Category Archives: PSU

Matters connected with Public Sector Units (PSU)

MOU for 2014-15 between DOT and BSNL – ‘Perform or Perish’.

12 Saturday Apr 2014

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation, BSNL News, BSNLEU, PSU, Telecom

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

,

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between DOT and BSNL for the year 2014-15 has been signed on 27th March 2014, four days before the start of the New Financial year. The targets are moderate and seems to be practicable.
The Very Good Financial Targets for the year 2014-15 is as below:
Sales Turnover : Rs. 29,000 crores
Gross Operating Margin : Rs. 1,180 Crores

In addition the targets for Finalization of policy for organisational restructuring and implementation during the year and other parameters also have been noted. One of these is the Formulation of subsidiary of BSNL Tower Assets with a target date of 31-12-2014. As far as the workers are concerned, they are strongly opposing the formation of a subsidiary company, which is unnecessary and against the interest of BSNL.

On the CAPEX for Capacity Expansion, it has been given a target of additional 100 lakh lines of GSM, OFC of additional 20,000 Route Kms, Replacement of Wireline Exchanges by NGN with 5 lakh Customer migrations etc. Since no dates have been fixed the target date may be 31-03-2015.

Completion of ongoing Projects include the laying of OFC for Defence project (Network for Spectrum) to lay 40,000 Route Kms of Cable, National Optic fibre Network (NOFN) to connect 73,500 Gram Panchayats and also commissioning of 1,200 GSM BTSs.

Targets have been fixed for Productivity and Internal Process, Human Resource Management, Sector Enterprise Specific Parameters including net addition in GSM Mobile Connections (100 lAKH), Broadband Connections( 30 lakhs) implementation of ERP ( 10 Circle) etc.

The Rs. 29,000 crore Revenue Targets have been distributed among the following Verticals: Consumer Fixed Assets (Rs. 12,500 crores), Consumer Mobility ( Rs.13,500 crores) Enterprise Business (Rs. 3,600 crores) and New business ( Rs. 300 crores).

As usual all other conditions of submitting Quarterly Report to the DOT, Annual report to the DPE etc. are mentioned.

The Memorandum of Understanding are signed every year as usual. But what is the fulfilment of the Targets and parameters? According to our information, which may be incorrect also,most of these targets and parameters are never completed. Have they been fulfilled, whether the company, BSNL would have gone in to loss?

In fact, the OFC Project for Defence (NFS) and NOFN would have been finished much earlier according to the earlier Project formulation. The same with the Towers in the naxalite area.

What is plaguing the BSNL is the projects are never fulfilled. These are known to the management, but are never discussed with the 2,50,000 workforce who are also much interested in the better future of the company.

With such a large workforce, with more than 50,000 well trained technical executives and about two lakh committed workers, why the Management is unable to reach the targets fixed after much discussion and planning. There is a certain inertia somewhere in the lines. There is a casual attitude some where. This has got to be changed. Instead of sitting in the office, the majority of the executives and non-executives should be in the field.

Take the workforce also in to confidence in executing and fulfilling the targets. ITS, Executive or Non-Executive – all should realise that unless one’s full energy and effort is not utilised in expansion, development and service, it is difficult for BSNL to survive, leave alone improving.

Our demand to the BSNL Management is to make a detailed Plan for fulfilling the targets, take the workers and their unions /associations in to confidence, discuss with them how to implement the plans even before target dates and then move in to action.Is the BSNL Management capable of doing this exercise ? If so, well and good. However, the workers are determined to ensure that the company survives, strengthens and provide a better service to the nation. And certainly they have to ensure that the Management functions as it should be.

A united and joint effort is sure to win. The people of the country prefer BSNL to any other private telecom provider, because they know that it is not the profit motive that moves BSNL, but the service-motive.

Let Us March Ahead to Provide a Better Service to the Nation!

EPF Contribution restricted – One more anti-worker decision of Government

06 Sunday Apr 2014

Posted by in General, PSU, TU News - India

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

At present the contribution to the Employees Provident Fund is limited to 12% of the basic salary. Along with the contribution of the employee an equal amount is to be remitted by the employer. The Employees organisations have been demanding that the contribution to EPF should be calculated on the basis of the pay and allowances together so that there will more savings in the EPF.
The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) also agreed to the same and recommended to the government for including the allowances for calculating the contribution. It had issued a circular stating that “All such allowances which are ordinarily, necessarily and uniformly paid to the employees are to be treated as the basic wages.”
But the Government refused to approve the recommendation. It has directed the EPFO not to count the allowances along with the basic pay for the calculation of contribution to Provident Fund. The justified benefit getting to the EPF subscribers have been denied by the government.
It is clear that the government has taken this measure on the pressure of the private corporates to avoid employer’s higher contribution to the EPF. It is well known that the UPA government was always in support of employers and against the interests of the workers.
It is also to be pointed out that the Government has so far not implemented its decision to increase the minimum pension to Rs.1,000 and maximum to Rs. 15,000 which was one of the demands of the Central trade Unions and which was accepted.
Even in the last moment when the General Elections are to start in a few days, the UPA government wants to favour the corporates instead of the workers.

Renewable Energy for Telecom Towers -Recommendation of DoT Committee.

04 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation, PSU, Telecom

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , ,

A committee appointed by the DoT has recommended use of renewable energy like Solar, wind, biomass, fuel cells, hybrid power systems and battery technologies to power the telecom towers in the country. The committee was appointed for recommending Implementation of Renewable Energy Technology in the Telecom Sector’. The recommendations, if implemented will reduce the cost for diesel, petrol etc. which is presently used and which is very costly.Further the pollution and green-house gases which are unhealthy can be reduced. BSNL spends huge amount towards fuel like diesel and petrol and also electricity which expenditure is only next to salary of the employees. BSNL Management should take this opportunity to change in to the renewable energy for its towers, numbering more than 62,000. There are 5.85 lakhs total towers in the country.

57,000 selected for PSU Banks

03 Thursday Apr 2014

Posted by in PSU

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

After one year of the common recruitment examination, 57,290 candidates have been declared selected for being appointed in the PSU Banks. Out of this 35,610 are for clerical posts while 21,680 are for Probationary officers. As per reports,the former is expected to get about Rs.60,000 as salary while the clerical posts will have around Rs.25,000 a month.
In addition, selection has also been made for 10% of the vacancies as reserve, who will be posted when vacancies arise.
I am happy that more than 57,000 youngsters will be getting jobs in the banks. It, certainly, will improve the bank services also. My hearty congratulations to those selected.

IDA being reduced from 90.5% to 88.4% w.e.f. April 2014 ?

31 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by in BSNL News, PSU

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

It is understood that the IDA for PSU employees including BSNL employees will be reduced from 90.5 % from January 2014 to 88.4% from April 2014, a reduction of 2.1%. This is attributed to the decrease in the Consumer price Index (CPI) for the industrial workers.

We are at a loss to understand how the CPI has come down when the prices of all essential commodities have been going up continuously for the last so many months, without any reduction. There is clear indication that the UPA government in its last phase, before the general election has taken its revenge on the working class by manipulating the CPI. An enquiry is to be conducted on how the CPI has come down. The new government should go in to the matter to do justice to the workers

 

 

 

Bank Unions oppose Bank Licence to corporates.

25 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by in PSU

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

The Bank Employees Unions have strongly opposed the move of the government to grant licences to start banks for the corporate houses. They alleged that the corporates will utilise the banks and the public money for their own benefits.
It is also to be noted that the government had to nationalise the private banks in the 1960s due to bad operating and bad servicing. When the elections have already been declared, the government is trying to issue the licences to favour the corporates.
It is completely wrong and undemocratic on the part of the government to move forward on this issue. The government should desist from this unfair move.

Airport Employees protest against Privatisation

15 Saturday Mar 2014

Posted by in PSU

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

The Airport Authority Employees Union (AAEU) has strongly protested against the high speed process of files by the government for privatising the six major profitable airports, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Lucknow and Jaipur. These are proposed to be given to the private companies on lease for 30 Years. The AAI has spent Rs. 5,000 crore on modification of the Kolkata and Chennai airports alone recently. The other airports have also been modernised. After spending all these PSU money, the government wants to hand over them to the private companies to corner the profits. It is a shame for the government. The UPA government is shameless in such open gifts to the private companies. In the last phase of the government, when the election has already been announced, it is a clear violation of the election code. It is understood that the Planning Commission is pressing for early privatisation. If all the profitable airports are privatised, then there will be only loss-making airports with AAI. This is what the government also wants. Many PSUs have been made non-profitable by the government like this to suit their private bosses.

CIL Executives on three days strike from 13 March

11 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by in News, PSU

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

Kolkata, Mar 10 : The proposed three-day strike by Coal India’s executives from March 13 is expected to impact production and dispatches by 4 million tonnes of coal at a time when the miner is facing a shortfall in excess of 17 million tonne from its target for 2013-14.
“The production is peak in March. Each day the production is 1.2 to 1.3 million tonne and with the strike it is likely that it will get badly affected,” the president of Coal Mines Officers’ Association of India, P P Singh, said here today.
“But this strike, which is happening after 25 years when officers had gone for a two-day strike, is to press for performance linked pay and new pension scheme implementation, which requires the Coal Ministry’s approval,” Singh said.
The average annual impact on Coal India is around Rs 200 crore for not implementing the wage pact of 2007 in totality, he said, adding the total impact on Coal India would be to the tune of Rs 800 crore annually.(PTI)

GPF Interest for 2014-15 is 8.7%

10 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by in General, PSU

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

The government has declared the rate for interest of GPF and similar accounts for the year 2014-15 on 4th March. The interest will be 8.7%. The Order is reproduced below:

GPF Interest rate @ 8.7% for the Financial year 2014-2015
(PUBLISHED IN PART I SECTION 1 OF GAZETTE OF INDIA) F.NO. 5(1)-B(PD)/2014

Government of India
Ministry of Finance
(Department of Economic Affairs)

New Delhi, the 4th March, 2014

RESOLUTION

It is announced for general information that during the year 2014-2015, accumulations at the credit of subscribers to the General Provident Fund and other similar funds shall carry interest at the rate of 8.7% (Eight point seven per cent) per annum. This rate will be in force during the financial year beginning on 1.4.2014. The funds concerned are:—

1. The General Provident Fund (Central Services).
2. The Contributory Provident Fund (India).
3. The All India Services Provident Fund.
4. The State Railway Provident Fund.
5. The General Provident Fund (Defence Services).
6. The Indian Ordnance Department Provident Fund.
7. The Indian Ordnance Factories Workmen’s Provident Fund.
8. The Indian Naval Dockyard Workmen’s Provident Fund.
9. The Defence Services Officers Provident Fund.
10. The Armed Forces Personnel Provident Fund.

2. Ordered that the Resolution be published in Gazette of India.sd/-
(Peeyush Kumar)
Director (Budget)

Chennai Airport Privatisation – Madras HC declines to extend stay

02 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by in PSU

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

CHENNAI, MARCH 1:
The Madras High Court has declined to extend the stay on the privatisation of Chennai airport.

Justice R Subbiah granted the interim injunction on January 29 based on a petition filed by Airports Authority Employees’ Union against the Airports Authority of India seeking Request for Qualification from private parties to manage the airport. The AAI filed a counter affidavit and P Wilson, Additional Solicitor-General, in his representation insisted on an early hearing of the injunction application.

On Thursday (February 27) when the petitioner’s counsel requested adjourning the matter to next week, Justice Subbiah adjourned the case to March 5 and stated that the interim injunction will not be extended further. Arguments in the case will start on March 5.

Companies such as GVK, IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd and Essar Projects (India) Ltd have evinced interest in the privatisation of operations. The union claimed that since over ₹2,000 crore was spent on construction, privatising the airport will push up the user-development fee. (Courtesy: Business Line)