18 Monday Jul 2016
Posted in Uncategorized
The Central Executive Committee Meeting of BSNLEU started at New Delhi, today, 18 July 2016. Com.A.K. Padmanabhan, President CITU inaugurated. Com. Balbir Singh, President presided. Com. P.Abhimanyu, GS, welcomed all.
The meeting is continuing.
18 Monday Jul 2016
Posted in Uncategorized
Happy News! DOT has today issued orders on 78.2% IDA Pension fixation today. The order will be put in AIBDPA website.
This is a great victory for the entire pensioners!
18 Monday Jul 2016
Posted in Uncategorized
From the formation of UPTW, P and T movement was always connected with the only central TU then, AITUC. The President of NFPTE and affiliated unions were mostly M.P.s, who were trade union leaders. These M.P.s utilised the Parliament to focus our issues. In meetings of NFPTE and affiliated unions, these M.P.s regularly attended and gave advice.
After INTUC was formed, NFPTE did not continue affiliation with AITUC to avoid difference.
17 Sunday Jul 2016
Posted in P&T TU Movement
I was going through the minutes of the Federal Council Meeting of NFPTE held at Madras from 27th December 1963 to 1st January 1964, for preparing my book on ” P&T Trade Union Movement”. I was surprised to see the thoroughness of the proceedings of the Council, which was reported in the P&T Labour, the organ of NFPTE, It was a full 14 pages, with copies of Resolutions in extra pages.
The report mentions in detail the entire proceedings, including the names of the participants and what they spoke in brief. The agenda items were taken one after another and those who wanted to speak, spoke on the subject and decisions taken. The participants who spoke expressed their opinion clearly and forthright and did not hesitate to criticize the leaders, if necessary. The discussions included on many issues of common interest like price rise etc.
As usual, Communications Minister, Chairman P&T Board and other top departmental officers attended and spoke.
The name of all the 79 Federal Councillors, including Secretary General NFPTE and General Secretaries of affiliated unions were mentioned.
Even the time of start of the meeting and when it was adjourned, when again started, all information are there. A thorough report, reading of which we will be able to understand the union, its demands, its policy etc.
Another interesting fact was the number of Greetings and Good Wishes received by the Federation from various international organisations, trade unions in India, political and trade union leaders. The Home Minister, Finance Minister, Labour Minister, Communications Minister, Shipping Minister (former Communications Minister), PTTI, ICFTU, trade unions from Manila, Japan, London, America, USSR, Yugoslavia, Germany, AITUC, UTUC, Confederation, AIDEF, Audit & Accounts, S.M.Banerjee M.P., K.Anandan Nambiar M.P., Subhadra Joshi M.P., Diwan Chand Sharma M.P., Hare Krishna Mehtab, M.P. and many others have sent Greetings for the Federal Council, which were also published.
The election was unanimous this time. But in the earlier Federal Council meetings, when contest had taken, the name of the contestants, the vote they had received were also mentioned.
A question naturally will arise. But how all these can be published in a monthly journal which has limited pages? The answer is simple. The P&T Labour used to have about 40 to 60 pages with small letters. ( Think about the time spent on manual composing and proof reading for so many pages!)
NFPTE was a model organisation in all aspects. That is why no rival organisation could come up for a long time.
17 Sunday Jul 2016
Posted in BSNL
Due to the anti-PSU policies of the government and cancellation of mobile tenders in 2006 and later, BSNL has gone in to loss for four years since 2010-12. Now in 2015-16, it is going to have operational profit to the extent of Rs. 2,000, though the total loss is around Rs. 4,000 crore. Market share has improved from 5th to 4th position.
The NDA government which accuses the UPA government for this downfall should help BSNL to come up further and make real profit and improve services. One thing the government can do is to immediately pay the spectrum refund charges and the allotted USO Fund of Rs. 1,250 crores to BSNL. But that is not sufficient. The government should exempt it from paying the Licence Fee and Spectrum charges. This is only reasonable, since BSNL is a fully owned governmnt company and it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that it runs profitably.
In the same way. MTNL also should be exempted from these payments.
17 Sunday Jul 2016
Posted in BSNL
BSNL during the last month has come up to the 4th position in Market Share from its earlier 5th position. The first 6 companies and their share market position are as follows:
BSNL have 14.35 million landlines and 88.92 million wireless line coming to a total of 103.01 million total connections. It also got 20.71 million broad band connections. In broad band connections, BSNL retains its number one position.
BSNL can be strengthened more if each and every worker and management jointly improve performance.
17 Sunday Jul 2016
Posted in Uncategorized
The following statistics regarding the total income and expenditure for the past five years show that BSNL is bouncing back. But much more is to be done.
2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16
Total Income:Rs. 27,933 Rs. 27,128 Rs. 27,996 Rs. 28,645 Rs. 31,789
Total Expense:Rs. 36,586 Rs. 34,899 Rs. 34,929 Rs. 37,292 Rs. 35,396
The total loss has been reduced from Rs. 8234 in 2014-15 to Rs. 3803 in 2015-16. The loss is mainly due to depreciation. In 2015-16, about Rs. 2,000 is the operational profit.
Only by increasing revenue, BSNL will be able to make total profit. It can be done!
16 Saturday Jul 2016
Posted in P&T TU History
Now, whether in the Telecom or in BSNL, all the employees are getting almost same holidays, whether technical, operational or administrative. But it was not so in the past.
Up to 1960s, there was much discrimination and injustice in the matter. The eligibility of various section of employees for Holidays were as follows: CG Employees: 21 Holidays; Telegraph 12; Telephone Operators and operatives: No Holiday, No compensation. Not even compensatory off. Sometimes weekly off was also denied.
NFPTE demanded before the II Pay Commission to end the discrimination. But unfortunately, the recommendations of the II CPC was retrograde which was as follows:
Administrative offices: 16 plus 2 optional holidays; Postal : 16; Telegraphs 9; Telegraph Engineering (Telephones) : 3 National holidays; RMS 3 National holidays.
NFPTE strongly protested. After many years of struggle only, the discrimination was removed. Only due to the union and struggles, improvement came.
Look to the past to fight for a better future! ( From the proposed book “P and T TU Movement”)
16 Saturday Jul 2016
Posted in History, P&T TU History
Tags
Now the employees in government, PSUs etc.are having equal pay scales / wages for all employees who are working in the same cadre. But this was not the case in the early part of the last century. Under the British Rule, the telegraphist or Postal Clerk or officer who is British used to get higher pay scale. When British were not available, Anglo-Indians were mostly recruited as Telegraphist. Father of Telecom TU Movement, Henry Barton or Harry Barton as he was usually called, was one of them. Th pay scale of Anglo Indian Telegrphist was higher than that of Indian Telegraphist.
Telegraph was considered most important and they were compelled to work for 12 hours in the night shift starting from 08.00 PM to 08.00 AM next morning. It was almost impossible to get leave. A telegraphist was not expected to be absent even during seriously ill. There were many instances recorded when officials were brought on stretchers to the Head of the office to prove illness and get leave.
Learn from the past to fight for the present!
16 Saturday Jul 2016
Posted in BSNL
Tags
Out of the 2,11,000 and odd employees in BSNL, 68% are above the age of 50 years. Those who are below 30 years are only 3%. This shows the urgency of recruitment of fresh blood.
The Non-Executives are about 80%, Executive 18% and Management 2%. It can be seen that the % of non-executives have come down drastically, since not much recruitment has taken place after formation of BSNL, while more than one lakh sixty thousand have retired, mostly non-executives.
There are about one lakh contract workers engaged by BSNL through contractors. The casual labour comes to about 3,500 who were recruited during the DOT period.
