Author Archives: VAN NAMBOODIRI

VII CPC for Central Govt. Employees

26 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by in TU News - India

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A report in Hindu dated 19th December 2013 is reproduced below:

Cabinet proposal soon to constitute 7th Pay Commission

The central government is likely to constitute the 7th Pay Commission for revising the salaries of its over 50 lakh employees before the start of process of next general elections due in May, 2014.
“The Finance Ministry is working out a Cabinet proposal for constitution of the 7th Pay Commission which could be taken up for consideration in the next couple of weeks,” a source said.
According to information available, the government’s intention to constitute 7th Pay Commission before going for polls is clear as it has made provision of Rs. 3.5 crore in the second supplementary demands for grants in this regard which was approved by Parliament in the just concluded Winter Session.
Earlier in September this year, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had announced that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has approved setting up of the 7th Pay Commission.
According to the announcement, the Commission will be mandated to submit its report in two years time and its recommendations would be implemented from January 1, 2016.
However, after that announcement, no formal proposal was put up before the Union Cabinet for constitution of the Commission.
As per the practice, the Commission is headed by a former Supreme Court Judge and its other members would include experts and officials.
Meanwhile, the government is also believed to have approved fixing minimum pension of Rs 1,000 per month under the Employees’ Pension Scheme 1995 (EPS-95) run by retirement fund body Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
The government is also understood to have cleared maximum basic wage ceiling of Rs. 15,000 per month for deduction of Provident Fund from existing Rs. 6,500 per month for private sector workers, in general, covered under schemes run by EPFO.(HINDU – 19 Dec. 2013)

2014 will be the year of sustained struggle for the cause of the Casual/Contract workers in BSNL

26 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by in BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers, BSNLEU

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The Central Executive Committee Meeting of the BSNL Casual and Contract Workers Federation is going to be held at Bhubaneswar on 18-19 January 2014. The Reception Committee is making all out efforts to make the CEC Meeting a big success.
During the last few years, BSNLEU and BSNLCCWF has been on the campaign all over India for strengthening the union as also making maximum efforts for settling the issues of casual and contract workers. While there is improvement in the payment of minimum wage etc. in many places, the condition is not at all satisfactory in may centres. While the Corporate office of BSNL issued clear cut circulars and many reminders for the implementation of minimum wage and social security measures like EPF/ESI at the field level there is stiff opposition from the part of contractors and some times management for implementing them. Struggles are taking place in many places even at this moment.
The Regularisation of the Casual workers who are toiling for the BSNL for the last so many years still are pending due to the adamant attitude of the BSNL Management that regularisation can not be given in view of the Supreme Court judgement. The fact that as per the instructions of DOPT many departments have already regularised many casual workers despite the SC judgement is well known to the BSNL management. The fact is that the management does not want to regularise. The payscale of casual labours are still based on the minimum scale of the DOT Group D employees. It has not been brought on par with the minimum pay of the BSNL employees.
Many of the leaders, circle secretaries and District Secretaries are retrenched for union activities. The Management is taking a negative attitude in this matter.
These and other crucial issues are still pending causing innumerable loss to the casual and contract workers.
This issue will be foremost in the discussions at Bhubaneswar CEC meeting. Certain agitational programmes like Corporate Office March, Strike etc will have to be organised.
For the above, the BSNLCCWF has to be strengthened and expanded. The organisation has not been formed in some circles till now. BSNLEU Circle Secretaries and District Secretaries are requested to take special interest in the matter. The CEC meeting of BSNLEU had already decided that BSNLCCWF should be formed in all circles, where it has not been formed, before the next CEC. THIS HAS GOT TO BE DONE. THIS IS THE IMMEDIATE TARGET.

Good News! Cabinet approves MTNL Pension

26 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by in PSU, Telecom

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Good News are there for the MTNL Employees! The Cabinet has approved government pension for the MTNL absorbed DOT employees as in the case of BSNL employees.
The case was taken by the MTNL Unions/ Associations as also the Joint Forum of the BSNL/MTNL Unions/Associations with the DOT and the Government. The Group of Ministers appointed for the Revival of BSNL and MTNL had recommended that MTNL employees be granted government pension as in the case of BSNL absorbed employees by the government, but with the condition that the pension will be limited to the corresponding pay scales of BSNL. (The pay scales of MTNL are higher than that of BSNL). The GoM also recommended that the pay scales of BSNL should be brought on par with that of MTNL in the 2017 wage revision.
We congratulate the MTNL employees and their unions/associations in this great achievement.

Tripura – The Best Governed State in India

26 Thursday Dec 2013

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I am attaching below an assessment of the Communist Government of Tripura as reported by PTI. It can be seen that not only the Communists for a fifth term but also have implemented many social welfare measures which benefitted the people.

Agartala, Dec 25 : The ruling Left Front won a fifth consecutive term in Tripura in 2013 which also saw the northeastern state making considerable progress in areas like power generation and connectivity.

Inflicting a crushing blow on Congress and other opponents, the Left Front led by 64-year-old Chief Minister Manik Sarkar bagged 50 seats in the March Assembly elections.

The state also provided 86.27 days of work on an average to a rural household under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

According to State Rural Development Minister Jitendra Chowdhury, “When the national average is 39, the state could provide 86.27 days of work to the job card holders. Tripura secured first position in implementation of the Act.”

The state also introduced for the first time in the country PVC Electoral Photo Identity Cards (PVC EPICs) in November as mandated by the Election Commission.

News magazine ‘India Today’ adjudged Tripura as the best governed state in the country for undertaking developmental works for the common masses and felicitated Sarkar.

Though insurgency was on the wane, the Tripura government decided to extend the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in 34 police station areas for another six months from January 1 to wipe it out completely.

For the first time, the central committee meeting of the CPI-M was held in the state from December 15-17 which decided to maintain equal distance from Congress and BJP and form an electoral alliance with the other secular forces for the coming parliamentary elections.

It also decided to project Tripura as a model state of development.

Northeast’s biggest gas-fired thermal project at Palatana in Gomati district was dedicated to the nation by President Pranab Mukherjee on June 21 to cater to seven of the eight states in the region facing power shortage.

The 726 MW project combined with linked transmission project and upstream gas supply network have attracted investments of around Rs 10,000 crore in the region. The National Highway Authority of India approved a proposal of the state government for conversion of the Agartala-Sabroom national highway into four-lane.

However, in a setback, the Agartala-Dhaka bus service was temporarily suspended due to continuous strike called by Opposition parties in Bangladesh since November. Trade between
the two countries through the Integrated Check Post at Akhaura, near here was also disrupted.

The governments of India and Bangladesh, however, made considerable progress on the proposed rail network from Agartala to Akhaura in in the neighbouring country. Work for laying tracks would begin soon after the survey is completed.Of the 15.054 km track, only five km will fall on the Indian side.

According to Tripura Transport Minister Manik Dey,extension of the railway line from Agartala to Sabroom, about 110 km from here, would be completed by March 2015. Sabroom is about 70 km from Chittagong Port.

Vice President Hamid Ansari inaugurated northeast’s biggest museum housed in Ujjayanta Palace of the erstwhile Manikya dynasty. The two-storeyed palace spread over about one sq km area served as the State Legislative Assembly till 2011.

The government also announced that Agartala airport would be upgraded to international standards by 2016 at a cost of Rs
300 crore.

The state government has long been demanding that the airport be declared an international one for connectivity to Dhaka and Chittagong.

Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde inaugurated an Integrated Check Post on November 17 near Indo-Bangla international border at Akhaura here. The Akhaura ICP is the second biggest between the two countries after Benapole-Petrapole in West Bengal.

AAP Government in Delhi on 28th December 2013

26 Thursday Dec 2013

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It is reported that the Aam Aadmi Party headed by Arvind Kejrival will form the Government at Delhi by taking oath on 28th December at Ramlila Grounds in front of lakhs of people. There is no doubt that this is most welcome as there will be a government in Delhi which is different from the most corrupt and compromised governments of Congress and BJP which ruled there earlier. The capital city with hundreds of VVIPs, including politicians, corporates, big business tycoons as also hard core criminals can not be tamed unless a strong and committed government is there. Whether the AAP will be able to deliver the goods? Whether the Congress will allow the AAP to do these as also welfare measures?
I just remember the time, 1957, when for the first time in India, Communist party won in a state, Kerala. There was doubt, whether the centre will allow the government to be formed. The government was formed with E.M.S.Namboodiripad as Chief Minister.Within few months it brought Land Reforms, Educational Bill and other welfare measures. The Congress tried all machinations to dislodge it, but failed. At that stage the Centre intervened and dismissed it under Article 356 on the plea of fail of law and order. Every body will even now agree that was the best government.
In the same way Congress may be waiting for a chance to dislodge AAP government at a time suitable to them. Congress is not magnanimous to allow the AAP to cement their position by their welfare measures. Let us watch the developments.

66 years after Independence, 4.4 crore live in slums, 60% rural people have no toilet facilities.

25 Wednesday Dec 2013

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It is 66 years since India got Independence. But the life of crores of people have not improved. As per the 2012 report (69th round NSSO Report) of the National Sample Survey Organisation, the government body which collects many datas for government, 4.4 crore people are still living in slums, which have no basic necessities and facilities. These are temporary houses, crowded and with complete unhygienic conditions. According to NSSO report, there are such 33,150 slums mainly in Maharashtra, A.P.,W.Bengal, Gujarat etc.
The report also mentions that 60% of the rural households do not have toilet facilities. For the urban area, it is 8.8%. They have to use public spaces for their natural calls. Those who travel by trains can see the people utilising the spaces near the Railway tracks for this purpose.
About 25% in the urban and 55% in the rural areas do not have potable water to drink.
While the Prime Minister and the Planning Commission are all shouting loud about the GDP Growth etc. they do not care about poor, whether rural or urban. There may be only very rare countries in the world, where the benefit of growth has mostly gone to the rich and the poor has become poorer. The ruling class always speak about the poor and oppressed, but ignore them in their welfare.
A change is a must to this sorry situation.

Karnataka Circle BSNLCCWF Achieve Long Pending Demands

25 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by in BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers

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The BSNLCCWF Karnataka Circle under the leader ship of President Com. C.K.Gundanna and Circle secretary Com. Mahantesh has been organising sustained struggles to improve the lot of the workers. Recently when Com.VAN Namboodiri, All India President visited Bangalore he along with Coms. Gundanna and mahantesh met the CGMT and Dy. Regional Commissioner in this connection who assured settlement of the issues.
Yesterday Com. Mahantesh Circle Secretary along with DS BSNLEU Com. Mahadevappa and Com. Balaji Rao, CITU and others met GM Mysore and discussed the issues. GM assured early settlement of the issues.

In Mandya SSA agitation is going on on the issue of contract workers.

Wish You All A Merry X-mas!

25 Wednesday Dec 2013

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Today,the world over people are celebrating X-mas, the Birth of Jesus Christ more than 2000 years back. In India also, just like other festivals, X-Mas is also celebrated by all people without consideration of religion etc.
On this day, My Best Wishes and Greetings to all our Comrades, Friends and Well Wishers a Very Merry and Happy X-mas!

Stalin and Mao – Birthdays celebrated

24 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by in History

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Mao-Zedong’s 120th Birthday is being celebrated in China on 26th December and the Party Journal has already published an article praising his leading China forward.

The Birthday of Joseph Stalin, who ruled Russia and was the Secretary of the Party from 1922 to 1952 till his death was also in December. It was celebrated in his home town Gori, but not much elsewhere.

History has its own jokes, twists and turns.

PSUs surplus cash will be taken by Centre

24 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by in PSU

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The Central Government is thinking of taking the cash surplus of the profitable PSUs by ordering higher % of dividend to them. These PSUs include BEL, BHEL, Coal India, BPCL, Gail, MMTC, NALCO,NLC,NTPC, Oil India, ONGC etc.
The Government is expecting about Rs. 27,000 crore more as dividend from these PSUs in addition to the Rs. 37,000 they are liable to pay.

The policy of the government is intended to divest all the cash surplus of the Profitable PSUs. The cash surplus of Rs. 40,000 crore with BSNL was taken over by government in the name of spectrum charges, notional loan etc. by the government. Now in the other PSUs it is increasing the % of dividend. Once any PSU becomes sick, then there is no help, though it is the policy and action of the government which made it loss making.
Whatever be the name of taking the money from the PSUs, the main intention is to make the PSUs sick. Of course the government will get the money also.
This anti-PSU policy has to be opposed and defeated by the people.