21 Wednesday Sep 2016
Posted in Uncategorized
The ancient and holy city Varanasi, which is the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is declared as a smart city by the government.
Good! But BSNL Contract worker is paid only Rs. 2,000 instead of more than Rs. 7,000 which he is eligible.
Will Prime Minister stop this brutal injustice and exploitation in his own constituency and the new smart city!
20 Tuesday Sep 2016
Posted in BSNL
The non-executives in BSNL have got a lot grievances, whether regarding Bonus, wages, anomalies, stagnation, NEPP etc. etc. Now the non-executives are divided in to three or four groups of unions. Each will claim that they are fighting for the settlement of demands. Division of workers helps the management to deny the rights of the workers. Executives have their own demands.
Same with the revival of BSNL. All the executive and non-executive unions/associations, under the leadership of the Joint Action Committee / Joint Forum / Forum conducted number of struggles and settled many issues, mainly due to united actions. It also stands divided now, with certain unions keeping away. Those who wants to keep away have, of course, their justification.
But the Revival of BSNL and Settlement of the workers’ issues are the concerns of all unions/associations. In such a situation, those comrades/unions who are keeping away from the Forum have to rethink and come back for united action and struggle. This is much more necessary when serious attacks like strategic sale of the company is on the agenda of the government. Unity of action and activities can be done keeping their own identity and independent struggles.
We can well remember the Independence Struggle in which the Congress, Muslim League, Socialist Congress, Congress and other all joined despite their many differences in approach and ideology.
UNITY FOR STRUGGLE, STRUGGLE FOR UNITY! UNITY AND STRUGGLE FOR PROGRESS!
20 Tuesday Sep 2016
Posted in Uncategorized
As per the call of the United Forum of BSNL Unions, hunger strike was organised on 20th September 2016 in Corporate office and all SSAs/Circles in the country demanding discussion and settlement of the demands raised in the Charter submitted by it. Bonus (PLI), Stagnation, E-1 pay scale, Wage negotiation etc. are the demands raised. Employees belonging to BSNLEU, BSNLMS and SNATTA participated in large numbers. Members of AIBDPA and BSNLCCWF participated in many centres.
At BSNL Corporate office premises hunger strike was held with about 100 leaders and workers participating from Corporate office, NTR, Haryana and UP West. Com.R.S.Chauhan, CS NTR presided. Com.P.Abhimanyu, General Secretary BSNLEU, V.A.N.Namboodiri, Patron BSNLEU, K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary, AIBDPA, Suresh Kumar, GS BSNLMS, Sunil Gautam, AGS SNATTA, Swapan Chakraborty, Dy. GS BSNLEU, M.S.Kadian, CS, Haryana, Kuldip Singh, Asst. Treasurer, BSNLEU and other leaders addressed and explained the Charter of Demands. Slogans were shouted focussing the demands.Before the hunger strike started the workers paid homage to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country.
The speakers pointed that the demands raised are long pending one and have to be settled early, failing which further struggles will be organised.
20 Tuesday Sep 2016
Posted in Uncategorized
Com.V.A.N.Namboodiri, Advisor and Com.K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary AIBDPA met Shri Anupam Shrivastava, CMD BSNL and demanded for early settlement of the restoration of Medical Allowance to Pensioners, Pay anomaly of seniors getting less than their juniors in connection with the 2000 IDA wage revision, Reduction of rent to quarters to 10% of pension and Broadband connection to pensioners. The association representatives pointed out the difficulty of pensioners due to non-settlement of these long pending issues. CMD assured that these issues will be favpourably considered.
19 Monday Sep 2016
Posted in CG Employees
Reports have been received from Kerala and some other places about meetings, rallies and conventions held in remembrance of the historical one day strike of the central government employees of 19th September 1968.
It is one great struggle of the central government employees, which shook the government. Victimisation was brutal. NFPTE was derecognised.
We remember all the comrades who kept the red flag of the Federation and other unions high facing the brutal attack from the government.
19 Monday Sep 2016
Posted in General
Tags
We pay respectful homage to the 18 Martyrs of Uri, who sacrificed their precious young lives for the defence and security of the Nation! Their sacrifices will never be forgotten!
18 Sunday Sep 2016
Posted in General
Press Statement issued by CPI(M) on terrorist attack in Uri (J&K)
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemns the killing of 17 Indian army personnel in a terrorist attack in Uri in Jammu & Kashmir this morning.
The CPI(M) has been consistently maintaining that terrorism is not the solution to the Kashmir issue. Such acts only compound the situation further. Pakistan must stop aiding and abetting the extremist forces. Such activities are a big impediment to the peace process in region.
Despite the deployment of a large number of security personnel, the government has failed to stop the continuing infiltration of militants.
The CPI(M) would like to reiterate that for a longstanding solution of the Kashmir problem, the political dialogue with all stakeholders as advocated by the all Party delegation should be initiated without any further delay.
18 Sunday Sep 2016
Posted in WORLD NEWS
The conference of heads of state and government is taking place on Saturday at the the 17th Non-Aligned Movement Summit, in Venezuela’s Margarita Island.
Leaders and representatives from more than 120 countries will debate key issues such as the need for world peace, increase international cooperation and defend the democratic international organizations, which will be included in the final document of the summit on Sunday, the so-called Declaration of Margarita.
Among the first heads of state to speak during the summit, were the presidents of Ecuador, Bolivia and Cuba, who defended the sovereignty of Venezuela during the current economic crisis, reiterated their support for Palestine in the face of attacks from Israel, and denounced the fact that the U.S. continues its economic blockade against Cuba.
Cuban President Raul Castro demanded the end of the blockade in his speech on Saturday, and for the U.S. to return the territory it occupies at Guantanamo Bay.
“Cuba won’t renounce to any of its principles, it won’t give in from its revolutionary and anti-imperialist ideals,” said Castro.
In the Declaration of Margarita, members of the non-aligned countries will commit to promote and defend peace across the world, one of the fundamental principles of the movement.
With the slogan “United on the Path for Peace,” the summit has ratified the defense on the right of the people to fight for peace and sovereignty,
The heads of state and government meeting will be headed by the President of the of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, who will take from Iran the rotatory chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement for the next three years.
Maduro has said he will propose a transformation of the Non-Aligned Movement into an international organization that defiantly says “no” to the new colonialism.(Courtesy; Press report)
17 Saturday Sep 2016
Posted in BSNL
Probably for the first time after a long period, the Market Share of BSNL has increased. The increase is from 8.54% to 8.65%, in the fierce competitive sector. Although for the first few years after formation of BSNL, the Market Share was increasing, the advance was stopped after the government cancelled the mobile tenders of 45.5 million, 93 million and also 5 million, one after another after 2007. It is only now once again BSNL could increase its market share.
In monthly growth rate, BSNL has come to the first position during the last few months with providing an average of about 20 lakhs new connections per month.
Hearty Congratulations to the workers and management of BSNL, with whose whole hearted co-operation only, this achievement could be made.
But this is not sufficient.
17 Saturday Sep 2016
Posted in CG Employees
Tags
48 years are over after the great historical one day token strike of the Central Government employees which took place on 19th September 1968.
It was a strike which shook the government and the country. More than 30 lakhs of CG employees participated keeping the country to a standstill. The P and T workers with their strategical position in the Communication sector ensured that the entire machinery of the governments, both at central and states was paralysed.
It was a struggle for the dignity of labour, for the 15th ILC approved Need Based Minimum Wage, for full neutralisation in cost of living through Dearness Allowance and such other demands. The demands were well understood by the workers despite the false propaganda of the government.
The Indira Gandhi Government used the hated Essential Service Maintenance Act and other such anti-worker ordinances to suppress the struggle, instead of conceding the just demands of the workers. The workers did not flinch; they had the bitter experience of the 1960 strike which was treated as ‘Civil Rebellion’ and tried to be suppressed by then then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. The workers had understood the real policy of the government, which was only to support the rich and ignore the justified demands of the workers.
It is to the credit of the Communist Government in Kerala, headed by Com.EMS Namboodiripad, who declared that his government will not use the ESMA against the striking government employees, despite the central government warned him that failure to implement ESMA may result in dismissal of his government.
Thousands of workers were arrested, jailed, terminated, suspended, dismissed and heavily victimised. NFPTE and other CGE unions were derecognised. For the first time after the formation of the united organisation, NFPTE in 1954, a fake union was floated, which later became FNPTO to serve the interests of the ruling political party, but which was shunned by the workers. The heroism shown by the ordinary workers was beyond description.
In Calicut, Kerala, where I was working at that time, 44 temporary employees were terminated, 95 suspended and almost all the active workers charge-sheeted and punished. I was out of service for about three years and was reinstated after transfer to another division. This was the case with many of the leaders and active workers and even ordinary members.
Many years have passed since then. The workers are now getting DA automatically, whenever there is an increase in the cost of living. Strike victimisation has come down. Usually only dies-non is issued for participation in the strike, except in isolated cases. Recognition of the union is not withdrawn. But still we are to get Minimum Wage implemented as per Dr. Akroyd formula which is around Rs.26,000 at present and the VII CPC has recommended only Rs. 18,000. The struggle of the CG Employees will continue for justice. BSNL employees, who were part of the CG Employees earlier, always keeps close connection with the CG employees including very cordial relations of the unions/associations.
On this 48th anniversary of the historical strike, I pay homage to the martyrs of the 1968 September 19th Strike. The great leaders who led the strike, the workers who implemented the call – we remember all of them, some still in the movement, all of them retired and some already no more with us. I will always remember those comrades who were part of this great struggle and contributed for a better future for the working class.
VAN Namboodiri's Blog 