04 Friday Dec 2015
Ravi Shankar Prasad, Communications Minister stated in Parliament that in view of the heavy rains in Chennai, BSNL will provide free calls for one week and no lines will be disconnected.
BSNL is once again in the forefront to support the people in distress. BSNL comrades are also in the front for relief operations.
We congratulates BSNL and our comrades in Chennai and T.Nadu for their humanitarian efforts.
04 Friday Dec 2015
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Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, in a parliament reply has stated that there is no proposal to disinvest BSNL. He also stated that BSNL is improving its financial position. This is the victory of the BSNL employees. Their continuous struggle against disinvestment and privatisation and for the revival of BSNL is bearing fruits. Congratulations to the BSNL workers and their unions and Forum.
However, we have to be ever vigilant. The government which pursues the neo-liberal policy aggressively may be waiting for a suitable time to re-start its disinvestment line for BSNL. Eternal vigilance is required.
03 Thursday Dec 2015
Posted in BSNLEU
The BSNLEU Kerala Circle Conference started on 2nd December 2015 at Calicut with the flag hoisting by the Circle President, Com. A.V.Kuriakose at Com. S.K.Vyas Nagar (Tagore Centenary Hall.)
The Conference was inaugurated by Com. A.K.Padmanabhan, President, CITU. Com. K.Mohanan, Circle secretary welcomed all. Leaders of various organisations spoke. The Conference is continuing.
01 Tuesday Dec 2015
Posted in General
01 Tuesday Dec 2015
Posted in CTU, TU News - India
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Lakhs of tea garden workers and employees went on a historic strike in North Bengal defying the tea garden owners and the TMC’s fatwa not to join the strike convened by the joint forum of the tea garden employees including the CITU led Chia Kaman Majdoor Union. The strike call was fully successful in the over 260 tea gardens out of a total of 276 tea gardens spread across Darjeeling hills, terai and dooars. Baring a few handful few which clocked partial shutdown as to the presence of TMC ‘s union all the other tea gardens remained closed as CITU State Secretary Dipak Dasgupta rushed to North Bengal to hand over economic support to families of famished tea garden workers of the state. At the call of the major trade unions all the other unions of various industrial sectors too demonstrated in the state in support of the Strike call given by the tea sector trade Unions. It can be recalled that yesterday at the call of the Joint forum of tea garden workers, the tea workers observed relay hunger strike at 44 places in the region. The strike, convened by a Joint Forum of 24 different tea workers unions, comes against the backdrop of the death of 22 workers in the tea gardens of north Bengal since May 2015 due to malnutrition and diseases caused by hunger.
The W. Bengal Government should immediately act for discussion and settlement of the issues of the tea garden workers.
01 Tuesday Dec 2015
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation, BSNLEU
A well attended Press Conference was organised at Kozhikode Press Club on 30th November by the Reception Committee of the VIII Circle Conference of BSNL Employees Union, Kerala Circle to be held on 2-4 December 2015. It was attended by Coms. VAN Namboodiri, Patron, K.Mohanan, Circle Secretary, M.Vijaya Kumar, All India Org. Secretary, K.V. Jayarajan, Convener, Reception Committee, V.Bhagyalakshmi, Convener, Mahila Committee and other leaders. They focused the present situation of BSNL, the anti-PSU policies of the government and the efforts being made by the employees under the leadership of BSNLEU and the Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations to revive BSNL to its past glory. The details of the programmes of the Circle Conference were also given.
The Kerala newspapers have published the press release with good coverage.
30 Monday Nov 2015
Posted in General
Cultural Minister Mahesh Sharma told the Parliament today that 40 artists and writers have returned their awards to protest against “recent mishappenings against the writers” and the Sahitya Akademi has requested them to reconsider their decision.
What action the government has taken to attend to the complaints of the artists and writers? That is the moot question to be answered.
30 Monday Nov 2015
Posted in General, WORLD NEWS
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At the time when 150 nations’ heads are meeting in Paris Summit to discuss about the climate change and how to reduce gas emissions, protest rallies are being held in many countries demanding the summit to take concrete decisions to reduce the greenhouses gases so that the world is saved from the coming catastrophe.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated in his speech in the summit, India is suffering much more due to climate change, even though it is far behind in the list of countries emitting greenhouse gases. it is to be noted that the developed countries like US are leading the gas emissions.
30 Monday Nov 2015
Posted in General, WORLD NEWS
Tags
In his speech at the Paris Summit on Climate Change, which is attended by 150 nations’ heads, US President Barack Obama has stated that US embraces responsibility to fix climate. As the second top most emitter country of greenhouse gases, it is correctly the responsibility of US to take the lead. But so far, US has not done much to reduce emission of greenhouses gases, but was compelling the developing countries like India to do so.
Let us hope that the assurance is not a passing remark and will be implemented.
29 Sunday Nov 2015
Posted in BSNLEU, Telecom TU Movement 1991-2015
All India Conference of E.III Union at Thiruvananthapuram 09-13 April 1994.
The recognition of Moni Bose as General Secretary sent a clear message. OPG very well knew that once regular functioning started, there will be a big erosion from his side.
Hence, M.B.Vichare, filed a case in Delhi High Court against recognition of Moni Bose as General Secretary. He also issued notice for holding the All India Conference at Trichy, claiming himself as General Secretary. Moni Bose impleaded in the case. The Delhi High Court directed that V.A.N.Namboodiri and Moni Bose as President and General Secretary are the authorized office-bearers to conduct the All India Conference thus rejecting the claim of the disruptors outright.
Moni Bose, General Secretary, addressed letters to OPG & Co. for restoring unity and also to participate in the AIC at Thiruvananthapuram. He also requested to hand over the accounts along with the union funds coming to about Rs. 50 lakhs which was not handed over to the new General Secretary after his defeat at Bhopal AIC. The funds were never made over.
Again disruption by OPG
Failing in their effort to stop holding of All India Conference by Moni Bose, General Secretary, through DOT and Courts, OPG & Co. made plans to disrupt the Conference at Thiruvananthapuram. OPG wrote to the then Congress Chief Minister of Kerala, K.Karunakaran, to depute police force to ‘ensure safety to delegates’. Statements were issued denigrating the E.III leadership. They also mobilized goonda elements to create trouble in the session.
The Reception Committee with Com. Suseela Gopalan, M.P. as Chairperson and Com.P.V.Chandrasekharan, Circle Secretary, E.III Union Kerala Circle as General Convener and Com. G.Sasidharan Achari, Circle Treasurer, as Treasurer with leaders of various unions/associations as members made all arrangements for the successful conduct of the Conference.
The Inaugural Session
The Inaugural Session was to start by 10.00 AM on 9th April 1994. The hall and premises were fully packed. Com. E.M.S.Namboodiripad, veteran Communist leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala was to inaugurate the AIC. Before starting the session, disruptors viz. OPG group, with a well prepared plan started shouting and demanding discussion on the CWC held on the earlier day, before the session starts. They were told that everything can be discussed in the AIC. But instead of accepting the proposal, they started making pandemonium by breaking window panes, throwing and breaking the arranged chairs etc. The Reception Committee members who requested them not to damage furniture etc. were attacked and manhandled. After making the trouble for some time, they left the hall and walked out. This was very unfortunate and not expected from responsible delegates.
After some time, the AIC started. V.A.N.Namboodiri, President presided. Com.E.M.S.Namboodiripad inaugurated the Conference. He spoke about the necessity of the intellectual and manual workers to come together for struggle to save the services and to march forward to progress.
Comrades E.Balanandan, M.P., President, CITU, M.K.Pandhe, General Secretary, CITU, Suseela Gopalan, M.P., Shri O.N.V.Kurup, well known Poet, Com. K. Adinarayana, Secretary General, NFPE, Com. O.P.Gupta, Secretary General, NFTE, Coms. Moni Bose, P.S.Raman Kutty, General secretary, T.III Union, Pabitra Chakraborty, General Secretary, Administrative Union, P.V.Chandrasekharan and many other leaders addressed the various sessions of the Conference.
A massive procession participated by thousands of telecom employees went through the streets of Thiruvananthapuram which was greeted on the way by various organizations of Central Govt. Employees, Postal, State Government employees, PSUs, students, CITU etc. it was a new experience for many delegates from other parts of the country.
The All India Conference adopted the report presented by the General Secretary. It discussed about the various issues and the organizational problems. The Conference passed a ‘Resolution on Policy and Programme’ giving a direction to the march ahead. It strongly opposed the government proposals for corporatization and privatization. A Charter of Demands including short and long term demands were adopted by the house.
Office-Bearers
The AIC unanimously elected the following Office-Bearers:
President : Com. Moni Bose
Vice-Presidents : Com.K.D.M.Tripathi (UP)
: Com. A.C.Shah (Gujarat)
: Com. Sakunthala Gond (Bihar)
: Com. Gurcharan Singh (Punjab)
: Com. P.R.Das (Orissa)
General Secretary : Com. V.A.N.Namboodiri
Asst. General Secretaries : Com. Debashish Dutta Gupta (Calcutta)
: Com. P.Abhimanyu (T.Nadu)
: Com. P.Asokababu (A.P.)
: Com. P.Appaji (Karnataka)
Treasurer : Com. K.M.Pillai (Delhi)
Asst. Treasurer : Com. G.J.Sheikh (M.P.)
The Thiruvananthapuram AIC was a milestone in the forward march of the E.III Union. It took important decisions as also prepared for the defence of the telecom sector, which was being attacked under the neo-liberalisation policy of the government. It also gave a befitting reply to OPG andCo. who wanted to disrupt the telecom movement. (To be continued)
