Monthly Archives: August 2014

Penalty not paid by Telecom Companies

03 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by in BSNL News, Telecom

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NEW DELHI: Telecom operators such as Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, RCom, Aircel, Tata Tele and BSNL have not paid penalties totalling Rs 2,116.95 crore levied on them for non-compliance of subscriber verification rules that are important for national security, CAG said in its report.

“We further noticed that out of Rs 2506.80 crore of penalty levied by the DoT and the TERM Cells during 2009 to 2012 for defective CAFs, the service providers had paid only Rs 389.85 crore,” the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said in its latest report.

As per data provided by the Department of Telecom (DoT) to CAG, RCom has maximum outstanding due of Rs 594.76 crore, followed by Airtel Rs 502.8 crore, Aircel Rs 402.31 crore, BSNL Rs 269.42 crore, Vodafone Rs 203.04 crore, Idea Cellular Rs 74.15 crore and Tata Teleservices (TTSL) Rs 70.47 crore. (Report from Economic Times)

Meeting of Forum on 4th August 2014

03 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation, BSNLEU, Forum, Telecom

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An Emergent Meeting of the Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations will be held at 04.00 AM on 4th August 2014 at BSNL MS office, New Delhi to discuss about the report of the M/s Deloitte Consultants on the financial viability and revival of BSNL.

It is to be noted that neither the BSNL Management nor the consultants have taken the unions/associations in to confidence in appointment of Consultant, discussion or in finalising the recommendations. This is an arbitrary method entirely different from the past. The Unions/associations were given opportunity to discuss and present their views before the consultants, like M/s KPMG etc.

As per available reports on the recommendations, the same are against the workers. About 70,000 workers will be made surplus. Network, Transmission etc. will be shifted to circles from SSAs. 330+ SSAs will be reduced to just 167. Instead of recruitment, the roadmap is for outsourcing. It is recommended to close the Telecom Factories. Whether the report is for revival or for favouring the private companies to finish BSNL?

The meeting of the Heads of Circles is scheduled  on 12-13 August 2014 to discuss the recommendations. Before that,  the Forum has to meet and finalise its  views and plan to safeguard the interests of the workers. There can not be any delay in the matter.

 

 

Gaza Massacre – This Murder of innocents should end

03 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by in General, WORLD NEWS

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Despite the strong condemnation by the world nations, Israel is continuing the massacre of the Palestinians in the Gaza strip. In the name of attacking the Hamas, the schools, hospitals, relief camps etc. are bombed killing hundreds of innocent children, women, patients and other civilians. The casualty has reached more than 2,000 and thousands more are wounded. This is not a war where two armies fight each other. This is  most cruel murder of those who can not defend themselves.

There is no justification for this massacre. The United Nations should not only condemn the attack, but also should decide to take necessary measures to save the lives of the Palestinians. US Government is as guilty as  Israel in this massacre since it did not only not condemn the attack, but has decided to support Israel with money and weapons.

Where is India when the huge majority of the world nations are condemning the Israeli attack? India should not be silent for whatever considerations, including its close connection with US, but should strongly condemn the Israeli attack on Gaza and the people.

7% DA Increase for CG Employees from 1st July 2014

02 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by in CG Employees

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As per Ministry of Labour, there is 7% DA increase for central Government employees form 1st July 2014, making the total DA to 107%.

The Confederation of central Govt. Employees have demanded Merger of DA with Pay. The issue has also been brought to the notice of the VII CPC.

CONDEMN KILLING INNOCENT PALESTINIANS BY ISRAEL !

02 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by in Uncategorized

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I AM REPRODUCING THE CALL GIVEN BY CITU AND OTHER MASS ORGANISATIONS TO OBSERVE 8 OR 9 AUGUST AS PROTEST DAY CONDEMNING ISRAELI ATTACK ON GAZA, PALESTINE AND ITS PEOPLE

CITU AIKS AIAWU AIDWA DYFI SFI
Condemn Killing of Innocent People of Palestine by Israeli Aggressors
Resolve Joint Mass Action at District and Taluk centres all over India
On 8th or 9th August 2014.
Declaration
We condemn with strongest terms the brutal killing of the innocent people of Palestine by the Zionist Government of Israel. We also denounce the US and other imperialist powers who are equally responsible for these killings due to their support to the Zionist. We note with shock and horror that in course of the last 25 days aggression by Israeli military forces so far more than 1500 people have been killed and the number is going up every day. 63 Israel soldiers including 3 civilians have also been killed. More than 7000 Palestinian people have been seriously injured. One third of Palestinians killed so far are children and women. Violating all international conventions even the schools, hospitals and UN shelters were bombarded. It is a war against humanity.
Over 1.8 million Palestinians are trapped in an occupied and besieged small piece of land that Israel has turned into an open-air prison, subject to daily bombardment. For seven years, the Palestinian people in Gaza have been under a brutal and illegal siege whose purpose is to destroy the conditions of life and break the national spirit of its people. The siege and continuing bombing have created a humanitarian catastrophe, with critical shortage of water, food and medical supplies. The main power generation station of Gaza was bombed by the Israel military with the ulterior motive to deny access to medical care even to those severely injured. The UN Human Rights Commissioner has said Israel should be investigated for war crimes.
With the active support of US Imperialism, Israel is determined to perpetuate the belligerent occupation on Palestinian land through the military aggression like the ongoing war. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled ten years back that the construction of Israel’s wall and its associated regime in the occupied Palestinian West Bank-of settlements, land confiscation, separate roads, permit system and movement restrictions – is illegal under international law. Yet in ten years the imperialist powers have planfully allowed Israel to continue construction on occupied territory and continue its system of occupation, apartheid and colonialism against the Palestinian people. In the situation there is widespread recognition that Zionist Israel must be isolated by the pressure of solidarity of the people all over the world with the people of Palestine.
Shockingly the Narendra Modi Government toeing with the line of US imperialists is supporting the Zionist Government of Israel. Modi government was adamant on not allowing the Indian Parliament to adopt a resolution condemning the mass killing in Palestine. Such position of the Modi Government is against the rich heritage of democratic and secular traditions of the people of India who raised its voice in the past against gross atrocities on humanity anywhere in the world; whether apartheid in South Africa or imperialist onslaught on Vietnam and illegal sanctions on Cuba. The Modi Government is further exposed of utter hypocrisy, by signing the BRICS resolution that condemn the Israel attack on Gaza, on one hand and taking the opposite position within the country on the other hand.
In order to build public opinion for peace, human rights and right to live, to pressurise the world governments including of India to do all efforts to prevent Israel from the barbaric attack on innocent civilians of Palestine. We representing various mass and class organisations appeal all sections of the people of India to demonstrate the anger against the inhuman, ongoing brutal killings of innocent people of Palestine by Israeli military by participating in the massive protest march and public meetings at District and Taluk centres all over the country on 8th or 9th of August 2014.
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Vietnam: Working Women Conference

02 Saturday Aug 2014

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I am giving below a portion of the speech of WFTU representative Vahida Nizam of India at the Women Conference in Vietnam:

July 28, 2014
PACIFIC ASIA , VIETNAM , WOMEN RIGHTS
AITUC Vahidha Nizam from India, Represented the WFTU Leadereship and addressed the main Intervention at the Asia-Pacific Working Women Conference, que took place in Hanoi, Vietnam on 23-25 ​​July 2014.
“This workshop is for women workers Organised at The most crucial juncture. Rightly WFTU has felt the exigent imperative need for this exercise, to Organise and equip women to fight against the capitalist barbarism for equality and justice, “she noted.
Speaking about the objective of the Conference she Underlined: “Our discussions here will indeed open up new views, Broaden our horizons and Provide newer and wider prospects to move towards our objective. All the Delegates assembled here, we trust, Should be Possessing knowledge and experience of the issues on hand. At the end of the day, we know not That women workers do not have an alternative except to fight against the capitalist onslaught. A united struggle of all workers, men and women, against the exploitative system to usher in an era of equitable society Which alone can Ensure equality and justice to women, is the need of the hour. Socialism it is, That is our objective. ”
The exploitation will not be everlasting Vahidha Nizam said: “Subjugation and oppression of women is not an inescapable Evil That Existed and would continue in the long run of history. It was in the historic transformation and creation of family as the economic unit started the oppression of women and it is the economic logic of capitalism That is responsible for the acute poverty and the wretched squalor Suffered by women workers. In all the epochs Earlier in the present aeon as capitalism has Always Been anti women as much as it has-been anti worker. Sexual division of labor was imposed by the capitalist system. Family as the economic unit is an integrated part of reproduction of capitalist relations to Ensure steady supply of labor power. The discrimination based on gender and dismal deprivation of women is the making of capitalist cruelty. Poverty and miseries, unemployment and underemployment, job loss and wage cut, menial jobs for women, denial of maternity benefit and social security, job insecurity and unprotected migrant labor – all at once are the attributes of the capitalist cruelty. There can be no other option except to renew our historic vow, “Overthrow of capitalism is our objective”.

Com.N.Bhaskaran, a veteran of Pensioners Association

02 Saturday Aug 2014

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Com.N.Bhaskaran, Founder and President of the Karnataka Postal and Telecommunications Pensioners Association has demitted his office in the Annual General Body Meeting held on 13th July 2014 after a long period of dedicated service to the pensioners. He has built up a strong pensioners organisation in Karnataka. He has contributed much to the Memorandum of the BCPC submitted to the VII CPC as also earlier to VI CPC on the pensioners issues.
Formerly he was the Circle Secretary of the All India RMS and MMS Employees Union and was a close associate of Com.N.J.Iyer, the revolutionary P&T Leader.
On getting the information of his demitting the office of President due to failing health, I contacted him and made enquiries. We talked for some time about the preliminary meeting of the BCPC with the VII CPC held on 23rd July 2014 also. The special problems of the BSNL pensioners were also mentioned.
We concluded with the hope that we will meet next on my visit to Bangalore.

Penalty of Rs. 600 crores to Private Telecom Operators reduced to Rs. 5 crores by UPA Government – CAG

02 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by in BSNL News, Telecom

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BSNL Employees Union and the Forum of BSNL Unions and Associations have been continuously focussing and opposing the decisions of the UPA government granting freebies and favour to the private telecom companies at the cost of the telecom PSUs, BSNL and MTNL.
Now the CAG has released a report fully justifying our complaints. It has stated that the UPA government reduced the penalty of about Rs. 600 crores to be paid by the private telecom companies to the government to a mere Rs. 5 crore. The penalty was imposed since the private companies did not implement the stipulation of providing services in the rural areas which are funded by USOF. 14 companies including the Reliance have benefitted from the reduction in the penalty.

BSNL suffred a loss of Rs. 14,979 crore in landline business in 2013-14

02 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by in BSNL News, Telecom

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NEW DELHI: State-run BSNL suffered a loss of Rs 14,979 crore in landline services during 2013-14 whereas its net loss for the period stood at Rs 7,085 crore.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, minister of communications and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad said loss for landline business of BSNL for 2013-14 stood at Rs 14,979 crore and net loss at Rs 7085 crore. The figures for the period are provisional and unaudited. (Times of India)