011) Economic Times with the headline ‘BSNL to tap into ITS Pool for filling up 700 posts’. It quotes from a top BSNL Executive (without disclosing name), “BSNL is to approve an emergency recruitment plan to cherry-pick some 700 senior  managers at the levels of DGM and above from the ITS Pool.”We will only target ITS officers in the first phase. In case the numbers prove hard to come by, we will have to take the more expensive route of poaching top industry talent from the private sector. ”

First of all let me state that I am not against ITS or anybody else working in BSNL. I respect the ITS like any other stream of workers and appreciate the good work that has been done for the telecom. Nobody can forget that when the ITS officer was being replaced by IAS  as Secretary, DOT , we were all there in support of the ITS. That do not bar me from analysing the present situation objectively.

The Economic Times report seems to be correct. BSNL management may be making efforts to bring back the ITS officers who have given good-bye to the company for which they worked for 11 years and got more salary and benefits than anybodyelse  in the company. If they were prepared to serve the company, why they have deserted it? If they quit for better prospects in Government, how they can come unless better prospects are offered in the BSNL? How BSNL can offer better prospects to ITS, when even the justified demands and entitlements of the absorbed employees are being denied by the management on the plea that company can not concede even their justified demands? How better benefits can be given when even the existing benefits are curtailed for the absorbed employees and even Bonus is denied? If those who left BSNL were so much capable, why the company has become loss making when they were in command? By bringing them back, whether the company is going to improve and how? What is the assurance that the “ITS Pool’ will not desert  again, when the company is in distress?

The BSNL management requires to answer these relevant questions before trying to ‘tap in to ITS Pool’.