AN APPEAL TO ITS OFFICERS, EXECUTIVES AND EMPLOYEES OF BSNL TO HELP END EXPLOITATION IN BSNL AND TO ENSURE JUSTICE TO CASUAL CONTRACT WORKERS

Dear Friends, Colleagues and Comrades,

My Best Wishes for a Happy Diwali to you and your Family !
As employees and officers of BSNL, we have been making all out efforts to improve the services to the customers as also for strengthening the financial viability of BSNL. We are all committed for restoring the glory and efficiency of the telecom services.
Compared to the present economic situation in the country, we all are adequately paid to a certain extent. Of course many demands are there, which are fully justified and which are yet to be granted. We are capable of fighting and getting our rights accepted as in the past.
Now I want to bring to your kind attention a very unhappy story of wage-slavery and brutal exploitation continuing in our own BSNL. I am talking about the one lakh and odd TSM/Casual and Contract labours who are engaged for work in BSNL and continuing for years together.
The casual labour were engaged prior to BSNL formation, mostly through employment exchanges. The contract labours are engaged mostly after formation of BSNL. All the casual labour / TSM could have been regularised, but for the unpardonable administrative delay in forwarding their cases to corporate office by the field level management.
we, officers and employees, are demanding for better wages, benefits etc. and going on struggle for achieving the same. But these casual and contract workers are pleading and appealing that whatever are the labour laws in the country be implemented with regard to Minimum Wage, Bonus, EPF, ESI, Gratuity, Regularisation etc. It is not that rules are not there. But they are not being implemented.
BSNL is a PSU, fully owned by the Government, but the laws of the government are violated and not implemented here. An unskilled contract worker in a C class City is to be paid around Rs.7,000/ for a month based on the daily rates plus DA decided by the Government and labour department. For semi-skilled, skilled and highly skilled as also in A and B class cities the wages are higher. But, except in very few places, the worker is paid only Rs. 1,000/ to Rs. 4,000 or so. Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 5000 which is due to him/her is denied. Think about what will happen if such an amount is reduced from your pay packet? What will be your reaction? You will certainly fight on the day itself and ensure that your full due is paid. EPF / ESI is not implemented in the case of contract workers, thus denying them any benefit when they are unable to work in their old age.
These workers are brutally exploited by the Contractor and in many places employees / officers become party to this exploitation. Not a single contractor has been punished or blacklisted all these years despite violation of law has been brought to the notice of the top management. This speaks a lot. A top official of the Management stated that this is a practice going on for long and is difficult to put an end to. This is sad news.
You will agree that this exploitation should end and that the contract/casual workers also should get a fair deal. This can be achieved if all of us come together and take a firm position that we will not allow this exploitation to continue.
The corrupt contractors and corrupt officers and employees who support them should be exposed. They should be taken to task. The casual and contract workers should get justice.
I would request you once again to come together to remove this stigma of corruption and exploitation in BSNL and ensure a better deal for these toiling workers whose future is tied up with us and the revival of BSNL.
Once again I wish you on this Diwali Day and request that let us all try to bring some light in to the lives of these exploited section of workers, who are our colleagues and comrades.
Yours Sincerely,
Sd/-
V.A.N.Namboodiri
President BSNL Casual Contract Workers Federation and
Convener, Forum of BSNL Unions / Associations.