REVOLUTIONARY GREETINGS ON THE BSNL EMPLOYEES UNION FOUNDATION DAY, 22ND MARCH.

BSNL Employees Union will be completing 24 years of its fruitful service to the workers as well as to the public by 22nd March 2025, the 25th Birthday of BSNLEU.

BSNLEU was formed on 22nd March 2001 at the National Convention of Telecom Employees held at Visakhapatnam in the presence of Com. E.Balanandan, one of the greatest leaders of the working class. 22nd March is also the death anniversary of the great working class leader Com.A.K.Gopalan, who fought for workers both in Parliament and outside.

BSNL Employees Union was formed by merging 8 telecom unions, which were earlier part of NFTE as also a few independent unions, which were functioning in co-ordination with each other and organised many struggles against the neo-liberal policy of the government and against the privatisation / corporatisation of government telecom services under Department of Telecom. The names of the unions are given below:

  1. All India Telecom Employees Union Class III
  2. All India Telegraph Traffic Employees Union Class III
  3. All India Telecom Administrative Offices Employees  Union Class III and IV 
  4. Civil Wing Employees Union 
  5. Telecom Factory Industrial Workers Union 
  6. Indian Telecom Employees Union 
  7. All India Telecom Employees Union Linestaff and Class IV (Kerla, W.Bengal, Assam, NE Circles )

These were progressive minded unions which did not support the  neo-liberal, globalisation and privatisation policies of the government.  Veteran leaders Comrades Sisir Bhattacharjee and Moni Bose were elected as Patrons.  Comrades J.N.Misra and V.A.N.Namboodiri were elected as President and General Secretary respectively of the newly formed BSNLEU.

This Convention was treated as the First Conference of BSNLEU. Next All India Conferences were held at Lucknow (2003), Guwahati(2006), Bombay (2008), Thiruvananthapuram (2010), Ludhiana (2012), Kolkata (2014) Chennai (2016) Bengaluru (2019)  and Guwahati (2022)  respectively and on regular time. The next AIC is decided to beheld at Coimbatore on 22 & 23  July 2025.

BSNLEU functions most democratically with working class ideology. Within three years of its formation, it was elected as the single majority union in the Membership Verification held in 2004 with more than 50% of the total votes. In all the subsequent verifications, it retained its majority and got elected as the majority union.

BSNLEU took a pivotal role in the first wage agreement, in which all the unions participated since the membership verification was not held at that time and no union was recognised as a majority union. In the Second Wage settlement concluded in 2010, BSNLEU got an excellent wage revision for the employees with 30% fitment and other benefits. After continued struggles, four promotions were achieved for all the employees. HMT Watches were got supplied free to all employees and loans from PSU Banks made possible. The largest Group Insurance in the world with major benefits to BSNL employees were got implemented  through LIC. Medical Allowance was started. Many such benefits were achieved for the employees at the initiative of BSNLEU.

BSNLEU took initiative to form Joint Action Council of Unions/ Associations of Non-Executives and Executives and organised continuous struggles to save BSNL from being privatised/disinvested as per the declared policy of the government. It is to the credit of BSNLEU and the JAC /Joint Forum/Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations that the government neither could disinvest/privatise BSNL nor unbundle  its cables despite several decisions to that effect. BSNLEU is one of the few PSUs, which is 100% owned by the government of India, even now. BSNLEU is effectively coordinating all the Unions/Associations in BSNL and organising sustaind struggles.

BSNLEU is part of the CPSTU (Co-Ordination Committee of Public Sector Trade Unions) as also Trade Union International (Transport and Communications) affiliated to WFTU and is actively participating in their  activities. BSNLEU took initiative in forming All India BSNL DOT Pensioners Association (AIBDPA) and BSNL Casual Contract Workers Federation (BSNLCCWF) and is actively extending all support and solidarity to them. A Joint Forum of these three unions ( BSNLEU – GS Com.P.Abhimanyu. AIBDPA – GS Com. K.G.Jayaraj, BSNLCCWF GS Com.Animesh Mitra) is formed and is actively engaged in struggles to save BSNL and its workers, pensioners and contract-casual labours.

In short, during the 24  years of its existence, BSNL Employees Union has made its impact and has been the inspiration of the BSNL employees. That is why it has grown from a small union to become  the  biggest union in the sector.

There are challenges and challenges before BSNL and its workers.Instead of taking positive actions to improve the services, inducting latest technologies, introducing 4 G and  5 G etc., the government is giving all support to the private telecom companies and acting against BSNL. 80,000 employees  were compelled to accept VRS under duress, resulting in acute shortage of staff , with many exchanges virtually having no staff to attend. Prime land and buildings are being sold to corporates as part of National Monetisation programme at minimum prices and the amount thus received is being grabbed by the government instead of being given to BSNL for expanding its services. The latest is the proposal to sell the Heritage  buildings and land of the Alipur Telecom Factory, Kolkatta, which was the first telecom work-shop in India.

The wage revision for the employees due from 01-01-2017 is denied on the plea of loss to BSNL. Pension revision is also not granted on the plea that wage revision is not done, although it is the government who have to implement pension revision. Thousands of contract workers have been retrenched.

BSNL is surviving against all attacks and discrimination by the government mainly because of the committed workforce and their sustained struggles to save BSNL and  provide a better service to the people.  

The entire working class in the country are  on struggle against the anti-worker  policies of the Modi Government. The Government is bent upon imposing the anti-worker Labour Codes from April 2025. Hard earned rights won through heroic struggles by the workers are being taken away. PSUs are being handed over to big corporates for a pittance.

Under the leadership of Com. Animesh Mitra, President and Com.P.Abhimanyu, General Secretary , BSNL Employees Union, BSNL workers are in a sustained  struggle to improve BSNL and settle the demands of the workers.  

The Joint Platform Of Central TUs and Independent Sectoral  Federations / Associations are preparing for another All India Strike against these onslaughts of the workers and for their justified demands. BSNLEU is part of it, having participated in all the strikes called by the Joint Platform.

It is at this crucial juncture that the 25th Formation Day of BSNL Employees Union is coming on 22nd March 2025, which will be celebrated by the workers all over India.  As pointed out earlier it is also the 48th death anniversary of Com.AKG.

Revolutionary Greetings and Best Wishes to all on this 24th  Birth Anniversary of BSNL Employees Union! Let us March ahead in the path shown by the great leaders of the P and T Trade union movement like Henry Barton, Babu Tarapada, V.G.Dalvi, Dada Ghosh, K.G.Bose, N.J.Iyer, Adi Narayana , Moni Bose  and others who sacrificed their entire lives for the betterment of the workers!

UNITY FOR STRUGGLE, STRUGGLE FOR UNITY AND UNITY & STRUGGLE FOR PROGRESS!  V. A. N. Namboodiri, Founder General Secretary of BSNL Employees Union.       15.03.2025