Every month about thousand workers are retiring from the BSNL on superannuation. Many of the senior comrades of the union are also among them.

On this day, 31st July 2012, I have the information  about two such senior leaders of the BSNLEU who have retired.

One is Com. P.Asokababu, Dy. General Secretary of BSNLEU and who was an office-bearer of the All India Telecom Employees Union, then AITEU (N) and BSNLEU during the period from 1994. He is a wholly committed comrade who have made big contributions to the union and have been fully at CHQ for the last two years and have contributed much to the wage revision, promotion policy etc. ( Please visit BSNLEU website for details). He retired from Vijayawada.

The second is Com. Chaniara, senior leader of BSNLEU in Gujarat. A very committed leader who was always in the forefront of the movement, his contribution is well appreciated by all. He had worked in many posts including Circle Vice-President.

I convey my Best Wishes to both of them for a continued service to the working class and toiling masses. I also wish them a fully active healthy life!

My Best Wishes to all those retired today from BSNL all over the country! I thank them all for the excellent work done for the BSNL and the union!

I am herewith reproducing a news received from the Circle Secretary Kolkata Telephones with regard to the inauguration of Union Building:

In accordance with the decision of the Circle Union new building inaugural ceremony held on 29^th July 2012. In a very big gathering of more than five hundred workers All India President of BSNL Employees Union Com. VAN Namboodiri hoisted the union flag.  After garlanding the Martyrs column and  observing  silence to pay due homage to the Martyrs, Union office inauguration ceremony started. Com. Biswanath Chatterjee as proposed inaugurated the new union office. Circle Secretary delivered a welcome speech. Com. P Abhimanyu, General Secretary BSNLEU  could not attend the function due to some urgent union work at New Delhi. Circle Secretary, Saibal Sengupta  read out the greeting message sent by the GS.  Com. Sisir Bhattacharya, the senior most leader initiated the ceremony by his valuable speech. Com. Shib Sankar Roy, JT. Convenor 12^th July Committee delivered his speech.   Com. VAN Namboodiri, All India President BSNL Employees Union, the Chief Speaker addressed the mass. He appreciated the organisers and workers for their disciplined act and adept performance which brought this success. He also expressed that the Calcutta Telephones Circle with its past glory of fight from Olympia House would be able to upkeep the tradition of undaunted struggle from this new union office.  Alok Nandi, Deputy GS FNTO. Dilip Saha, State Secretary SNEA,  Subhasis Mitra , Asst. Secretary AIBSNLEA, Amit Gupta, leader AIBSNLEA,  D K Sahoo, Circle Secretary, AIGETOA, Timir Bhattacharjee, Circle Secretary, AIBSNLOA, Shyamal Ghosh, cIrcle Secretary, NFTE BSNL. Assistant Circle Secretary from SNATTA addressed the house.  Alok Nandi announced that he will donate Rs. 5000/- Shyamal Ghosh said that he will donate Rs. 1000/- and Amit Gupta declared that he will donate a wall clock to our union. Howrah District Secretary, Com. Prabir Dutta handed over Rs. One lakh twenty four thousand plus to the Circle Treasurer Com. Tushar Mukherjee. Many a comrades donated to union building fund. Com Animesh Mitra, GS BSNL Co ordination Committee, Com. Pijush Roy, GS CG Co ordination Committe, Com. Manab Sensharma, GS CG Pensioners Co ordination Committee, Com. Tapash Ghosh, Secretary General BSNLCCWF, Originator Com. Supriya Mitra, Ice breaker Com. Biswanath Chatterjee, Com. Ananta Kr. Bhattacharjee, All India President, AIBDPA, Com. Adhir Kr. Sen, Vice President, BSNLEU CHQ  and Shri Tamonesh Chandra on behalf of the landlord made their deliberations. Decoration, Sub Committee comrades  Manisha Biswas, Asit Bose, Samar Sarkar, Reception Sub Committee Comrades Ash Md Khan, Subrata Majumder,Bhajan Sarkar, Transport Sub Committee comrades Jayanta Ghosh, Ashoke Sengupta worked effectively. A very good delicious dish was served under the Leadership of Comrades Paritosh Dutta, Swapan Biswas and Nipen Sikdar with  suitable support from Bidhan Nagar District Comrades who cooked food and made all arrangements for lunch.Com. Subhasish Roy, Convenor of all functionaries supervised every affairs.  Many a organiser and members including non regular and retired workers put their support for successful conduct of the inaugural function. The entire programme was presided over by our respected  Circle President Com. Aghor Sikdar.

Congratulations to Kolkata Telephones Circle union and its workers!

I had a surprise at the Banglore Telephone District Conference. When the Conference was over with shouting of revolutionary slogans, some young comrades wanted me to meet them separately.

We met in the conference venue itself. There were about some 20 or more youngsters who were recruited in the last lap of DOT or in BSNL. Most of them were either recruited in sports quota or on compassionate grounds. They are active workers of BSNL. They had some issues about the sports recruitment, training as also about the conducting of the tournaments etc. I discussed with them for about half an hour and assured to take up the matters both at CHQ level and through the Sports Control Board. They also informed that they are in contact with Com. John Verghese, BSNLEU representative in the Sports control Board. They assured me that the young workers in Bangalore are fully with BSNLEU. I assured them that BSNLEU has always taken the issues of new entrants very seriously and will continue to do so.

The District Conference of BSNLEU, Telephone District Bangalore was attended by large number of delegates and observers. The Conference was inaugurated by me which was attended by more than 700-800 comrades. The Conference was presided over by Com.  C.Chinnaraji Circle President. In my inaugural speech I mentioned about the achievements of the union in the last ten years, including the two good wage revisions, promotion policy, efforts to settle the anomalies in the 2000 as also 2007 wage revisions etc. The struggles organised for settlement of the workers issues were also mentioned. I pointed out the important tasks to be pursued and to be taken fresh. The task in the All India Conference to be held t Ludhiana in September also was focussed. Com. Amanullah Khan, President, AIIEA, K.N.Umesh, Secretary, CITU, Shri Shubendu Ghosh, PGM, BG District, C.K.Gundanna, Circle Secretary, G.S.Salakki, AGS, B.P.Narayana, Circle President, Com. Babu , Veteran leader and others addressed. In his report Com. Sudershan District Secretary mentioned that more than 300 members joined recently making the number of members to more than 3,000, a great achievement. A total of Rs. 15,000 was donated to the KG Bose Bhawan Building by some leading comrades.

The Conference unanimously elected the office bearers with Coms. B.T.M. Giri as District President  and H.V.Sudershan as District Secretary.

The  VI  All India Conference of BSNL Employees Union, the recognised and representative union of non-executive employees numbering about 2,28,000 is scheduled to be held at Ludhiana, Punjab from 25th to 28th of September 2012. The Reception Committee has started its preparatory work in right earnest to make all arrangements for holding the same in an effective manner.

The All India Conference is the forum where hundreds of elected delegates from the thousands of branches all over the country meet and discuss the problems of the workers, assess the work done during the last two years after the last AIC, adopt resolutions on policy as well as issues and also elect the office-bearers for the next term. Since the formation of the BSNLEU in 2001, regular AICs had been held within the stipulated time, which many other unions could not do. The decisions were unanimous, including the election of office-bearers. These unanimity is arrived at after discussion of the various point of views and mutual consultations. Democratic values have always been upheld in  the conferences. The present conference will not be different.

The challenges before the trade union movement are many. More and more attacks are coming on the workers and the trade union movement as part of the implementation of the neo-liberal policy by the government. Jobs have been reduced. The hard-won gains of the workers are being curtailed or reduced one after another. Trade union rights are being curbed. This is fully applicable to the telecom/BSNL workers also.

BSNL has its own problems. The pro-MNC and anti-PSU policy of the government has created many problems for the BSNL resulting in its revenue and marketing share. The management has been far below expectations. The government has almost withdrawn from all its commitments to act to improve the financial viability of the company which it assured at the time of formation of BSNL.

BSNL Employees Union has been in the forefront of the struggles for the advancement of the workers and to save the BSNL and strengthen it. Whether it is in the formation of the Joint Forum, Joint Action Committee or Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations, it has taken a pivotal role in uniting the workers and organising struggles. It will continue to do so.

As the recognised and representative union for the last 7 years or more, it worked in unison with the United Forum for improving the condition of the workers and achieving more and more demands. The Wage revision of 2007 and the New Promotion Policy for Non-Executives have been /path-breaking and appreciated by the entire workers, especially in the challenging times when the company is in financial difficulties. Even those few who opposed the above on their own compulsions had to agree the benefits of the above, when they were implemented and the benefits were actually experienced. BSNLEU will continue its efforts to improve the benefits of the workers.

BSNLEU is connected with the main trade union stream of the country. It has been a party to all the struggles organised by the Central Trade Unions, Platform of Mass Organisations etc. in the past. It will continue to do so. BSNLEU is also connected with the Trade Union International and the World federation of Trade Unions (WFTU).  It has to take more and more effective role in the above.

All these and more will be discussed in the next AIC and necessary decisions taken. For that everybody including the CHQ, Circles, SSAs, Branches and all the workers have to prepare and come with their suggestions and opinions for the better.

Let us make the Ludhiana AIC another milestone in the progress of our Forward March!

Comrade Sahdev Biswal, Vice-President of BSNLEU, has retired from service today, 30th June 2012. Com. Biswal is a senior leader of the BSNLEU and has functioned as the President of the Odisha Circle Union and Vice-President of All India Union for a long period.

Com. Biswal was the  President of the All India Civil Wing Employees Association, which merged with the BSNL Employees Union at the time of its formation in 2001. In organising the BSNL Casual and Contract Workers Federation in Odisha he has contributed much.

Com.Biswal was given a warm send off by the Odisha Circle Union on 29th June.

My Best wishes to Com. Sahdev Biswal at the time of retirement from service. I wish him to continue his services to the union and the people at large in future.

Com.G.B.Salakki, AGS, BSNLEU, who retired from service last month will be given a warm felicitation today at Bijapur,his last serving station. A meeting of the Karnataka CEC of BSNLEU was held at Bijapur yesterday and the felicitation will be today. I am also on way to attend the function.

Com.GB Salakki is a very active comrade both in the union and also in social activities. Since Bhopal AIC he is with the progressive section in E.III Union and functioned as the Districtt Secretary of Bijapur BSNLEU till he became the AGS. He functioned at CHQ several times. He played an effective role in the purchase of the KG Bose Bhawan for CHQ. I wish him all success and an active life as earlier.

The atrocious and anti-people petrol hike has imposed more misery on the people than anything else at present. Now the price of all other essential commodities also will increase. The entire working class and common people are protesting against the same.

BSNL Employees Union or for that matter any union can not sit as an idle spectator in this context. The Central Secretariat of the BSNLEU, therefore, has called upon all BSNL workers to organise demonstrations and protest actions on 31st May along with other trade unions and mass organisations against price hike and demanding the roll back of the same.

Let us make the All India Protest Day a great success with massive participation.

I am posting a comment about the BSNLEU website made by Com. Mihir Das Gupta, former AGS of BSNLEU. Thank you for the information.

A NEWS TO BE PROUD WITH!

BSNLEU-CHQ WEBSITE RANKED AMONGST TOP ONE PER CENT OF WORLDS’ 30 MILLION (3 CRORE) WEBSITES!!

AWARDED 4 OUT OF 5 STARS RATING !!!

WebstatsDomain (www.webstatsdomain.com), the website which reviews the popularity of all websites of the world, has ranked our CHQ website (www.bsnleuchq.com) 315194 in the world (among 30 million domains).

WebstatsDomain also awarded our website the coveted Rating of 4 out of 5 Stars.

My hearty congratulations to the CHQ of BSNL Employees Union for achieving this GREAT HONOUR – an HONOUR earned by all leaders, workers, members and well-wishers through relentless efforts. Warm congratulations to all comrades.

Mihir Dasgupta, Ex. AGS/ BSNLEU

Kolkata, 11 May 2012

Certain comrades have told me as also written to me, why you are taking interest in the cases of casual/contract labour and also pensioners. If those comrades have thought for some time on their own, they  certainly would have got the answer. But since the issue has been raised, I am bound to reply the same in very brief words.

Firstly I am the President of both BSNLEU and BSNL Casual and Contract Workers Federation. I am the Patron of the National Co-ordination Committee of Pensioners Association and Advisor of BSNL-DOT Pensioners Association. Naturally, I am bound to take up and fight for the issues of all these sections of workers.

But not less than that,  it is the duty of each and every worker and leader to support and help the struggles of other sections of workers. ‘Workers of the world unite!’ is not a hollow slogan for comrades like me. And in the above mentioned cases, they are all part of the DOT/BSNL family itself. We have to remember the saying “Today we are workers, tomorrow we are pensioners”. The casual and contract labour has worked along with us many years and are waiting to be recruited today or tomorrow. All the three sections, Pensioners, Workers and Casual/Contract Labour are part of the same family and have to stand unitedly to settle the issues of all sections.

I would request all my comrades also to take interest and co-ordinate the functioning at all the places.