The conciliation on the demands of the 15 December Strike continued today. The Chief Labour Commissioner and the Dy. CLCs were present the whole time. Official  and JAC side were present in full. The issue of ITS repatriation and the restoration of the medical allowance, LTC, Leave encashment , Bonus etc. were discussed. The official side could not counter the justifications raised by the JAC.The CLC adjourned the meeting and advised the official side to discuss these issues with JAC for settlement. Next date will be intimated by the CLC.

While largely participated demonstrations will be organised in the SSAs/Circles on 31st May in preparation for the indefinite strike from 13th June, it will be a massive dharna in the Corporate office, New Delhi. The Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations have called upon all the participating unions to organise maximum number of workers to participate in the programme. We hope that it will be one of the biggest demonstrations that the corporate office have ever seen. Let us note that this struggle is not only for settlement of the demands but to give a befitting reply to the insult and discrimination of the BSNL management against the two lakh and seventy thousand executive and non-executive workers.

The Unions/Associations in BSNL has jointly served strike notice today to the CMD BSNL for indefinite strike from 13th June 2012. ( Copy of strike notice posted in the websites of  the unions including BSNLEU, SNEA, AIBSNLEA etc.)

The BSNL management by its actions has compelled the Unions/Associations to go on strike. It flatly denied the legitimate rights and demands of the executive and non-executive employees, but at the same time  is gifting all the benefits to the ITS Officers who are not absorbed but is on deputation.

The strike from 13th June is being organised on the demands raised in the 15th December Strike including the 78.2% IDA merger and restoration of the curtailed medical, LTC benefits etc.

The entire workers have to rally behind the agitational programmes including the strike to make the management understand that they will not tolerate insult and discrimination. How is that there are no funds for implementing cabinet decision for the executives and non-executives but there is sufficient money for implementing 15 allowances for the ITS officers incurring hundreds of crores of rupees. Whether the BSNL funds are only for granting benefits to DOT officers and not for BSNL employees?

The General Secretaries of BSNL Executive and Non-Executive Unions will be serving Indefinite Strike Notice to the CMD BSNL today on the major and long pending demands of the BSNL workers. The Indefinite Strike will start from 13th June 2012.

Watch the websites of the unions for the latest developments. I also will put the latest news in this blog.

The Joint Committee on ‘Change of designations’ was held today, 29th May. A general consensus has been reached on the major four cadres of RM,TM,Sr.TOA and TTA. But still there are some fine-tunings to be done. The next meeting is scheduled to be held on 18th June.

The joint committee of Official and Staff  sides formed as per decision of the National Council for recommending change of designations is meeting tomorrow, 29th May. The Staff Side has already given their suggestions for the four main cadres viz. RM, TM, Sr.TOA and TTA. Almost a general consensus has been reached in the committee and we hope to finalise the same in the meeting tomorrow. But the official side has been wavering now and then and hence it was not finalised earlier. Our approach is get new designations which are suitable considering all aspects. The official side should understand the feeling of the unions and workers and avoid the unnecessary delay in finalising the issue.

The JAC was informed several times that Advance Purchase Orders have been issued for telephone instruments, cables, broadband modems, GSM lines etc. and they are on the supply pipeline. But wherever we go on tour, it is the same complaint from our comrades that nothing of these have reached the SSAs. Promises and assurances are for being kept and not for records only. The management should explain what is the delay in supplying the same. This is a crucial time for the BSNL and even a delay of one day in supply of these equipments and instruments will be very costly for the future of the company.

It seems that most of the managements at All India, Circle and SSA levels are not seriously interested in procuring the same. Whenever our field level workers and unions approach the officers demanding for the above, the casual reply is that nothing has been received. When we approach the top-level corporate management, the reply is that every thing has already been done for procurement.

Is it can be called a management which can not even procure the equipments and instruments that is vitally required for the company ? Is it a management which can not ensure implementation of its own decisions? Or is it that the BSNL management is going the disastrous route taken by the Air India management?

But the workers and their unions can not sit idle. Continuous pressure and struggles are required to make the management to work in the interest of the company. Of Course, the major struggle is to change the anti-worker policy of the government which is crippling BSNL.