13 Wednesday Sep 2017
Posted in General
The SFI- TSU (Tribal Student Union) alliance in Tripura won 751 seats out of a total seats of 778 in the Students’ Council election. BJP got only 27. The NSUI, student wing of the Congress, could not get a single seat. Out of the 751 seats got by the SFI alliance, 530 seats were unopposed.
Hearty congratulations for the SFI alliance for their thumping majority and historic victory!
13 Wednesday Sep 2017
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The DOT and the central government have always been moving to share the infrastructure of BSNL for the benefit of the private telcos. Years back, DOT gave permission to private telecom companies to construct/install their towers on the BSNL buildings. It was defeated by the workers by blocking the private telecoms from entering the premises and strong protest from the unions.
Next, there was move to unbundle the valuable copper cable all over India and share it with the private operators. A complete strike was organised and the DOT was compelled to give a written assurance that there will be no unbundling and no disinvestment.
Now the government has decided to form the Tower company, which will cripple BSNL and its revenue. Further, once the company is formed, it will be independent and will take decisions which will be completely in the interest of the private companies. It will be just like the priority given to private airlines in the routes ignoring Air India, the PSU. BSNL will get the least benefit from the new Tower company, which will be at the behest of the private companies as per the direction of the government.
The story of the Arab and the Camel, where the former was completely kicked out of the tent by the latter, will be the result. The united force of the workers saved our copper cables and in the same way we should be able to save our towers.
The decision of all the unions/associations to meet on 15th and discuss the issue and plan the course of action is timely. The government move to form the Tower Company should defeated at the initial stage itself.
13 Wednesday Sep 2017
Posted in WFTU
WFTU Statement on the Right of Refugee Children to Education is given below:
12 Sep 2017 REFUGEES
The UN High Commission for Refugees announced that more than 3,5 million refugee children did not have the opportunity to go to schools this year. Almost 1,5 million refugee children didn’t go to primary schools, while another 2 million of them can’t go to secondary schools.
The continuing humanitarian crisis of the refugees and displaced persons is the result of the imperialistic conflicts and wars. The capitalistic contradictions are solved through wars where the peoples are always the losers, regardless of who will prevail over the other among the imperialists.
Based on this the WFTU calls upon for:
The abolishment of the Dublin Regulation and the Schengen Treaty, the Frontex and all repressive mechanisms.
Stop the measures of the European Union for the repression at the borders.
End now the imperialist interventions of EU-USA-NATO.
Direct transfer of the refugees from the islands and the entry points to the countries of their final destination.
Increase of the personnel and the infrastructure for the rescue, record-identification, housing, feeding, medical care and safe transfer of these people.
Creation of dignified centers of welcoming and hospitality.
Recognition of the right to education for all refugee children.
13 Wednesday Sep 2017
Posted in General
CABINET APPROVES INTRODUCTION OF THE PAYMENT OF GRATUITY (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2017
IN THE PARLIAMENT
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for introduction of the Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2017 in the Parliament.
The Amendment will increase the maximum limit of gratuity of employees, in the private sector and in Public Sector Undertakings/ Autonomous Organizations under Government who are not covered under CCS (Pension) Rules, at par with Central Government employees.
Background:
The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 applies to establishments employing 10 or more persons. The main purpose for enacting this Act is to provide social security to workmen after retirement, whether retirement is a result of the rules of superannuation, or physical disablement or impairment of vital part of the body. Therefore, the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 is an important social security legislation to wage earning population in industries, factories and establishments.
The present upper ceiling on gratuity amount under the Act is Rs. 10 Lakh. The provisions for Central Government employees under Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 with regard to gratuity are also similar. Before implementation of 7th Central Pay Commission, the ceiling under CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 was Rs. 10 Lakh. However, with implementation of 7th Central Pay Commission, in case of Government servants, the ceiling now is Rs. 20 Lakhs effective from 1.1.2016.
Therefore, considering the inflation and wage increase even in case of employees engaged in private sector, the Government is of the view that the entitlement of gratuity should be revised for employees who are covered under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972. Accordingly, the Government initiated the process for amendment to Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972. (Courtesy: Government Press Statement)
13 Wednesday Sep 2017
Posted in CG Employees
19th September 1968 one day strike by the Central government employees is historic in all respects. The main demand of the strike was ‘Need Based Minimum Wage’ as accepted by the 1957 tripartite Indian Labour Conference. The entire central government employees went on struggle on that day irrespective of the victimisation and threat from the government. Essential Service Maintenance Act was passed and the same was used against the striking workers. Brutal repression and punishments followed. 17 comrades were killed during the struggle, who sacrificed their valuable lives for the cause of the workers. Thousands were arrested and jailed; terminated from service or dismissed; brutal punishments were imposed on others. The Indira Gandhi government dealt with the workers as they were enemies of the country. But the workers stood their ground against all those atrocities and fought against victimisation. There was not a single worker, who did not have some punishments for participation in the strike. The sacrifice and commitment exhibited by the workers on those days is a saga which never can be forgotten.
I am very happy to note that the Confederation of CG Employees and Workers have decided to celebrate the one year from 19th September 2017 to 19th September 2018 as 50th Anniversary of the 1968 strike and organise many programmes. This is necessary to inculcate in the minds of the new workers with how much sacrifice and valour our forefathers have fought for the demands of the workers and how the gains have been achieved.
As proposed by the Confederation, the 50th Anniversary on 19th September 2018 should be organised in such a way that a clear picture of the great struggle is known to all.
12 Tuesday Sep 2017
Posted in WFTU
The WFTU General Secretary addressed International Trade Union Conference on “Solidarity with Syrian People and Workers against Terrorism, Blockade and Imperialistic Intervention Policies”, in Damascus, Syria
11 Sep 2017MIDDLE EAST, SYRIA
The WFTU General Secretary George Mavrikos is taking part in the International Trade Union Conference on “Solidarity with Syrian People and Workers against Terrorism, Blockade and Imperial Intervention Policies”, in Damascus, Syria, on 11th and 12th September 2017, accompanied by George Perros WFTU Vice-President. Today, on Monday 11th September he addressed the Conference.
12 Tuesday Sep 2017
Posted in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners, CG Employees, Pension
The Meeting of the NCCPA (National Co-ordination Committee of Pensioners Association )held at Nagpur has decided to organise a massive Parliament March /Dharna of pensioners on 25th October 2017 demanding settlement of the following demands.
CHARTER OF DEMANDS.
1. Implement Option No. 1. Recommended by the 7th CPC .
2. Revise the pension of all BSNL Pensioners on IDA pay scale with 15% fixation benefit.
3. Revise the pension of all pensioners of the Central Autonomous bodies.
4. (a) Notional fixation of pay under Option No. 3. Must be based on the pay scales/Pay levels of the cadre or grade from which an employee retired.
(b) Implement the judgements of the Courts in the case of all pre-2006 pensioners, whose notional pay for the purpose of pension must be on the basis of the pay level/Grade Pay or pay scale of the grade/cadre from which he/she has retired.
5. (a) Extend the benefit of the CCS(MA) Rules to all pensioners who are not covered by the CGHS (b) Do not discriminate the pensioners of the Union Territory; bring all pensioners under the coverage of CGHS.
6. Increase the FMA to Rs. 2000/- as has been granted to the PF pensioners w.e.f 1.1.2016
7. Raise the minimum pension to Rs. 12,000/- (2/3rd of the minimum wage) and make pension net of income tax.
8. Restore the commutation loss of pension after 10 years
9. Provide increased rates of pension on attainment of the age of 70 years
10. Restore the Defined benefit pension scheme as was in vogue prior to 1.1.2004 in respect of all Central Government employees by scrapping the Defined contributory pension scheme.
All affiliate organisations have been asked to mobilise maximum pensioners from their organisation to the March/Dharna.
12 Tuesday Sep 2017
Posted in CG Employees, General
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The implementation of Demonetisation and GST had raised the prices of essential commodities severely and the cost of living has increased. But despite all these huge increase in all services and prices, only 1% increase is given from 1st July 2017 for the Central Government employees and pensioners. This is nothing, but cheating the workers. An inquiry is to be conducted in the calculation of the cost of commodities and fixing of the DA by an expert committee, which will expose the fraud. The Press Report on the decision of DA is given below:
“New Delhi, Sep 12 : The Centre today increased dearness allowance and dearness relief by 1 per cent to 5 per cent, benefiting 50 lakh employees and 61 lakh pensioners.
This decision was taken at the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.
“Release of additional installment of DA is an increase of 1 per cent over the existing rate of 4 per cent of the basic pay/pension, to compensate for price rise,” according to an official statement.
The new rate will be applicable from July 1.
The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both DA and DR would be Rs 3,068.26 crore per annum and Rs 2,045.50 crore in the financial year 2017-18 (for a period of 8 months from July 2017 to February 2018).
This move will benefit about 49.26 lakh central government employees and 61.17 lakh pensioners, it said.”
12 Tuesday Sep 2017
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The telecom services under Department of Telecom was bifurcated in to three companies as part of the neo-liberal policies as the first step towards privatisation. The first company, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) is already privatised by handing over to Tata and is now Tata Telecommunications. The second is Mahanagar Telephones Nigam Limited (MTNL), which the government has made it loss making for years. More than 44% shares are also sold, staff is ridiculously reduced through VRS, and the government may move for privatisation at any time. The third company, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is bifurcated in to another company BBNL earlier. Now the Cabinet has taken a decision to convert the tower assets of BSNL in to a separate company with the intention of sharing the tower assets with other telecom companies. Although the move has started in 2015, it could not be implemented due to the strong protest of the workers and their unions under the leadership of Forum. Now the Cabinet has taken decision today to form the separate Tower Company. This will be a great tragedy for BSNL with the revenue from the towers going to a different company. This is a tactic of the government to make BSNL further loss making to justify its strategical sale.
The time has come for bitter struggle to save BSNL and its workers. BSNL, which was having about 3.5 lakh workers at the time of formation has been reduced to almost one lakh and eighty thousand due to non-recruitment in vacant posts. Every month it is being reduced.
The central government is cleverly reducing BSNL to a position in which it will not be able to come back. But they are forgetting the workers and their unions, who have fought and defeated unbundling of the valuable copper cables, disinvestment, VRS also cancellation of mobile tenders etc. tried by the government and saved BSNL.
12 Tuesday Sep 2017
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BSNLEU strongly condemns the decision of the Narendra Modi government to form a Subsidiary Tower Company.
The Union Cabinet meeting, presided over by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has decided today to form a Subsidiary Tower Company. It means, the nearly 70,000 mobile towers of BSNL will be taken away, and will be handed over to the Subsidiary Tower Company. BSNLEU strongly condemns this decision. This is nothing, but a strategy to slowly kill BSNL. It may be remembered that the entire Non-Executives and Executives went on a one day strike on 15.12.2016, opposing the formation of the Subsidiary Tower Company. Inspite of this stiff opposition, the Modi government has decided to form the Subsidiary Tower Company. BSNLEU calls upon the entire unions and associations of BSNL to come forward and oppose this move of the government.(Courtesy: bsnleu website)
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