03 Saturday May 2014
Posted in TU News - International
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On 1st May, the International Day of the Working Class, World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) has opened its new website: WWW.wftucentral.org
International trade union news, information and activities of WFTU are available on the site.
02 Friday May 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
CITU has issued the following statement on the SBI- Reliance Agreement:
It is reported that the State Bank of India (SBI) has signed up Reliance Money Infrastructure (RMIL), an Anil Arnbani Group company, in a ‘business correspondent’ deal to source a range of banking services.The deal authorises RMIL to identify borrowers; collect, process, and submit loan applications; promote credit groups.take up post-sanction monitoring, follow-up, and recovery. As the service provider, RMIL will also collect small-value deposits; sell micro-insurance, mutual fund and pension products; and receive and deliver small-value remittances. According to the report the deal which was concluded on February 25 this year had been made effective with retrospective effect from October 5, 2013.
This is nothing but backdoor privatization of the basic segment of the banking operation in the leading Public Sector bank like SBI– the core area of lending, recovery and also a part of deposit collection work.
We fear that this strategy now started with SBI will make inroads in other nationalized banks.The outsourcing is being done to agencies controlled by the largest monopoly house which had been named by the CAG in a recent scam, having a clear conflict of interest striking at the root of the very purpose of bank nationalization. Moreover, the Reserve Bank of India has blacklisted many of the service providers engaged by AXIS BANK, HDFC BANK etc., in the recent past, mainly because these agencies breached the trust of the banks that have engaged them.
The amendment of banking regulations carried out in a UPA-NDA joint operation inside Parliament has allowed a big number of private banks to enter into the field. The present move of outsourcing core lending cum deposit related jobs in nationalized banks is complementary to the former and the project is one of privatization of the entire banking operation and economy. This will be disastrous to the national economy, which could survive the global financial crisis primarily due to the nationalized banks. This also exposes the real intent of the Congress and BJP policies in favor of corporate cliques, both domestic and foreign.
Centre of Indian Trade Unions opposes any move to privatise the Public Sector Banks in any form. This move must be resisted tooth and nail. The CITU extends full support and solidarity to the Bank Employees Federations in their struggle against this move. We call upon the people in general and working class in particular to oppose this atrocious move by the SBI.
02 Friday May 2014
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The Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) has strongly protested the SBI-Reliance agreement, according to which most of the banking functions of the SBI is being handed over to the Reliance and also 50% or so of the profit also.
The agreement has been signed weeks back very secretly and has come out in the open two days back only. According to the agreement, the take over will be done with retrospective effect from last year.
If the agreement is implemented, many employees in SBI will become surplus. Retrenchment through VRS is sure to come. Reliance will not function the branches, where there is no profit. The UPA government has taken the decision and implemented the same in the last phase of the government even without taking the Parliament into confidence, only to hand over the PSU to the private company.
We fully support the struggle of the SBI employees against the anti-worker anti-people agreement. Not only the workers, but the common people should also protest and save the SBI, one of the best PSUs in the country.
02 Friday May 2014
Posted in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners, BSNL News
Com. V.A.N.Namboodiri, Advisor, AIBDPA met the senior officers of DOT today, 2nd May 2014, and enquired about the progress on the reply to be given to Department of Expenditure. it is stated that the process is going on for providing the reply. It was stressed by the union that the pensioners are very much agitated and the issue should be settled early.
The Secretary DOT had assured last week that the matter will dealt with urgently.
02 Friday May 2014
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation, BSNL News
The Forum has requested the BSNL Management to establish a Museum on “Telegraph Services”, which service was discontinued with effect from 15th July 2013, despite protest from the staff unions.
The Telegraphs in India have a long history and has been part of the daily life of Indians. It is certainly essential that a museum with all the documents, various kinds of equipments and other connected matters are kept for the study of the future generations.
A copy of the letter furnished to the CMD BSNL in this connection is given below:
FORUM OF BSNL UNIONS / ASSOCIATIONS
D-7, Telegraph Place, Gole Market, New Delhi – 110 001.
Forum/GL 02-05-2014
To
Shri R.K.Upadhyay
CMD BSNL,
Bharat Sanchar Bhawan,
Janpath, New Delhi – 110 001
Sir,
Sub: – Museum for Telegraph Services – reg.
The Telegraph services have been discontinued from 15th July, 2013, by the BSNL. The Telegraph services have a long history in India. Its growth and the important position it held for about one and half centuries in the progress of the country is well known and recorded. It is part of the history of India.
In such a situation, it is necessary to ensure that the story of Telegraphs in the country, the equipments used for service etc. remain for the future generations to see.
It is, therefore, suggested that a “Museum on Telegraph Services” be established with all the import documents, equipments, and other connected matters collected and kept. Most of these may be available in the Central Telegraph Offices at Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. The senior staff in these offices will be able to provide more information.
The Telegraph Offices at the above places are also heritage buildings constructed at the time of British rule mostly in the victorian architecture. In all these CTOs, at least one or more rooms can be allotted for this purpose. The BRBRAITT and ALTTC can also have such arrangements.
A favourable decision and action will be much appreciated.
Thanking you,
Yours Sincerely
V.A.N.Namboodiri
Convener, Forum
Copy to: All Directors of BSNL.
02 Friday May 2014
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Once again LIC has kept its top position. The latest figures show that despite high publicity and hype, the private insurance companies are still far behind the Life Insurance Corporation of India in all respects.
Look to the statistics:
LIC have 72.7% Market Share with all the private companies, about 23, sharing the rest. The biggest of them, ICICI Prudential, has got only a meagre 4.7%. In fact, LIC added 2% more market share in the last two years from the private sector.There are only 6 private companies which have more than 2% market share.
Out of the more than 34 crore policies in force in 2012-13, more than 29 crore are from LIC alone.
LIC has got more than 11.72 lakh field agents, while all the private players together has got only 9.49 lakhs.
The satisfaction level of the LIC claim settlements are almost 97%, while that of the private companies are far-far below.
But the most interesting factor is that LIC is having less profit compared to its next rival ICICI Prudential. ICICI has posted a profit of Rs. 1,496 crores in 2012-13, while LIC had only Rs. 1,437 crores. The reasons are well known. The charges are less for LIC, settlement of claims are better and of course, as a PSU, it has to pay heavy dividends to the Government. (Courtesy Business Line for the statistics)
Congratulations to the LIC Management, agents and the workers who have ensured through their joint efforts and sheer dedicated service the growth of LIC. Congratulations to the All India Insurance Employees Union (AIIEA), the only major union in the LIC, which through its sustained struggles have ensured that the LIC continues as a PSU and is not decimated by the private companies.
02 Friday May 2014
Posted in Telecom
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TRAI has recommended 8% of licence fee on Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) for internet service providers (ISPs), where all types of revenue from Internet services is calculated minus pass through charges and taxes.
At present the Licence Fee on Internet services is 6%. The decision is to be taken by the Department of Telecom / Telecom Commission on the suggestions of the TRAI.
01 Thursday May 2014
Posted in General
It was on 2nd May 1945, that the Soviet Red Army captured Berlin and hoisted the Red Flag over the Reichstag (Parliament Building), thus ending the dream of Hitler to conquer the entire world. The war machinery of Nazi Germany was annihilated. It also was the starting point of the end of the II World War, in which more than 4 crores soldiers and civilians died.
The heroism of the Soviet Red Army and the sacrifice they have to make in order to defend USSR and the city of Stalingrad is one of the most pitched battle that the world has ever seen. The so called unassailable war machine of Hitler was stopped at Stalingrad by inch by inch, street by street fight in which lakhs of army on both sides were killed. After the victory of Stalingrad, Red Army advance pushed the Nazi army backwards, pushed them out of USSR and then marched to the city of Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. And Nazi war machine completely collapsed and the Red Army hoisted the Red Flag on 2nd May 1945.
The end of II World War entirely changed the world power equation. The imperialist powers like Britain France etc. had to vacate many of their colonies like India. The United Nations was formed with the intention to avoid another World War. The rest is history.
01 Thursday May 2014
Posted in General
The May Day was observed at the AKG Bhawan, New Delhi on 1st May 2014 with the participation of a good number of comrades. The Red Flag was hoisted by Com.Prakash Karat, General Secretary, CPI(M). In his speech, Com. Karat mentioned about the sacrifices of many martyrs in the struggles for the improvement of the downtrodden and the militant tradition of the working class. He also mentioned that in the general election, the third front along with the regional parties may get majority.
01 Thursday May 2014
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Com.V.A.N.Namboodiri, President, BSNLCCWF, met Shri A.K.Singhal, GM (Admn), BSNL and discussed about the issues of the contract workers and non-implementation of orders at the field level. He pointed out that despite clear orders on the part of the Corporate Office, these are not being implemented by the field offices. many instances were brought to the notice of the GM. GM(Admn) assured that all these cases will be enquired into.
