Category Archives: General

Meeting with CMD BSNL on Casual- Contract issues

06 Tuesday Sep 2016

Posted by in BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers, General

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Com. V.A.N.Namboodiri, President and Com. Animesh Mitra, Secretary General, BSNLCCWF met Shri Anupam Shrivastava, CMD BSNL on 06-09-2016 and discussed about the regularisation of  casual labour, implementation of minimum wage, EPF, ESI etc.as also implementation of gratuity. The union leaders also requested that necessary funds be allotted to Kerala Circle for making payment of arrears of the wages as per the recent agreement on the wages of contract labour. CMD agreed to look in to all the matters urgently.

Improvement of the services also was discussed. The necessity of immediate countering steps against the aggressive entry of Reliance Jio was also discussed. Better service and expansion is required.

Teachers’ Day – Pranab Mukherjee, President, teaches students.

06 Tuesday Sep 2016

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5th September is the National Teachers Day. It is being observed since 1962 on the birth anniversary of former President Dr. S.Radhakrishnan, who himself was a well known educationalist and teacher.

It was most appropriate that the President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee interacted with students on that day and took a class. This gives more respectability to the Day. Teachers have got much influence on the children and correct education and mentoring will make a better society.

My experience as a teacher for more than two years before joining the Postal and Telecom Department was very pleasant and educative.

While observing the Teachers’ Day, let us not forget that more than 30% people in the country are still illiterate. Kerala and Tripura, both ruled by the Left Party Governments, are the only states with 100% literacy. Even almost seven decades  after Independence, a good portion of the people are in dark without education. The government, the politicians, educationalists – all have to tackle the problem and ensure full literacy in the country, for which top priority is to be given. Education is power and the poor have to be armed with this power.

 

Meeting of PLI Committee today

05 Monday Sep 2016

Posted by in BSNL, BSNLEU, General

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The meeting of the PLI Committee of BSNL is meeting today. Due to huge loss, the BSNL employees were not paid Bonus for the last few years.

Now that BSNL has improved and has posted operational profit both in 2014-15 and 2015-16, it is a must that PLI (Bonus) should be paid to its employees. Of course, PLI is not based on profit, but on productivity. Productivity has also increased very much. The Management offered Rs. 1,100 in the last meeting of the Committee, which the unions did not accept. Since the Central Government has already fixed the minimum bonus as Rs. 7,000, the BSNL employees also should be paid at least Rs. 7,000 as PLI (Bonus). It is hoped that the Staff Side participating in the deliberations will be able to clinch the issue with the Minimum Bonus of Rs.7,000. The BSNL Management should agree to the fully justified demand of the Staff Side.

Zero Mile at Nagpur to be made heritage site.

05 Monday Sep 2016

Posted by in General, Uncategorized

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255px-Zero_mile_nagpur

Whenever I  visit Nagpur and stay at the BSNL IQ, I used to go for morning walk on the side of the nearby roads and most of the times, passed through the ‘Zero Mile’ stone erected there. Comrades told me that the milestone ‘Zero Mile’ is erected,because it is the centre of India. I know that some other cities also claimed to be as the centre of the country.

In the ‘Business Line’ of today, 5th September 2016, there is a small report on the Nagpur Zero Mile. Nagpur was taken as the centre of the country and ‘Zero Mile’ marked with a mile stone by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India after it calculated the various distances from the country. This was at the time of the East India Company and the British Government. The Survey began in 1802 and was completed in 1871, long seven years. It was at this time, the measurement of the peaks of Himalaya like Everest, K2, Kanchenjunga was also taken.

It is reported that the Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation is proposing to construct a metro Station at the place and the whole area will be made a heritage sight focusing the ‘zero mile’. It is appreciable.

In this connection it is to be noted that the City of Greenwich, London which is treated as situated at the Prime Meridian, a lot of scientific institutions like the Royal Observatory are situated and is a big tourist spot.

 

 

AIBDPA in the forefront in support of the 2nd September Strike

03 Saturday Sep 2016

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners, General

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Members of the All India BSNL DOT Pensioners Association (AIBDPA) fully supported the 2nd September Strike and expressed their solidarity by participating in the demonstrations, processions, dharnas etc. organised on the day along with BSNLEU and BSNLCCWF, whose members have fully participated in the strike. The presence of the senior citizens, who themselves have been the leaders of BSNLEU earlier, gave inspiration to the workers. Many of them are comrades who participated / gave leadership to all the 17 strikes organised since 1991 against the anti-people, anti-worker neo-liberal policy of the government. While only about one crore workers participated in the first strike organised by the Central Trade unions on 29th November 1991, more than 18 crore workers participated in the strike on 2nd September 2016. The Indian working class will continue its struggle against the anti-worker, anti-people policy of the government and on their fully justified demands like minimum wage of Rs.18,000, no privatisation of PSUs, implementation of labour laws to safeguard the interests of the workers, bring down the prices of essential commodities, regularise the contract workers, ensure minimum pension to all etc.

Hearty Congratulations and Thanks to all the senior citizens, AIBDPA members for the solidarity and support extended to the strike!

BSNL Management should utilise the vacant staff quarters effectively

03 Saturday Sep 2016

Posted by in General, PSU, SAVE BSNL CAMPAIGN

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Except in Delhi and very few other cities, there are a lot of vacant BSNL staff quarters. The reason is well known. There has been very less recruitment while retirement rate is very high. After formation of BSNL in 2000, more than 1,60,000 employees have retired, while the new recruitment is around 40,000. Secondly, most of the employees have constructed their own homes, utilising the home loans available. Thirdly, employees, especially executives and senior employees can get houses on rent for lesser amount than to be paid for the quarters. In some places, these quarters are vacant for a long period and are decaying.

The BSNL quarters are mostly in the centre of the cities, where there is much demand for houses. All these quarters should be repaired to good condition and can be given on rent to Central/State government, PSUs for accommodating their employees. In fact, as per the suggestion of BSNLEU earlier, such arrangement has been made in some places. This will provide additional funds for the company and at the same time, keep the quarters in good condition.

Union leaders at the local level should take up the matter with the BSNL administration. BSNLEU has many times brought this to the notice of corporate management. BSNL Management should take immediate initiative in the matter, which will benefit the company.

PSUs in the forefront on Social Responsibility – 10 PSUs cleans 10 Tourist/Religious places

03 Saturday Sep 2016

Posted by in General, PSU

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The government and the private corporates always criticise the PSUs on one count or another to ensure they can privatise them without opposition. But what is the reality? It is these PSUs which are in the front in acts of social responsibility. One example is given below:

The following PSUs have taken the responsibility of cleaning the ten tourist/religious places:

  1. Hindustan Zinc – Ajmer Sharif Dargah
  2. SBI – Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai
  3. IOC – Mata Vaishno Devi Temple
  4. HPCL – Golden Temple, Amritsar
  5. Oil India – Kamakhya Devi Temple, Assam
  6. Coal India – Manikarnika Ghat, Varanasi
  7. BPCL – Meenakshi Temple, Madurai
  8. GAIL – Taj Mahal, Agra
  9. Northern Coal Field – Tirupati Balaji Temple
  10. NALCO – Shri Jagannatha Temple, Puri

Where are the private corporates in this competition? They are nowhere. They are busy with increasing  their profits!

2nd September Strike – The biggest strike in the world? -18 crore participation, Rs.18,000 crore loss

03 Saturday Sep 2016

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Today’s newspapers have reported about the 2nd September Strike. All the papers have published the reports of the strike, which they used not to do earlier. The massiveness of the strike has compelled them to publish.

Business Line has reported in the first page with a five column report with the caption “Strike by 18 crore workers results in Rs.18,000 crores.” This is no exaggeration. This is the biggest strike India has seen for a long time. It may the biggest strike in the world also. 18 crore workers will mean at least more than 40 crore people including their family.

If there has been a loss of Rs. 18,000 crore for the one day strike, it also means that these workers have been adding Rs.18,000 crore to economy every day they work. These are the workers who are the back bone of the country. It is only at the time when the workers go on strike, this vital point is noticed. It can well be taken that the Indian working class is adding more than Rs.30,000 crore to the economy of the nation every day.

The government should realise the great achievement of the workers and ensure that their demands are met with out delay. Otherwise, further struggles will arise! Let us be prepared for the same!

2nd September Strike Great Success! Congratulations!

02 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners, BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers, BSNLEU, General

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The Indian Working Class have once again showed their unity in struggle! The 2nd September Strike has been participated by more than 15 crore workers. In certain states like Kerala and Tripura it was a complete standstill. Workers in all sectors in all states participated in large numbers. As per the reports, this is the biggest working class struggle for the last many decades.

BSNL Employees Union and BSNL Casual and Contract Workers Federation have been preparing for the strike sufficiently in advance by organising conventions, committee meetings etc. It has got good results. In BSNL, most of the workers and casual and contract workers went on strike. The Pensioners under the leadership of AIBDPA organised demonstrations and processions in support and solidarity of the strike. The strike was  for the cause of the entire working class in the country. The demands raised by the Central Trade Unions, Independent Federations and Unions are the issues of the people and the toiling masses. The government can not escape from such justified demands.

While Congratulating the workers for the great struggle, we demand the government to concede the demands immediately, failing which further struggles will take place.

Reliance Industries cheated by pumping oil from ONGC oil field – A.P.Shah panel

01 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by in General, PSU

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It is now established that the Reliance Industries have made huge money by pumping oil from the nearby ONGC oil fields through connectivity reservoirs etc. The Shaw panel also mentions that though this information was available with both companies,  it was kept it a secret.

The unions as well as political parties had raised the issue several years back, but no government took any action. The government has now to take serious action against the Reliance company both criminal and civil for cheating and making loss to the government.