Category Archives: BSNLEU

The AIC OF BSNLEU ( 2 )

10 Monday Nov 2014

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Inaugural Session
As usual with the AICs of BSNLEU, the Conference Pandal was full to the maximum and many were standing outside. The stage was decorated with red flags and festoons with a big banner behind mentioning VII All India Conference. The photos of Com. KG Bose, Com. Moni Bose, Com. S.R.Nayak and Com. Sukenderpal Singh was placed before the stage, which was garlanded by the President, Com. Namboodiri. All the leaders and guests were welcomed and seated in the stage by the Reception Committee leaders.
The inaugural session was presided over by Com.V.A.N.Namboodiri, President of the Union. The entire house stood in silence for one minute paying homage to the Martyrs who laid down their lives for the progress of humanity and rights of workers.Com. Sisir Bhattacharjee, Chairman, Reception Committee, welcomed all to the great city of Kolkata and to the AIC. All the leaders on the dais were felicitated and honoured by the Reception Committee.
Com.VAN Namboodiri, in his Presidential address, mentioned about the great tradition of W.Bengal and Calcutta in the independence struggle, the role played by Com.Subhas Chandra Bose and the INA and the advance made by the Left Front Government. He welcomed all the delegates and guests and expected that this AIC will be a historic one in its discussions and decisions. He narrated the great role played by the Telecom Factory, Alipore, in the development of telegraphs and telephones, where the AIC was to be held. He also stated the condemning role played by Trinamool goons, which compelled the reception Committee to change the venue to this place.

Com. A.K.Padmanabhan, President, CITU inaugurated the Conference. In his speech he congratulated BSNLEU for it s active participation in the common struggle of the working class as also in stopping disinvestment and VRS in BSNL. He condemned the anti-worker policies being implemented by the Government and the united struggles by the Central trade Unions. He called upon the BSNL workers to join the joint struggles being organised by the Central Trade Unions.

Com. P.Abhimanyu, General Secretary, BSNLEU, Com.M.Krishnan, Secretary General, Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers, K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary, AIBDPA, Com. Tapas Ghosh, Secretary General, BSNLCCWF, V.Ramesh, General Secretary, AIIEA and Com. Animesh Mitra, Dy. General Secretary addressed.

A book published by the Co-Ordination committee of BSNL Unions and Association compiling the articles of veteran Leader and former Patron of BSNLEU Com. Moni Bose was released by. Com. V.A.N.Namboodiri presenting the same to Com. Jyotsna Bose, wife of Comrade Moni Bose. Their son Dr. Gautam Bose was also present. Com. Namboodiri remembered the great contributions o f Com. Moni Bose and congratulated the Co-ordinating Committee and its Convener Com. Biplab Das, for taking initiative in publishing the same.

VII AIC of BSNLEU at Kolkata (7)

01 Saturday Nov 2014

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VII AIC of BSNLEU will be a witness to the publication of the compilation of the selected articles of Com.Moni Bose, the veteran leader of telecom employees and the former General Secretary of All India Telecom Employees Union Class III. The book will be released by Com. V.A.N.Namboodiri, President, BSNLEU and a comrade who had long close relations with Com. Moni Bose for a very long time.

After the death of Com. K.G.Bose in 1974, it was his younger brother Com. Moni Bose, who led the progressive forces in the Telecom Class III Union. He gave inspiration and leadership for the fight against the revisionists led by Com.O.P.Gupta. The struggle for democracy and correct policy in the E.III Union got a clear breakthrough,when OPG was defeated in the Bhopal All Conference and Com. V.A.N.Namboodiri and Com. Moni Bose were elected as President and General Secretary respectively.

When both reached New Delhi Railway Station they were accorded a big reception and taken to Dada Ghosh Bhawan, the office of the union. For more than four years we stayed there together jointly facing all the problems created by the defeated leadership. It was after Thiruvananthapuram AIC in 1994, that Moni Bose and wife Jyotsna Bose shifted back to Delhi.

I am very happy that I am getting an opportunity to release the book with articles written by Com. Moni BOse. I can meet Jyotsna Didi and family also.

My thanks to Com. Biplab Das and other members of the committee.

Austerity Measures by Central Government

31 Friday Oct 2014

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New Delhi, Oct 30 : Unveiling an austerity drive to cut non-plan expenditure by 10 per cent, government has barred bureaucrats from travelling First Class on overseas visits and have been asked to use video conferencing as much as possible.
With an aim to restrict fiscal deficit to 4.1 per cent of GDP in 2014-15, the Finance Ministry has barred officials from holding meetings in 5-star hotels and put a freeze on fresh appointments and filling up posts lying vacant for over one year.
“While officers are entitled to various classes of air travel depending on seniority, utmost economy would need to be observed while exercising the choice keeping the limitations of budget in mind. However, there would no bookings in the First Class,” said the office memorandum.
The facility of Video Conferencing, it said, “may be used effectively”.

BSNL Employees Union has started telling the same thing to BSNL Management more than 5 years back. But after much pressure only such measures are being taken slowly by the BSNL Management. Now that the government has issued austerity measures, they may implement it.

VII AIC of BSNLEU at Kolkata – (6)

31 Friday Oct 2014

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The colourful posters, pamphlets and flags etc. from the Reception Committee, Kolkata have reached Delhi. Com. Animesh Mitra and Com. Saibal Sengupta Joint Conveners of the Reception Committe, who came to New Delhi today brought the above.
Despite certain problems being created by the TMC, the activities are going on well. Invitation Cards have been sent to all concerned.
CHQ Comrades will start from Delhi on 3rd and will reach Kolkata by 4th November 2014. The Central Executive Committee Meeting will be held on 5th morning and the KG Bose Bhawan Trust Meeting will held in the same day evening. And the Delegates Session will start next day.

AIC OF BSNLEU AT KOLKATA – (5)

30 Thursday Oct 2014

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The AIC of BSNLEU is being held in the Kolkata Alipore Telecom Factory premises. This factory is the first Telecom Factory in India. It was started in 1855 to repair the telegraph equipment and was called P and T Workshop. The Telegraph Services started in India in 1851 and consequently the P and T Workshop also started for manufacture of telegraph equipment. After the telephones services started, telephone equipment were also produced.

The second Factory was started in the 1940s when the II World War started and there was a possibility that Calcutta will be attacked by the Japanese. So,a portion of the Alipore factory was shifted to Jabalpore, in the centre of the country. Later, TFs were started at Bombay, Gopalpur, Kharagpur, Bhilai and Richai. But the mother of all TFs is still Alipore Factory.

There are industrial and Non-industrial workers in Telecom Factories. The manufacturing workers are industrial, the clerical etc. are non-industrial. The industrial workers were more and in all factories, there were about 2000- 3000 industrial workers. In addition, there were a large number of Industrial workers in the Telecom Stores, Calcutta. Due to non-recruitment for years together, the number of workers have been reduced drastically.

A separate union existed called P and T Industrial Workers Union for the industrial workers in these TFs. At the time of the All India Conference of the AITEU Class III, the AIC of the TF also will be held.Com. Sisir Bhattacharjee, the veteran leader of the P and T workers and the first Patron of BSNLEU, was the General Secretary of the P and T Industrial Workers Union, till it merged with BSNLEU.

For the workers in Telecom Factories, there are three Circle unions viz. Kolkata, Jabalpur and Mumbai. In addition, there is a circle for telecom Stores.

The workers of TF Calcutta has a great tradition of struggle. As narrated by Com. Sisir Bhattachajee to me on an earlier occasion, it was the thousands of TF workers who marched to the PMG Office Calcutta in the 1950s and compelled the Congress Government to grant the Festival Allowance for the P and T Employees as in the case of Railway Employees. It was under the leadership of Com.K.G.Bose and Com. Sisir Bhattacharjee, this struggle was organised. Com. K.G. Bose is no more, but Com. Sisir Bhattacharjee is still with us and is the Chairman of the Reception Committee of the AIC. We all will be getting a chance to meet him and hear his speech in the AIC.

Thus it is at this great heritage of Trade Union history that thousands of telecom workers are meeting in the VII AIC of BSNL Employees Union.

AIC of BSNL Employees Union at Kolkata – 2

27 Monday Oct 2014

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The 4 days All India Conference of BSNL Employees Union being held at Kolkata from 6th to 9th November 2014 will be a memorable one. The Programme have already been finalised.

On 6th November, the Inaugural Session will held which will be inaugurated by Com. A.K.Padmanabhan, President of CITU. It will be presided by Com. V.A.N.Namboodiri, President of BSNLEU and addressed by Comrades P.Abhimanyu, GS BSNLEU, M.Krishnan, Secretary General Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers, V.Ramesh, General Secretary, AIIEA, K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary AIBDPA, Tapas Kumar Ghosh, Secretary General BSNL CCWF and Animesh, Deputy General Secretary, BSNLEU. The delegates from Telecom Employees Association of Nepal (TEAN), will also address the Inaugural session. BSNLEU has got close association with TEAN for a long period and the delegates attend each other’s conferences.

On the same day at about 03.00 PM a massive rally, participated by thousands of workers, including the delegates, will conduct a demonstration through the streets of Kolkata. After the massive rally, the Open Session will be held at Rani Rashmony Avenue, which will be inaugurated by Com. Tapan sen, Member of Parliament and General Secretary CITU. The meeting will be addressed by Comrades Shyamal Chakraborty, President, CITU, W.Bengal, V.A.N.Namboodiri, P.Abhimanyu and Animesh Mitra.

On 7th November Noon at 12.30 P.M., a Working Women’s Convention will be held which will be participated by large number of women comrades and addressed by leaders of the women’s organisations.

There will be cultural programmes arranged in the night of 7th.

A Seminar on “Revival of BSNL and the Role of the Trade Unions” will be organised at 05.00 PM on 8th November. Com. V.A.N.Namboodiri will preside. Com. P.Abhimanyu will deliver the key Note Address. Shri A.N.Rai, CMD BSNL and shri Anupam srivastava, Director (CM) BSNL will be the Chief Guests. Coms. Animesh Mitra, Dy. GS BSNLEU, Chandeswar Singh (NFTE), K.Sebastin(SNEA),Prahlad Rai (AIBSNLEA), K.Jayaprakash(FNTO), R.C.Pandey (BTEU BSNL), Suresh Kumar (BSNLMS), R.Venkatraman (TEPU), R.Raveendran (SEWA BSNL) R.K.Kohli (NFTBE) and B.D.sharma (FNTOBEA) will participate and address.

Except this period, the delegates session will take place on all the four days.The idea is to give maximum time to the delegates to speak and express their opinions, suggestions etc.

The four days will be a feast of speeches and discussion for the delegates. important decisions will be taken on the organisation as well on settlement of the problems faced by the workers.

here

The Split in CPI – the debate between CPI and CPI(M)

26 Sunday Oct 2014

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A debate is going in the media, especially in Kerala on the split in the Communist Party in 1964. CPI terms it as a big damage while CPI(M) states that had not the split taken place, the party would have become almost a close ally of the ruling Congress. The CPI(M) also state with facts that it is only because of the split that more people joined the party, with its clear ideological and practical stance.

A similar development took place in Telecom Union. But it was not a split, but a victory through election, a democratic process. The revisionist leadership was defeated in the Bhopal AIC of E.III Union, and the progressive leadership with Coms.Moni Bose and VAN Namboodiri was elected. The growth of the union and the present BSNLEU would have been not there but for the victory in that election and the developments afterwards.

History repeats, but with a difference and sometimes with a vengeance.

VII AIC OF BSNLEU AT KOLKATA

26 Sunday Oct 2014

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All India Conference of BSNL Employees Union – Kolkata
6-9 November 2014
The VII All India Conference of BSNL Employees union, the biggest and recognised union in BSNL, is scheduled to be held at Kolkata, from 6th to 9th November 2014. The Reception Committee with veteran P&T TU leader Com. Sisir Bhattacharjee as President, Com. Adhir Kumar Sen(Circle Secretary, Telecom Stores) as Working President and Com. Animesh Mitra (Circle Secretary W.Bengal) and Com. Saibal Sen Gupta (Circle Secretary Kolkata) as Joint General Secretaries along with their comrades in the Reception Committee have been working for the last few months enthusiastically to make all the arrangements for the AIC in a big way.
The Reception Committee is facing difficulties due to the the present political situation in the state. Govenment buildings and halls are not being allotted for the Conference and connected functions. Earlier we had the experience of the Conference of the Confederation of Central Govt. Employees, when allotted accomodation was cancelled. As such, the Reception Committee in consultation with CHQ, has decided the Telecom Factory premises for holding the Conference. Sufficient open space is there, which has to be converted in to a suitable Conference Hall accmmodating about three thousand or more people. Though the delegates and observers are less than 2,000, more workers will attend the Inaugural Session and Open Session on the first day. The kitchen and dinning hall will be nearby. Accommodation for the delegates are being arranged in nearby available places. In short, the Reception Committee is not taking any chance and is taking all measures to make the the accommodation of the delegates most convenient.
Kolakata (Calcutta) is a historical city, which has been the capital of the country till 1911 when it was shifted to New Delhi. The heritage buildings like Victoria Memorial, the famous hanging Howrah Bridge, the crowded streets with the age-old trams still running – there are a lot of places to see and enjoy, if time permits. The Telecom Factory Alipore, itself is a heritage building constructed about 150 years back for manufacturing the equipment for telegraph services etc and which has been the main factory of the P&T Department.
The inspiring role played by Bengal in the Independence struggle against the British is noteworthy. Social and progressive movements sprang up, some of them turing to revolutionary struggles. Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranatha Tagore and similar social reformers tried to change society for better. In the Cellular Jail in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, one can see the large number of names of the freedom fighters who were jailed and put to gallows.
In the recent past, the left party government under the leadership of Com. Jyoti Basu enacted many laws which improved the condition of the workers and the poor. But at present, the working class and poor people are being attacked and their rights are being taken away. The working class and common people are resisting these onslaughts under the leadership of the Left Parties. This is only a temporary set back which will be changed by sustained efforts of the people.
Bengal is the cradle of the Trade Union movement in P&T. It was here that the pioneers of the P&T movement started their work. Henry Barton, Babu Tarapada Mukherjee, Dada Ghosh – there are many more names which are closely connected with the initiating of the trade union. The stories of their suffering, sustained struggles are a saga to be understood and remembered. It is again here, that the leading light of the P&T movement, Com. K.G.Bose, the indomitable fighter, started his activities, who later became the inspiration of lakhs of Central Government and P&T Workers in their advance march. The memories of all these stalwarts will be with the delegates when they reach Kolkata.
It is in this great city of Kolkata that the AIC will be held from 6th to 9th November 2014. (will be continued)

7th Al India Conference of BSNLEU at Kolkata – Full preparations going on

21 Tuesday Oct 2014

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The VII AIC of BSNL Employees Union, the biggest union in BSNL, is going to be held at Kolkata from 6th to 9th November 2014.This is the first time that an AIC of BSNLEU is being held at Kolkata. The earlier conferences were held at Visakhapatnam (March 2001 ) Lucknow (June 2003 ), Guwahati (January 2006), Mumbai (February 2008), Thiruvananthapuram (May 2010), and Ludhiana (September 2012). The AICs were held regularly in time and the present AIC is in November 2014. It will be difficult to find many other unions which hold their Conference in such a regular way.

The systematic way in which the AICs of BSNLEU is held is well known. The number of delegates and observers are calculated on the basis of the quota paid and intimated earlier so that they can be allotted accordingly.

In the delegates session, the issues are discussed seriously, at the same time in a free and frank way. Maximum time is allotted to delegates, within the limited time available. This time also Open Session, Women Session, Seminar, Procession, Cutural programme etc. are being organised.

This Conference has a special importance. It is being held in our own building and premises. It is being held at the heritage telecom Factory, Alipore, Kolkata, which was manufacturing almost all items for telephone services for a very long period. The buildings and premises will remind you about the British rule and their heritage in the country.

With only one more piece of information I will conclude. The holding of the AIC at this time in Kolkata, or for that matter in W.Bengal, is challenging. The anti-people policies of the Mamata government and the brutal attack on the democratic and left movements is well known. No government or PSU buildings are allotted for holding the conference or accommodation. The Reception Committee has to find out alternate accommodation etc.

Yes, the reception Committee and the CHQ has taken up this challenge in its right spirit and are making all efforts to make the conference a very big success.

Let us march towards AIC ! VII Kolkata AIC Zindabad !

Implementation of Deloittee Recommendations in Maharashtra Circle kept in abeyance

21 Tuesday Oct 2014

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As soon as the letter of the BSNL C.O. received regarding the implementation of Deloittee Committee recommendations with regard to the SSA concept (reducing the present SSAs by merger), Forum Convener wrote to the CMD that this is on violation of the assurance given to the Forum by the CMD and the implementation should not be done.

On 20th October all the Circle secretaries of Maharashtra Circle under the initiative of Com. Nalwade, CS, BSNLEU,jointly met the CGM and expressed their strong protest. The CGM stated that in view of the strong protest of the employees, he will refer the matter to c.O. and will not implement the recommendations.

Congratulations to the Circle secretaries of Maharashtra.