Monthly Archives: March 2020

20th Birth Anniversary of BSNLEU on 22nd March 2020.

20 Friday Mar 2020

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners, BSNL, BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers, BSNLEU

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

(File Photo, Visakhapatnam Conference 22-3-2001)

BSNL Employees Union is completing 19 years of its fruitful existence on 22nd March 2020. It is BSNLEU’s 20th Foundation day.

BSNL Employees Union, the majority recognised union of the BSNL workers, was formed on 22nd March 2001, in the National Convention of eight telecom unions held at Visakhapatnam, in the presence of Com. E.Balanandan, President of CITU and one of the greatest working class leaders India has seen.

Though started with about 50,000 – 60,000 workers, it grew to be the biggest union in BSNL with more than one lakh workers, despite the fact that there was no recruitment and thousands were retiring every year. This was a herculean task, but the united team of the BSNLEU leadership made the ‘impossible in to possible.’

BSNLEU, as the recognised union separately, and also jointly with other unions, both executive and Non-executives, defeated the nefarious designs of the central government, both NDA and UPA, to disinvest BSNL, unbundle the precious copper cables and so on. BSNLEU took the initiative to form the Joint Forum of the Unions and Associations, under which organisation, the battles were fought and the anti-worker decisions of the government defeated.

BSNL and its workers are  facing serious challenges to their existence. The neo-liberal policy initiated by the Congress government in 1991 and aggressively being implemented by  the present BJP government is making it difficult for the PSUs to sustain and grow. In the name of Revival Plan, 78569 employees have been compelled to take VRS in BSNL. Their many problems are there.  4 G Spectrum is still not allotted.Pension Revision is also delayed, without any justification.

The two associations, AIBDPA and BSNLCCWF formed at the initiative of BSNLEU has grown and strengthened. But the wages for the contract workers have not been paid for about one year. The demands of the workers, the pensioners and the casual contract labours are interconnected and inseparable. That is why united struggle.

It is in this situation that the  20th Foundation Day of BSNLEU  is coming. This time, there may not be much celebration, meetings etc on mass scale, due to the COVID -19 impact. But let us remember our past struggles and sacrifices so that we can advance with more vigour, determination and strength. BSNL has to be saved and improved to give better service to the nation!

BSNLEU ZINDABAD!

WORKERS UNITY ZINDABAD!

 

Allot 4G Spectrum to BSNL, Launch Services !

19 Thursday Mar 2020

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners, BSNL, BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers, BSNLEU

≈ Leave a comment

“BSNL’s 4G service.

In the budget for 2020-21, Government has made provision for allotment of 4G spectrum to BSNL and the same can be allotted to BSNL in May,2020. However, BSNL will not take the 4G spectrum immediately, since equipments will be ready for launching 4G service only after March, 2021. For 4G spectrum, BSNL has to pay Rs.5.5 crore, per day, as licence fee, even if BSNL does not use it. Hence, it is not wise to take the 4G spectrum, before the equipments are ready.

BSNL is already having 40,000 3G BTSs, which are 4G compatible. All these 40,000 BTSs can be upgraded to 4G BTSs, by which BSNL can immediately launch it’s 4G service. However, BSNL is experiencing certain difficulties in this regard. BSNL has to pay around Rs.2,000 crore as outstanding dues to the vendors of these BTSs, viz., Nokia, ZTE and Erricsson. Apart from that, Nokia is demanding a sum of Rs.3.5 lakh to Rs.7 lakh per BTS, for the upgradation of the 13,000 BTSs supplied by them. Whereas, ZTE is demanding a sum of Rs.7 lakh to Rs.10 lakh per BTS, for the upgradation of the 24,000 BTSs supplied by them. Since the rates are extremely high, BSNL is presently not in a position to upgrade these BTSs, for providing 4G service.” (BSNLEU Website)

The statement of the CMD BSNL as given in the brief of the discussions by the Unions/Associations with the CMD BSNL with regard to allotment of 4G Spectrum is given above. The CMD is stating that the 4G service will be ready for launching by March 2021 only ie. after one year.

This is unacceptable. One more year of delay for 4G services will further benefit the private telcos only and BSNL will suffer. Why can’t BSNL get the 4G Spectrum earlier and launch it? The excuses put by the management is untenable.

BSNL should pay wage and wage arrears to Contract workers.

19 Thursday Mar 2020

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners, BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers, BSNLEU

≈ 2 Comments

Contract workers engaged in BSNL are not paid wages for about one year. They are lowest paid workers and manage their needs by the wages they receive. About 10 comrades have committed suicide unable to face the agony of their families without food. The education of their children are discontinued. The situation is very pathetic.

To a question in the Parliament, Minister for Communications, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad had stated that the contract workers are not employees of BSNL and are engaged by contractors. He added that contractors have been paid money. This is completely wrong. Contract workers are doing the work of BSNL and BSNL is paying the wages through contractors. Hence the responsibility of payment of wages is with BSNL. The contractors are contradicting the statement of the Minister that they have been paid by BSNL.

The central govt and BSNL who have already engaged the contract worker through contractor and had got the work done for the last one year have also got the responsibility to pay them.

BSNL has assured  the Unions/Associations that their salary arrears of one month will be paid by 31st March 2020. What about contract workers?

BSNL and Govt should ensure payment of the contract workers also by 31st March with out fail.

Remembering Com. EMS Namboodiripad on his 22nd Death Anniversry

19 Thursday Mar 2020

Posted by in General

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Today, 19th March 2020 is the 22nd death anniversary of Com. E.M.S.Namboodiripad, the Communist leader of international recognition, freedom fighter, General Secretary first of CPI and then General Secretary of CPI(M) for a long period, and the fist Chief Minister of Kerala. He passed away on 19th March 1998 at the age of 89.

‘In his nearly seven decades of public life and revolutionary activities, E.M.S. Namboodiripad left an indelible imprint on the progressive and working class movement of the country. As a young man, he became active in the social reform movement against caste. He left college in 1931 to join the freedom struggle and was jailed in the satyagraha movement. From then on wards, he played an important role in the Congress movement and was one of the founders of the Congress Socialist Party in Kerala. In 1934 he became the all India Joint Secretary of the Congress Socialist Party. It is in this period that E.M.S., while leading the Congress Party as General Secretary of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Party, became acquainted with Marxism. He was one of the five members who formed the founding group of the Communist Party in Kerala in 1936. E.M.S. Namboodiripad represented the coming together of the two streams, the anti-imperialist and the anti-feudal struggles, which laid the foundations for the development of a powerful communist movement in Kerala. He was one of the key proponents of Aikya Kerala which led to the formation of Kerala as a unified linguistic state.

E.M.S. Namboodiripad was first elected to the Madras Provincial Legislative Assembly in 1939. As an important leader of the  Communist Party he donated the proceeds of his landed property to the Party. He went underground building the Party in crucial periods between 1939-42 and 1948-50. He was elected to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India in 1941. He became a member of the Polit Bureau of the CPI in December 1950 and later its Secretariat. He became General Secretary of the united CPI in 1962.

In 1957, after the state of Kerala was formed in the first elections in 1957, the Communist Party won a majority and E.M.S. Namboodiripad became Chief Minister of the first elected Communist ministry in India. It was the EMS ministry which initiated the path breaking land reform legislation and other democratic measures, till the ministry was dismissed undemocratically in 1959. E.M.S. Namboodiripad became Chief Minister of Kerala again in 1967 heading a United Front ministry till 1969.

E.M.S. joined the leading group from the united Party who formed the CPI(M) and was elected to the Central Committee and the Polit Bureau of the Party at the Seventh Congress of the Party in 1964 and he continued to serve in these positions till his death.

E.M.S. Namboodiripad was elected the General Secretary of Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1977 and he led the Party in this capacity till the 14th Congress in 1992 when he stepped down due to ill-health. His leadership in rallying all the Left, democratic and secular forces was invaluable.
E.M.S. was a brilliant Marxist theoretician. He made outstanding contributions to the application of Marxism-Leninism to Indian society and in working out the strategy and tactics of the Indian revolution. His vast body of writings bear the mark of an original and creative mind which mastered the dialectics of Marxist theory. His writings on land relations, Kerala, society and politics and his writings on Marxist philosophy, literature and history — mark him out to be one of the most influential communist thinkers of the country and the world. His writings have been published in 100 big volumes by the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M).

E.M.S. Namboodiripad was a rare example of a Communist leader who hailing from a traditional landlord family graduated to become the foremost leader of the proletarian revolutionary movement. He spent three years in jail and six years underground. His was a life of sacrifice and simplicity. He set an example which has inspired tens of thousands of communists all over the country and world. In Kerala, he was a legend in his lifetime who was adored and respected by all sections of the people. Till the last day of his life, despite failing health, E.M.S kept to his daily routine of writing articles and providing guidance to the Party.
He died on March 19, 1998 at the age of 89.’

Com. EMS was closely connected with the P&T Trade union movement and attended many conferences of the union, including the All India Conference of the AITEE Union Class III held at Thiruvananthapuram in 1994, where I was elected as the General Secretary of the union.

His strictness for time and timely completion of any responsibility and task is well known. This I have seen myself. Once I have the opportunity to travel with him from Calicut to Mangalore, where he was to address a meeting of NFPTE. He was continuously writing and by the  time we reached Mangalore, he put the same in a cover, wrote the address and told me to post it immediately so that it will reach Chintha Journal next day itself.

An interesting incident also happened. While addressing the meeting  at Mangalore Head Post Office on  the day, he saw the photo of Babu Tarapada Mukherjee, pioneer of the P and T TU movement,  fixed on the wall and asked whose photo it is. When I mentioned that it was the photo of Babu Tarapada, Union leader, he smiled and commented: ‘ so, you have your union leaders’ photo in the Post Office also.’ I mentioned to him also that since there are no place in many Post Offices for holding meetings, we usually hold the same in the office, after office hours.

I used to meet him at the Party office in Delhi when he was the General Secretary of the CPI(M), whenever I went to Delhi for some union meeting/conference. He will briefly ask me the purpose of the visit and then continue with his work. Once he handed over some cassets with his speech which was to be delivered to Thiruvananthapuram  for the meetings in connection with the Municipal Corporation elections.

While I was functioning as Circle Secretary of the E.III Union at Thiruvananthapuram, I used to go and meet him at his house in the nearby colony. He will simply nod or say a few words and then will ask to sit and have a cup of tea inside. His son, (late) Aniyan was also very friendly.

India is facing one of its greatest crisis with the BJP government trying to divide the people on religion, the citizen ship itself is questioned and CAA adopted, corporates are favored, PSUs, the national assets are sold.  And against these, when the democratic minded organisations and common people are waging a big battle for existence, the memory of Com. EMS will inspire us to continue our struggle against all injustices and inequalities.

Red Salute to Com. EMS!

 

WFTU Message on COVID-19

18 Wednesday Mar 2020

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners, TUI of P&R, WFTU

≈ 2 Comments

Dear men and women colleagues,

We live in a period of Pandemic, where the Coronavirus is spreading to the four corners of the world.

On behalf of the World Federation of Trade Unions, we want to congratulate the workers all over the world, because through their work they provide all goods for the survival of the Peoples. The workers are those who produce food, medicine, services, machines, transport, communication and everything. They deserve our warm “well done”.

We also congratulate all workers at Health sectors, who give a heroic struggle to treat the patients, at the risk of their own life.

This is the one side of the river, the ones who stand out for their humanitarianism, solidarity, social offer.

On the opposite side of the river, we see the filth, exploitation, thirst for capitalist profits. The monopolies, the international bourgeoisie are showing their true face. Speculation. Profits soaked with the blood and suffering of the ordinary people.

In Athens ten days ago, a simple face mask was sold at 1 euro and today it is sold at 10 euros.

In Turkey five days ago, a kilo of pasta was sold at one Turkish Lira and now it is sold at 12 Turkish Lira.

In Bangladesh ten days ago, a simple mask was sold at 20 Taka and now it is sold at 150 Taka.

In Madrid five days ago, a mask was sold at 2,5 euros and today it is sold at 25 euros.

In Africa, in Nigeria, the disinfectant liquid from 2 dollars, today it is sold at 8 dollars.

Off course, excessive prices and speculation also apply to meat, rice and all basic food products.

The multinationals utilize the Pandemic in order to lay off workers or cut their labor rights.

Dear fellow workers, unemployed and pensioners,

We call upon all trade unions to reveal and inform workers on the speculation strategy of the monopolies.

To demand necessary measures for the protection of the ordinary people to be taken by the governments and all competent parties.

We must demand immediate measures of social protection. Defense of our working and salary rights.

Only through our resistance and struggle we can defend our rights.

The big militant family of WFTU, which this year is celebrating 75 years of life and rich action, is present once more, at the forefront and until the final victory!

We wish all the best for you and for your People.

PWD, TELEGRAPHS, P and T, DOT, BSNL, MTNL, VSNL – A LONG JOURNEY

17 Tuesday Mar 2020

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners, BSNL, P&T TU Movement, Post, Postal Service, Telecom

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

 

The Telecommunications services in India had a very long journey through the centuries.

Telegraphs was part of the Public Works department in 1951. Separate Department of Telegraphs was opened in 1954. There were one Superintendent in  Delhi and  three Deputy Superintendents at Bombay, Madras and Pegu (Burma) There were Inspectors at Indore, Agra, Cawnpore and Benares.

The Indo-European Telegraph Department ( later Overseas Communications) was administered by a Director-in-Chief from London. This was merged with the Indian Telegraph Department in 1888.

Postal Department was separate. In 1914, on the eve of the II World war, both the Departments were amalgamated and the new Department of Posts and Telegraphs was formed.

Posts and Telegraphs evoked keen interest among the people and also legislators. 152 questions were asked and replied in the Indian Legislative Assembly in 1923-24 alone. Separate accounting procedure was adopted for the four units of the Department viz. Postal, telegraph, telephone and wireless in 1925. During 1930-31 world economic recession, a large number of employees were retrenched. Pay scales were reduced.

P&T Department was set up as a welfare measure and profit was not the motto. 1950 saw a great change with the telephone services, of all the princely states, 196 exchanges,  being merged with the P & T Department. The staff of the princely states in telephones were merged with P&T Department. This was a major step in HRD. There was separate Budget for P and T.

Till 31st December 1984, Posts and Telegraphs was  one Department. However, by that time the separate Budget for P&T was already discontinued. On 1st January 1985, P&T was bifurcated in to two departments ie. Department of Posts and Department of Telecommunications. Telegraphs was part of Telecommunications.

In the 1986, MTNL was formed in carving out the  telecom services of metro cities Delhi and Mumbai as also VSNL was formed by corporatising  Overseas Communications. BSNL was formed in 2000 by corporatising the telecom services allover India, except in Delhi and Mumbai.

In 2020 VRS was implemented resulting in reduction of staff by about 50%. 78569 employees took VRS, leaving less tan that number in BSNL. The case is not different with  MTNL.

Telecom Services in India is completing 170 years. Govt is on the job of privatisation, though the Minister says that it will not be privatised or closed.

The destiny of BSNL  and MTNL now depends on the strength of the trade union movement to fight and defeat the govt’s anti PSU policy.

It is not a question of BSNL alone. It is the future of the entire PSUs that is in peril.

Fight and defeat the anti-worker, anti-PSU policy of the government.

 

 

Govt will be compelled to grant Pension Revision to BSNL retirees – Continue struggles

16 Monday Mar 2020

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

The agitational programmes started as per the decision of the AIBDPA Kolkata All India Conference has inspired the entire BSNL Pensioners and there have been massive participation in all the programmes organised. The signature campaign, Dharna at SSA level, the Hunger Strike at Circle level etc were participated by large number of pensioners as well as regular employees since they are also the beneficiaries of the same.

Meeting the Members of the Parliament and submitting the Memorandum to the Prime Minister as also requesting them to take up the issue both in Parliament and outside is going on. Already about 200 M.P.s including Central Ministers have been completed. The response from them is good. Two Ministers have taken up the matter with the  Finance Minister, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman. Many M.P.s have written to the Communications Minister. One M.P. has raised the matter in Parliament in zero hour. All these letters etc. are based on the concrete demands raised by AIBDPA for Pension Revision with 15% as recommended by the III PRC for the pay revision of executives in BSNL and as demanded by the unions of non-executives.

The Pension Revision w.e.f. 01-01-2007 was achieved through sustained struggles by the recognised union BSNLEU and AIBDPA. It was not easy. It took about three years of continuous struggle to achieve the same. Compared to the central govt pensioners, the pension of BSNL retirees are better and more, since the same is granted as per the Pay Revision Committee on IDA scale instead of on CDA scale as per the Central Pay Commission. CG employees are paid on CDA scale, while BSNL employees are paid on IDA scale, which is better.

Though there was no agreement in 2000 when BSNL was formed on Pension Revision, a precedent has been made after continuous struggle that Pension Revision will be made and that too according to the PRC route. That is the only precedent and convention on which pension revision is made for BSNL retirees.

The pension revision is being delayed and denied by DOT on the plea that pension revision can be made only after pay revision is given to the BSNL employees w.e.f. 01-01-2017. The pay revision is delayed on the plea that BSNL is in loss and it is not in an affordable condition to pay as required by PRC.

As well understood, the loss of BSNL is mainly because it is implementing govt policy of universal connection and on such PSUs which implement the govt policy, the affordability condition can not be imposed arbitrarily. The BSNL management had already recommended to the govt, pay revision for executives with 15% as per III PRC, and in the negotiations, the employees recognised unions have also demanded the same.

Now after the Revival Plan with VRS, 4G Spectrum, sovereign guarantee, loans, monetisation etc., the BSNL management and the DOT are stating that BSNL will be made profitable. Of course, one can not fully depend upon these statements, but the All Unions & Associations of BSNL ( AUAB ) is making all out efforts to ensure that the govt/BSNL take proper steps to revive BSNL.

During the AUAB struggle, it was agreed by the government that the BSNL pension revision will be delinked from pay  revision, since BSNL is paying the pay while the govt is paying the pension. Pension contribution at the maximum of the payscales has been paid by BSNL to govt. It was also decided that the pension will be fully paid by the govt discarding the 60: 40 ratio. These all have been achieved through struggles.

Under these circumstances, the struggle for pension revision has to be strengthened. Some of the pensioners’ unions are proposing to approach court in this matter, but as they themselves have stated earlier, approaching court is the last resort and that last resort has not come. Further, as these unions have earlier stated, it may take twenty or more years to get a judgment in cases like these, and the pensioners can not wait like that.

Whatever BSNL Pensioners have received so far was through continued struggles. Removal of 60:40 condition, 78.2% IDA pension fitment, Pension Revision form 01-01-2007 – all these were achieved through the struggles by Joint Forum/ AUAB, AIBDPA  and others. Approaching the court is the last last resort and further the govt may continue to go on appeals to the higher courts at each and every stage, as we have seen in many cases.

As far as AIBDPA is concerned, it is committed to ensure Pension Revision to BSNL pensioners and it will continue its agitational programme. Although the Parliament March on 12th March has been deferred due to Covid-19, massive dharnas were conduced SSA wise on the same date. The Parliament March also will be organised after the situation becomes normal.

Our earnest request to all the pensioners’ associations in BSNL is to continue the struggle and achieve the results as has been our experience in the past.

STRUGGLE FOR UNITY, UNITY FOR STRUGGLE AND UNITY & STRUGGLE FOR ACHIEVEMENT.

Com.P.R.Natarajan, M.P. writes to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on the Pension Revision of BSNL pensioners.

15 Sunday Mar 2020

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

Com.P.R.Natarajan, M.P. writes to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on the Pension Revision of BSNL pensioners. A large number of M.P.s, including two Central Ministers have already addressed the PM in the same matter. The programme of meeting the M.P.s by AIBDPA leaders are having good response all over the country. Replies received from Minister / MPs be sent to GS AIBDPA.

Remembering Karl Marx.

14 Saturday Mar 2020

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Today, 14th March 2020 is the 137th death anniversary of Karl Marx, the great philosopher the world has ever seen. As co-author of the ‘Communist Manifesto’, he analysed the entire system of capitalism and the future course required.
Red Salute to the memory of Karl Marx! (File photo: at Marx’s tomb in High Gate, London)

Telecom Factory Circles merged with Territorial Telecom Circles.

14 Saturday Mar 2020

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners, BSNL, Telecom

≈ Leave a comment

Telecom Factory Alipore, Calcutta was the first telecom manufacturing factory in India, started by the British in the last decades of 19th century. TF Jabalpur was founded during II world war by transferring a portion of TF Calcutta, under threat of Japanese attack. The TFs at Bombay, Richai, Bhilai, Gopalpur and Kharagpur were started later in order to cater to the need of the ever increasing demand for telecom equipment. Telecom Stores were also opened nearby places to enable storing and supply of the equipments etc.

The Telecom Factories at Alipur, Gopalpur and Kharagpur was one Telecom Circle. Jabalpur, Richai and Bhilai was another circle. Bombay TF, the third circle. Telecom Stores was a separate Circle.

All these circles together had about more than 10,000 workers. A separate union for the P&T Industrial Workers were also there led by veteran leader Com. Sisir Bhattacharjee, which was one of the founder union of BSNL Employees Union in 2000.

The workers in all these units were reduced due to retirement and non-recruitment. The work in factories were shifted to private companies as part of neo- liberalisation policy. BSNLEU put all out efforts for revival of TFs, but the govt and DOT continued their negative policy.

Now, all these Telecom Factories Circles have been merged with the respective territorial telecom circles like W.Bengal, Maharashtra and M.P. Telecom Stores Circle has already been merged with territorial circle earlier.

All telegraph offices, which were the communication nerve centres of govt, both British and Indian for a long time, were closed a few years back, despite strong opposition from BSNLEU, on the plea that since mobile services started, the telegraph services has become superfluous.

Telecom Factories are to be modernised and enlarged to manufacture equipment required for the present telecom services with required staff instead of discontinuing and destroying the same. Now TFs’ circle status only has been stopped and it needs to be ensured that they are modernised and not closed as telegraph services.