Monthly Archives: March 2019

International Women’s Day on 8th March 2019

07 Thursday Mar 2019

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8th March is being organised as the International Women’s Day.

WFTU Calls for organising Women’s Day!

The World Federation of Trade Unions honors the International Working Women’s Day on 8th March 2019, under the slogan:

“The WFTU against all forms of inequality, against all forms of exploitation”.

162 years after the first uprising of women textile workers in 1857 in New York, claiming the increase of their miserable salaries, the reduction of working hours, equality in payment and social rights, the situation for the working, unemployed and young women, is extremely harsh: unemployment, flexible work, lack of free and high quality health services and healthcare for them and for their children, psychological pressure and violence mainly inside but also outside the workplaces.

Poverty, misery, the wars waged for the interests of the big monopolies, have created and continue to create millions of refugees, 50% of whom are women and girls who run the risk of violence, prostitution and abuse, during their travel and upon arrival at the destination countries.

The World Federation of Trade Unions, since its foundation, has been firmly struggling for working women’s equality and for the improvement of their position in all areas of their social life. For one more year, we join our voice with the working women and support their demands:

“-Reclaim our rights! Hit back the capitalist onslaught! Defeat fascist forces!
– Decent work and dignity at work
– Equal pay for equal work 
– Maternity benefit to all 
– Social benefit to all 
– Health and safety at the work places!”

The struggle for the fulfillment of these demands, as well as for the protection against prostitution and human trafficking, are always at the centre of the world class oriented trade union movement.

We always highlight the importance of organization of more and more working women to their trade unions, accordingly to the place and sector they work, the importance of their participation in militant initiatives with a substantial role, with their appointment to the Administrative Boards of their Organizations.

Aiming at a more active involvement of working women in the life and action of trade unions and at the strengthening of coordination and mobilization for the women’s issues, the WFTU organized last year, from 8 – 10 March 2018 in Panama, a World Working Women Congress, where the new WFTU Women’s Committee was elected. Such activities gave the opportunity to exchange experiences on the working and living conditions of women of the 5 continents, and decisions for coordination and militant initiatives were taken, such as the Conference organized last November in Bahrain for the working women of the Arab countries and such as the International Meeting of Working Women of Central America, that will take place in Mexico on 11-12 March 2019.

The WFTU expresses its solidarity to the working women and to the peoples of Venezuela, Palestine, Syria, Cuba, Nicaragua, Bangladesh, to all the peoples who are fighting against capitalist exploitation, against imperialism and foreign interventions. We greet the liberation of Ahed Tamimi, the girl who became a symbol of the Palestinian struggle, and also the liberation of Julia Amparo Lotan, member of the WFTU Presidential Council from Guatemala.

We greet all working women on the 5 continents, who struggle through their trade unions and within the ranks of WFTU, for stable work with rights, for a world without exploitation, imperialist wars and poverty.

We call upon all the WFTU affiliates and friends to honor the International Working Women’s Day, by organizing activities and events to stress the necessity to defend their rights, the necessity to protect their social role, the necessity to struggle for the end of exploitation and of capitalist barbarity.

WFTU Women’s Committee

 

Non-payment of salary and vindictive actions – AUAB to organise hunger strike at BSNL Corporate Office.

07 Thursday Mar 2019

Posted by in AUAB, BSNL, BSNLEU

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The AUAB conducted it’s emergent meeting today the 07.03.2019. General Secretaries /Representatives of BSNLEU, NFTE BSNL, SNEA, AIBSNLEA, AIGETOA, TEPU, BSNL MS, BSNLOA attended. Meeting discussed the following.

Non-payment of salary to the BSNL Employees for the month of February 2019.
Vindictive actions against AUAB Leaders, particularly leaders of Executive Associations.
Issues in the charter of demands submitted by AUAB.
After discussion at length on the above issues, following decisions were taken unanimously.

To meet CMD BSNL, immediately after the meeting, on the issue of non payment of salary of Feb 2019 and vindictive actions.
To organise Relay Hunger Strike from 12th March 2019 at Corporate Office.
If issues are not settled, hunger strike is to be organised at circle and SSA levels.
To organise the March to PMO in April,2019.
[Date : 07 – Mar – 2019](bsnleu website)

Debt Relief to farmers by Kerala government

06 Wednesday Mar 2019

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After eight farmer suicides in two months, Kerala government has declared major relief for farmers across the state, particularly for the flood-affected farmers in Idukki and Wayanad.

Moratorium on loan recovery proceedings has been extended till December 31 and Kerala State Debt Relief Commission has been asked to consider debt relief for Wayanad and Idukki farmers who had taken loans till August 31, 2018, the month the deluge devastated agricultural lands. Eight of the seven dead in the last two months were farmers from Idukki.

The one-year moratorium on farmers’ loans announced in the wake of the August floods has been extended till December 31. “This is not for agricultural loans alone but for all kinds of loans taken by farmers,” chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said during his post-cabinet briefing in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

The guidelines of the State Debt Relief Commission, formed in 2006 after a spate of farmer suicides across Kerala, has been dramatically relaxed. Besides providing major succour to Idukki and Wayanad farmers, farmers in other districts, too, will stand to gain. As per the existing guidelines, except for Wayanad, the commission’s cut-off date for considering debt relief was loans taken till October 31, 2011. For Wayanad district alone, it was March 31, 2014. Now, March 31, 2014, is the new limit the commission has been asked to set for all districts, except Wayanad and Idukki for which the new limit is August 31, 2018. “This means that the commission can provide relief to farmers in Wayanad and Idukki who had taken loans just before the floods,” a senior commission official said.

The commission has also been asked to be more generous. As it stands, the commission will pay 75 per cent of the repayment amount if it is Rs 50,000 or less. Anything above Rs 50,000, the commission will pay only 50 per cent subject to a maximum of Rs 1 lakh. The chief minister said the upper limit has now been pushed up to Rs 2 lakh.

This is not all. Up to nine per cent of the interest for the new loans taken for long-term crops like coffee, rubber and coconut will be provided from the chief minister’s relief fund. This benefit will be provided for one year from the time of taking the loan. The compensation for crop loss, too, has been upped 100 per cent from the levels fixed in 2015. For instance, the compensation for arecanut has been increased to Rs 300 from Rs 150, for cocoa and coffee it will be 200 from Rs 100, for pepper it would be Rs 150 from Rs 75 and for cloves it would be Rs 200 from Rs 100. The compensation for cardamom will now be Rs 25,000 from Rs 18,000 a hectare. The chief minister said Rs 85 crore would be urgently sanctioned for crop losses.

The chief minister said the new relief measures would be besides the special package announced for Wayanad and Idukki districts and also for Kuttanad area.(Courtesy: Ganashakti)

Non-payment of salary in BSNL- a conspiracy to create panic among employees.

06 Wednesday Mar 2019

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The salary for the month of February, 2019, is not yet paid. BSNL Management says, “We have no money”. To tackle the problem, BSNL needs to take bank loan. But, the DoT refuses to allow BSNL to take bank loans, for meeting operational expenses, ie., for payment of salary, etc. Compared to private companies, BSNL’s debt is very small. Then, why the DoT is not allowing BSNL to avail bank loans? why the BSNL employees are being made to suffer, without payment of salary? The game plan of the government is very clear! It is a conspiracy to create panic among employees, to force them to go on VRS. Already, media reports have said that, the BSNL Management and the DoT are seriously considering a VRS proposal, for BSNL employees. So, all conspiracies are being hatched, to force the employees to go on VRS in a large scale. The government wants to reduce the strength of the employees drastically. If less number of employees are there, it will be easier for the government to sell BSNL to some corporates in future. Let us understand the game plan of the government. Let us unitedly fight to defeat the conspiracies of the government. (BSNLEU website)

AUAB to hold it’s emergent meeting tomorrow to discuss about non-payment of salary in BSNL

06 Wednesday Mar 2019

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An emergent meeting of the AUAB will be held at 11:00 am tomorrow, at BSNL MS office. The BSNL Corporate Management and DoT are responsible for the denial of payment of salary to the employees for the month of February, 2019. Despite severe protests from the employees, the Corporate Management has not taken any action so far, to arrange payment of salary to the employees. This indifference cannot be allowed. Further, the BSNL Management has started issuing show-cause notice to the leaders of the Executive Associations, for their role in organising the 3 day strike. The Management has also informed that break-in-service would be imposed for participating in the 3 day strike. The AUAB meeting, being held tomorrow, will discuss all these issues and will take decisions for taking appropriate actions. (BSNLEU website)

25th death anniversary of Com.N.P.Padmanabhan on 5th March 2019

01 Friday Mar 2019

Posted by in History, Obituary, Tributes, P&T TU History

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the 25th death anniversary of Com.N.P.Padmanabhan (Pappettan) falls on 5th March 2019. He was the militant leader of the P and T workers. He functioned as the Secretary of NFPTE, Convener of the P and T Co-coordinating Committee as also the convener of the Confederation. He was dismissed for leading the 19th September 1968  strike and was taken back only after the Janata Government came in to power in 1977.

I have written a book in Malayalam on the life and activities of Pattettan  “N.P.Padmanabhan – the Militant Leader of the P and T Workers” , which was released in the last of Circle Conference of NFPE at Tirur. The day is being observed by the P and T workers all over Kerala.

Red Salute to Com.N.P.Padmanabhan!

High handedness of the DOT/Government – Salary not paid to BSNL Employees

01 Friday Mar 2019

Posted by in BSNL, BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers, BSNLEU, General

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Strong protest demonstrations were held all over India before Telephone Exchanges/GM Offices demanding immediate payment of the monthly salary for February 2019.Salaries are being paid on the last date of the month. But the February salary has not been paid so far on the plea that the management has got no money to pay. This is atrocious.

It is well known that BSNL has become loss making, only due to the anti-BSNL, Anti-PSU policy of the government and the mismanagement of the top level management. When the company was in profit, large scale corruption also took place. Various suggestions have been given by the unions/associations for improvement of the services as also for development. In order to favour the private telcoms, all kinds of restrictions were put on BSNL to ensure that it does not grow and make profit. BSNL was not allowed even to buy mobile lines, when there was good demand. Still the employees worked hard and ensured that better service is provided.

By the predatory pricing started by Reliance Jio, all companies have become loss making, including Jio itself, though by manipulation of accounts, it shows a small profit. This has been exposed by telecom experts. BSNL is also in loss. All private companies are taking loans and managing the services. But though BSNL is having only the minimum loans, despite repeatedly requested by BSNL management, it is not allowed to take loans by DOT. The fact that NITI Ayog has proposed either to privatise or close BSNL, though denied later, shows that Government is determined to destablise BSNL to favour Reliance Jio, which is owned by Mukesh Ambani, the close friend of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

If BSNL has been allowed to take loan, the salaries could be paid. The contract workers in BSNL have not been paid wages for about three months or more. These are all part of the government proposal to privatise or close BSNL. The revival plans proposed by government are nothing but proposals to close the PSU.

As per the call of All Unions and Associations of BSNL (AUAB), Circle and District Unions have been meeting M.P.s and presenting Memorandum on the survival of BSNL and requesting to pressurize the government to help BSNL to survive and improve. It has been pointed out that if BSNL is not in the field, the entire 100 crores and mobile subscribers of all companies will have to pay at least three or four times the charges, since the private telecom will raise it as was in the case of petrol prices. To stop this increase in charges, the presence of BSNL is unavoidable.

Along with the M.P.s, the leaders of all political parties may be approached so that it becomes an important issue in the election as also afterwards.