Author Archives: VAN NAMBOODIRI

Stop this closure of telegram services

12 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation

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Protests are mounting against the anti-people decision of BSNL to close its one and half century telegram services from 15th July 2013, citing loss as the reason. Of course, telegram service as well telephone service in the rural areas are in loss, but it is a service to the ordinary people and on the plea of loss it can not be closed. BSNL is implementing the universal service access policy of the government and it can not cut the service to the ordinary people. If there is loss, it should demand and get sufficient money from the government. Most of the rural telephone service in loss. Does it mean that all those exchanges are to be closed.

And the loss factor itself is in scanner. The telegram services are part of the customer services and there is no special expenditure for the same. The available staff is attending to the telegrams also. More than 50,000 telegrams are dealt by the BSNL every month and more than 15 crores earned per year. The loss of Rs. 135 crore calculated by the BSNL is imaginary and include the salaries of employees, maintenance etc. which in any way will be there whether the telegram services are closed or not.

Many sections of the people are still using the services, though the number has come down due to the advanced technology gadgets like mobile, internet etc. The trams are still running in Kolkata. When a new product is released, all the old products are also on sale. Along with other communication services, telegram service also can continue. There is no separate expenditure for he same.

It is a heritage service and accommodated in heritage buildings in the big cities. CTO buildings in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata etc. are heritage buildings, which have to be maintained as such. Lakhs and lakhs of documents connected with the history of the Mughal, British rule etc. are there in the old documents of the telegraph offices. Just like Western Court building in Delhi is occupied by a hotel, there are proposals to turn these heritage buildings also in to such posh hotels. You can see that many of the historic palaces have already been converted in to hotels.

The BSNL employees are completely against the closure of the telegram services. They have already strongly protested against the decision. Their unions have not been even consulted before taking such a drastic decision.

Today, as per the call of the BSNL Employees Unions, protest dharnas are being held at the SSA/Circle levels as also in front of the BSNL Corporate Office in Delhi. A PLI case has been filed in the Chennai High Court against closure of telegram services and may be heard today. It can only be said that the BSNL management has taken an unwise anti-people decision as also without taking in to confidence of the unions, which are trying to improve the services and make the company financially viable.

The BSNL Management should revisit their decision and drop the decision to close the telegram services  in the interest of the people and the company itself.

The BSNL Management should back out from this controversial and anti-people measure.

 

ITDC and STC further shares being sold.

12 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by in PSU

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The government is on a selling spree. The cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved selling of governments shares in State trading Corporation (STC) and India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).

STC is having 91.02 % government shares and ITDC 92.11%. As per the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), all listed companies  have   to have 10% of public share holding.

The government is expecting Rs. 33 crore through the present stake sale. The selling spree continues.

Finance, Commerce Ministers welcome foreign investors in US

11 Thursday Jul 2013

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It the MNCs is not surprising that the government of India has been aggressively persuing  FDI to 100% in Telecom sector. It is the demand of the MNCs and foreign investors. Now both the Finance Minister P.Chidambaram and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma are in US. They are meeting all the business heads and inviting the to come to India. They are offering very liberal conditions for FDI. They also offered a slew of measures accepting the demands and suggestions of the US companies.

Instead of appeasing the MNCs, the government has to look after the people of this country.

The Glorious 5 Days Strike of 1960

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in TU News - India

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The 5 days strike by the Central Government Employees started from 11th July 1960 will always inspire not only the CG Employees, but the entire working class in India. It was the biggest strike that Indian government had to face since Independence in 1947.

The strike called by the All India Railwaymen Federation (AIRF), All India Defence Employees Federation (AIDEF) and Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers demanded the government to modify the retrograde recommendations of the II Central Pay Commission, grant of Minimum Wage, Full neutralisation for cost of living etc.

The Government dealt the strike with iron hands. The government declined to meet the leaders of the Joint Action Committee. Instead it promulgated the Essential Service maintenance Ordinance against the strike with stringent punishment. Prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru termed the strike as ‘Civil Rebellion’ and issued instructions to suppress it with all the might of the central and state governments. Thousands of workers were jailed (outsiders also for supporting the strike), dismissed, terminated, suspended, charge sheeted, severely punished and transferred. The All India leaders were arrested and paraded hand-cuffed through the streets of Delhi. The government dealt with the strikers as enemies of the country. The strike could not go on more than 5 days. It was mercilessly suppressed by the government.

It took more than 4 years to get all the officials got reinstated. Even that was only after the Members of Parliament like Coms. A.K.Gopalan, Nath Pai, S.M.Banerjee and others lambasted the government in the Parliament about the inhuman treatment of the strikers by the government.

I was working at Cannanore (Kannur) at that time. Three comrade were put in jail, punished for 6 months rigorous imprisonment. I was kept out of service, charge sheeted and punished. The working class realised  the inhuman face of the Congress government. Though suppressed with in a decade the government was compelled to accept at least some of the demands.

BY once again going on a one day strike on 19th September 1968, the workers showed that they will continue to fight for their rights.

The Mughal era of more than 3 centuries

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

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According to certain records, it is stated that Babur entered Agra after the victory in historic battle of Panipat on 10th July in 1526, which started the three centuries Mughal Rule in India. Babar, Humayun, Akbar, Jehangir, Shajahan and  Aurangazeb ruled as  emperors one after another, but the empire declined later and had control in a small part near Delhi onlyr. Even that was over after the defeat of the First War of Independence in 1858, when the last Mughal Emperor and poet Mohammed Shah Zafar was caught from  hiding in the Humayun Tomb and extradited to Rangoon where he died afterwards.

The Mughal Empire ended and British Empire started which lasted  for about two centuries till India won freedom  on 15th August 1947. For the first time, the foreign empires were over and the Indian people could decide their own government.

 

 

National Convention by Central Trade Unions

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

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The 11 Central Trade Unions have decided to hold a National Convention of Workers at Mavlankar Hall, New Delhi, on 6th August 2013 as part of its agitational programme on the 10 points demands already raised earlier and on which 48 hours strike was organised on 20-21 February this year. Though the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has stated that the demands are ‘unexceptionable’, no action to settle the demands has been taken by the government. Unless the government is given a big jolt, it will not accept any demands of the workers, while it has no difficulty in favouring the MNCs and corporates with all their demands. Of course, it is becoming the ‘Government of the corporates’ instead of a government of the people.

 

Sepoy Mutiny started at Meerut on this day in 1857

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

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10th July 1857 was the day on which the Sepoy Mutiny started in Meerut, which actually was the First War of Independence led by the Indian Sepoys and the many small rulers in the country.

Despite initial success against the British rulers, the revolt was crushed by the British through their better disciplined army and sophisticated equipment.

But the mighty fight and the sacrifices of the sepoys and fighters like Jhansi Rani, Tantiatopi who sacrificed their lives at the warfront will ever be remembered by the people of this country.

PM strongly back 100% FDI in Telecom

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

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This is not surprising. The Prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has strongly backed the proposed increase of 100% FDI in Telecom. In fact, it is his own child. The government is trying to sell the family silver in a massive way to favour the MNCs and get some money, which is not worth even 25% of the assets.

It is also reported that he is favouring the increase of FDI from 26% to 49% which has been strongly opposed by the Defence minister A.K.Antony who termed the proposal as retrograde.

Only a very strong and committed movement can save the country from this government, who is only the manager, from selling the assets of the country whose real owners are the people of this country.  At this time people have started recollecting the entry of East India Company in India, which heralded the British rule for two centuries. History repeats, but in new form and new ways. Unless one learns lessons from history and reacts, the future will be in peril.

Programmes of Action by Central TUs

09 Tuesday Jul 2013

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 The Joint meeting of Central Trade Unions held on 8th July 2013 at BMS office, New Delhi has decided the following course of joint mobilization/agitations and activities

National Convention of Trade     Unions on 6th August 2013 at Mavalankar Hall, New Delhi

  1. State     level and district level rallies/agitations/demonstrations/jail bharo etc     during last week of September 2013
  2. March/demonstration     before Parliament in the month of December during Parliament session.
  3. In     various sectors like Coal, Telecom, Banks & Insurance, Transport,     Power, Port & Dock etc, joint struggles/strikes are being     planned/undertaken by the respective federations. All support should be     extended to those struggles. Central Trade Unions should also jointly endeavour     to develop sectoral struggles in various sectors.
  4. Dates and details of programmes in September and December will be finalized through joint consultation of Central Trade Unions and announced from the National Convention.

You are requested to please ensure participation of your organization in the National Convention of Trade Unions to be held on 6th August 2013 at Mavalankar Hall, New Delhi as on all previous occasions.

BSNLEU demands Recruitment of Staff

09 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation

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The Central Executive Committee meeting of BSNL Employees Union has demanded recruitment of required staff in BSNL. Since formation of BSNL, during the last 12 years, about 1,30,000 employees have retired. If you count about the 30,000 new recruitment in certain limited cadres, then the reduction of staff comes to 1,00,000. Most of the retired belong to the lowest non-executive staff.

There is acute shortage of staff and the work is suffering due to the same. The management not only are against recruitment, but is also trying to retrench the staff through VRS. Yes this is a method of destabilising the company and making if in-efficient.

Hence the decision of BSNLEU is correct and the same should be strongly persued.