Monthly Archives: July 2013

Why BSNL Management is insensitive to the issues of casual and Contract labour?

13 Saturday Jul 2013

Posted by in BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers, Uncategorized

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The letter sent by V.A.N.Namboodiri, President, BSNLCCWF to R.K.Upadhyay, CMD BSNL on the non-implementation of labour laws with regard to the Casual and Contract workers in BSNL is reproduced below:

Sub: Engagement of contract workers  – Violations of The Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act 1970 and other legislations of the Central government by BSNL.

Ref: Govt. of India, Ministry of labour and Employment o/o The Chief Labour Commissioner File no. 14(113) Misc. RLC (Coord)/2012 dated 23rd January 2013.

Sir,

The Federation has been continuously bringing to the notice of the BSNL management about the gross violations of the rules and regulations of the Government of India and also the instructions issued by the BSNL Corporate Office with regard to the payment of minimum wage as per Govt. Notifications through the Gazette, implementation of social security measures like EPF and ESI etc. by the field level officers. The Federation has submitted volumes of details about these violations, circle by circle, with the names of the contract labour, the minimum wage eligible and what is being paid, non-implementation of EPF, ESI etc. But it is regretted that except issuing orders to the sub-ordinate offices/circles for implementation of these regulations, nothing more is done. The field level officers are simply ignoring the directions of the government as well as the corporate office and are bluntly refusing to pay minimum wage, implement EPF ESI etc.  BSNL Corporate office seems to be satisfied with the bogus and false reports of the circles that every order is being fully implemented.

Vide letter cited above, the government of India has taken a firm stand for getting the labour acts implemented failing which the concerned officers are liable to be punished including jail terms.  But in BSNL, not a single officer has been penalised for the violation of these legislations, despite these cases brought to the notice of the BSNL Corporate Office.

In case the BSNL Management, on the basis of the false report of the CGMs, feels that everything has been implemented, the Federation is prepared to prove its statements in the field level if any senior officer is deputed to visit the field level offices along with the Federation representatives.

The gross violation of rules and inhuman exploitation of the workers are continuing for years in BSNL and it is time to put an end to this. It is not of any credit to a PSU like BSNL to be a party or an onlooker to such inhuman exploitation of the toiling workers engaged either by contractor or by itself for the works of BSNL.

I would request you to take immediate necessary action to ensure that the casual/contract workers engaged in BSNL by the contractors are paid the minimum wage as also social security measures like EPF and ESI are implemented and other regulations also implemented.

It is high time that justice is meted out to the casual and contract workers who have been part building up the BSNL and maintaining it all these years.

Yours sincerely,

V.A.N.Namboodiri

President.

PILs against closure of telegram services

12 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by in Telecom

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In addition to the PLI filed against closure of telegram services in Madras High Court, another PLI is filed in the Madurai branch of the Madras High Court. A report on the same is reproduced below:

Madurai: Against the backdrop of BSNL discontinuing the 160-year-old telegraph service from 15 July, a PIL was today filed in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court here seeking a stay on the order.

A Division Bench of Justice Paul N Vasanthakumar and Justice P Devadoss directed the central government advocate to get instructions and posted the case for hearing tomorrow.

Image for representation only. AFP

Image for representation only. AFP

Seeking the court’s intervention to stay the order of BSNL senior GM discontinuing the service, the petitioner highlighted the various important roles played by telegram.

The petitioner, President of the Federation of Consumer and Service Organizations, M.Sekaran, rejected BSNL’s contention that there are no users of the telegram, alleging the service alone had faced step-motherly treatment.

If BSNL felt that it could not run the service, it could as well hand over the service to the postal department which was handling it efficiently from 1850 to 1990.

Robert Chandrakumar, another petitioner, also filed a PIL with the same prayers on the issue.

The petitioner wanted the telegraph service to be continued at affordable rates.

According to a recent circular issued by Shameem Akhtar, Sr General Manager (Telegraph Services) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) Corporate office, New Delhi, the telegraph service is to be discontinued with effect from 15 July, 2013.

PTI

 

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Begging for FDI – 3 top leaders in US

12 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by in General

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Three of the top figures of Government of India are in US. They are Finance Minister P.Chidambaram, Dy. Chairman Planning Commission Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma. Why these three heavy weights are in US at the same time. It is no secret. It is openly stated that they have gone for getting more investment to India. And for that these ministers are giving presentations of what the government of India will do to help the investors. First of all, the tax concerns of the US investors will be addressed. It means that the tax burden will be reduced. They want to give the message that India is ‘open for business’. The Ministers are already in touch with the corporates and relax every tax rules in India to bring them in.

Is India in such a bad situation, where every rule has to be relaxed to attract FDI? If it is so, who is responsible? It is the same UPA government who has been ruling the country for the last 9 years continuously. Instead of surrendering to the dictats of the MNCs, the government should stand on its own terms.

National Convention on ” Revival of BSNL” on 3rd August 2013

12 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation

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A National Convention of BSNL Employees will be held at Mavalankar Hall on 3rd August 2013 under the auspices of the Forum of BSNL Unions / Associations, the umbrella organisation of the unions and associations of Non-Executives and Executives in BSNL. About 1,000 delegates from the unions/associations from all parts of the country will participate.

Senior Members of Parliament, Trade Union leaders and other important personalities will participate and address the convention. On the basis of the Memorandum given by the Forum to the Prime Minister and Finance Minister who is also the Chairman of the GoM constituted for the purpose of revival of BSNL, further programmes, including action programmes, will be finalised  by the Convention.

After the National convention is held similar conventions will be organised at Circle and District levels.

BSNL FOR BETTER SERVICE !

Airports also on sale, handing over to private companies.

12 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by in PSU

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The government aggressively persuing the neo-liberalisation policy has turned its vulture’s eyes on the Airports again. It has decided to hand over the Chennai and Kolkata Airports to private companies through the Public Private Participation (PPP) route. The timing is interesting. The decision is taken immediately after both these airports have been modernised by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) after spending hundreds of crore of rupees. What is the necessity for handing over the airports after spending a lot of money by the AAI and modernisation? Only to reap the benefits?

It is understood that the AAI gets its profit from about a few major airports in the country. Out of that,  Delhi and Mumbai as also Bengaluru and Hyderabad have already been handed over to private companies. They are making huge profits in addition through the usage of the land available by leasing out for banks, hotels etc. Now the proposal is to hand over Kolkata and Chennai also. Within a few years, AAI will be in loss, while the private companies will be reaping huge profits.

This policy of handing over the nation’s airports to the private companies has to be put an end to. Strong mass opinion and struggles by the unions in the AAI are necessary to counter the privatisation.

Stop this closure of telegram services

12 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation

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Protests are mounting against the anti-people decision of BSNL to close its one and half century telegram services from 15th July 2013, citing loss as the reason. Of course, telegram service as well telephone service in the rural areas are in loss, but it is a service to the ordinary people and on the plea of loss it can not be closed. BSNL is implementing the universal service access policy of the government and it can not cut the service to the ordinary people. If there is loss, it should demand and get sufficient money from the government. Most of the rural telephone service in loss. Does it mean that all those exchanges are to be closed.

And the loss factor itself is in scanner. The telegram services are part of the customer services and there is no special expenditure for the same. The available staff is attending to the telegrams also. More than 50,000 telegrams are dealt by the BSNL every month and more than 15 crores earned per year. The loss of Rs. 135 crore calculated by the BSNL is imaginary and include the salaries of employees, maintenance etc. which in any way will be there whether the telegram services are closed or not.

Many sections of the people are still using the services, though the number has come down due to the advanced technology gadgets like mobile, internet etc. The trams are still running in Kolkata. When a new product is released, all the old products are also on sale. Along with other communication services, telegram service also can continue. There is no separate expenditure for he same.

It is a heritage service and accommodated in heritage buildings in the big cities. CTO buildings in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata etc. are heritage buildings, which have to be maintained as such. Lakhs and lakhs of documents connected with the history of the Mughal, British rule etc. are there in the old documents of the telegraph offices. Just like Western Court building in Delhi is occupied by a hotel, there are proposals to turn these heritage buildings also in to such posh hotels. You can see that many of the historic palaces have already been converted in to hotels.

The BSNL employees are completely against the closure of the telegram services. They have already strongly protested against the decision. Their unions have not been even consulted before taking such a drastic decision.

Today, as per the call of the BSNL Employees Unions, protest dharnas are being held at the SSA/Circle levels as also in front of the BSNL Corporate Office in Delhi. A PLI case has been filed in the Chennai High Court against closure of telegram services and may be heard today. It can only be said that the BSNL management has taken an unwise anti-people decision as also without taking in to confidence of the unions, which are trying to improve the services and make the company financially viable.

The BSNL Management should revisit their decision and drop the decision to close the telegram services  in the interest of the people and the company itself.

The BSNL Management should back out from this controversial and anti-people measure.

 

ITDC and STC further shares being sold.

12 Friday Jul 2013

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The government is on a selling spree. The cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved selling of governments shares in State trading Corporation (STC) and India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).

STC is having 91.02 % government shares and ITDC 92.11%. As per the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), all listed companies  have   to have 10% of public share holding.

The government is expecting Rs. 33 crore through the present stake sale. The selling spree continues.

Finance, Commerce Ministers welcome foreign investors in US

11 Thursday Jul 2013

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It the MNCs is not surprising that the government of India has been aggressively persuing  FDI to 100% in Telecom sector. It is the demand of the MNCs and foreign investors. Now both the Finance Minister P.Chidambaram and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma are in US. They are meeting all the business heads and inviting the to come to India. They are offering very liberal conditions for FDI. They also offered a slew of measures accepting the demands and suggestions of the US companies.

Instead of appeasing the MNCs, the government has to look after the people of this country.

The Glorious 5 Days Strike of 1960

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in TU News - India

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The 5 days strike by the Central Government Employees started from 11th July 1960 will always inspire not only the CG Employees, but the entire working class in India. It was the biggest strike that Indian government had to face since Independence in 1947.

The strike called by the All India Railwaymen Federation (AIRF), All India Defence Employees Federation (AIDEF) and Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers demanded the government to modify the retrograde recommendations of the II Central Pay Commission, grant of Minimum Wage, Full neutralisation for cost of living etc.

The Government dealt the strike with iron hands. The government declined to meet the leaders of the Joint Action Committee. Instead it promulgated the Essential Service maintenance Ordinance against the strike with stringent punishment. Prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru termed the strike as ‘Civil Rebellion’ and issued instructions to suppress it with all the might of the central and state governments. Thousands of workers were jailed (outsiders also for supporting the strike), dismissed, terminated, suspended, charge sheeted, severely punished and transferred. The All India leaders were arrested and paraded hand-cuffed through the streets of Delhi. The government dealt with the strikers as enemies of the country. The strike could not go on more than 5 days. It was mercilessly suppressed by the government.

It took more than 4 years to get all the officials got reinstated. Even that was only after the Members of Parliament like Coms. A.K.Gopalan, Nath Pai, S.M.Banerjee and others lambasted the government in the Parliament about the inhuman treatment of the strikers by the government.

I was working at Cannanore (Kannur) at that time. Three comrade were put in jail, punished for 6 months rigorous imprisonment. I was kept out of service, charge sheeted and punished. The working class realised  the inhuman face of the Congress government. Though suppressed with in a decade the government was compelled to accept at least some of the demands.

BY once again going on a one day strike on 19th September 1968, the workers showed that they will continue to fight for their rights.

The Mughal era of more than 3 centuries

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

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According to certain records, it is stated that Babur entered Agra after the victory in historic battle of Panipat on 10th July in 1526, which started the three centuries Mughal Rule in India. Babar, Humayun, Akbar, Jehangir, Shajahan and  Aurangazeb ruled as  emperors one after another, but the empire declined later and had control in a small part near Delhi onlyr. Even that was over after the defeat of the First War of Independence in 1858, when the last Mughal Emperor and poet Mohammed Shah Zafar was caught from  hiding in the Humayun Tomb and extradited to Rangoon where he died afterwards.

The Mughal Empire ended and British Empire started which lasted  for about two centuries till India won freedom  on 15th August 1947. For the first time, the foreign empires were over and the Indian people could decide their own government.