Category Archives: PSU

Matters connected with Public Sector Units (PSU)

Private Airports in Delhi, Mumbai charges higher rates for car parking.

12 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by in PSU

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Every body who travels by air knows that the car parking charges in Delhi and Mumbai are much higher than that is charged by the Kolkata and Chennai Airports. All are metros. Of course, there may be slight variations in the number of flights to and fro from these airports.
While Delhi Airport levies parking charges between Rs. 100 and Rs.1,000 for duration of 30 minutes to 24 hours, Mumbai charges about Rs. 70 to Rs.900 for the same.
At Kolkata and Chennai airports, the charges for parking are only Rs. 60 for a duration up to 4 hours.
Why this drastic difference? The answer is that Mumbai and Delhi are run by private companies, while Chennai and Kolkata are run by a PSU, Airport Authority of India. Before handing over Mumbai and Delhi Airports to private, the parking charges in these airports were also far less than the present.
Now Government of India is planning to privatize 8 airports including Chennai and Kolkata. What will happen is known to every body. Not only car parking charges, but even tea and coffee in the airport will be charged more than double. This is privatization.
Despite the opposition of the airport employees and the unanimous report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transports headed by Com. Sitaram Yechury M.P.,against privatization of airports, the Civil Aviation Ministry is moving fast to sell the same to private companies for their maximum private profitization.
There should be strong protest against these anti-people measures.

Tragedy – One dead and four trapped in Bihar Coal Mine

11 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by in PSU

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

It is reported that one worker has died and four others trapped in a Bihar Coal Mine, Chanch/Victoria area at Basantimata, near Dhanbad, as the roof caved in, while the mining process was going on. The mine is operated by Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL). Four workers are reported trapped in the same mine.
Hundreds of workers are now engaged in rescuing the miners inside the mine.

This is not the first time that such tragedies are occurring. Many instances have been reported earlier also. Every time, the government and the Managements assure more safeguards and safety measures, but after some time everything is forgotten. And the result is the loss of lives of workers. The government should investigate, find out the reasons and implement of remedial measures. Lives are precious and have to be saved.

By the time this post is published, it agains reported that 4 workers died and more than 25 are still trapped and the rescue operation is going on.

CITU opposes Airport Privatisation

09 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by in PSU

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

,

CITU EXTENDS SUPPORT TO UNITED COUNTRYWIDE STRUGGLE OF AIRPORT EMPLOYEES
AGAINST PRIVATISATION OF AIRPORTS
24.10.2013

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions extends total support to the ongoing united struggle by the employees of Airport Authority of India against the retrograde move of the Govt to hand over 20 major airports of the country to private players on a revenue sharing basis.

The Joint Forum of Unions and Associations of AAI comprising all the unions of AAI employees have been conducting the struggle. They have successfully resisted the inspection of airports by the team of private players at Chennai and Lucknow and have now been staging relay hunger strike in all the AAI-run airports of the country where employees irrespective of affiliations have joined enmasse. Their struggle has also drawn support from all the trade unions in the country who have also expressed their solidarity to the ant-privatisation struggle by AAI employees. In the days to come their united agitation to resist the privatisation is going to be heightened further.

The Govt of India has planned to privatise 20 major revenue earning airports of the country through so called PPP route viz. the airports at Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Guwahati, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Trichy, Varanasi, Indore, Amritsar, Udaipur, Gaya, Raipur, Bhopal, Agartala, Imphal, Mangalore and Voadodara on a revenue sharing basis. Most of these airports have already been modernized and expanded with huge investment from the state owned AAI’s exchequer, to the tune of Rs 20,000 crore plus and now these readymade renovated airports are being sought to be handed over to private control free of cost on a revenue sharing basis. Can there be anything more scandalous than that?

CITU condemns such retrograde move of handing over huge public property to private hands free of cost to facilitate windfall gain by private operators without making any investment whatsoever and likes to remind that theses public properties belong to the nation and not the council of ministers of the UPA Govt.

CITU calls upon the working people of the country and the trade union movement in particular to unitedly oppose such disastrous move of privatization of airports and extend all support and solidarity to the united struggle of the AAI employees in defence of country’s airport infrastructure.

SBI Service Excellent – Congratulations!

08 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by in PSU

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Today, 8th November 2013, along with my wife Pankajam, I went to the Parliament Street Branch of the State Bank of India (SBI), New Delhi, to submit the yearly Life Certificate for her for getting pension. She is retired from BSNL and had authorised SBI for pension payment.
Every year we used to go to Calicut, Kerala, in November to furnish the Life Certificate to the SBI Branch there, since the PPO, Pass Book etc. are there only. Since I had been hospitalised and is still not in a position to travel, I checked up with the Calicut SBI office whether my wife can furnish the certificate in Delhi. They informed that the Life Certificate can be furnished in any Branch of the SBI in India. I felt happy.
Though still feeling very weak after the viral fever, I along with my wife went to the SBI Main Branch in the Parliament Street, New Delhi to submit the Life certificate. The car was first not allowed to get inside the compound, but when I told my difficulty in walking, they allowed.
We went to Counter No. 13, which was dealing with the Pension section. There were a few old people in the queue, who have also come to furnish the certificate. When I told about our problem, the woman at the counter assured that the certificate can be furnished here itself. Very efficiently she filled up the form consulting the Pass Book of my wife and got the signature wherever required. Then we went to the next woman staff, who checked the form, checked the Identity Card and then got a signature of my wife in front of her. Then she told that the Life Certificate is now furnished. Within a few minutes, the process was over and all the staff were much helpful and obliging. It was not to us alone, but the same treatment was given to all other pensioners also.
When coming back from the counter and going down the steps to go outside the building, we saw another old couple coming to the counter by starting to climb the steps. The old man was so weak and ill, that even with the crutches, he could not climb the steps. The security nearby told him to sit in a chair nearby, which we all helped him to sit. The security went inside and brought the counter clerk and arranged for the furnishing of the certificate. When I enquired, if any pensioner is not able to come due to sickness, what the bank will do? One retired officer of the SBI, who was nearby, told me that in such cases, the staff will be sent from the office to their home to get the certificate furnished.
So much change is taking place in the service sector. I appreciate the excellent service that a Public Bank like SBI, is providing to the customers. This is the need of the hour.
I thank the Staff and management of the SBI for this welcome change. I also congratulate the SBI Unions, which of course, will be behind this best service to the public!

Good News! – Kolkata, Chennai Airport Privatisation delayed

05 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by in PSU

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, ,

The latest news in ‘Business Line’ today indicate that the proposed privatisation of Chennai, Kolkata and other 4 airports will be delayed. As per the report, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), has extended the dates for shortlisting the companies who have offered for taking over the airports. About nine companies, including foreign companies, have shown interest in the project for Chennai.
The decision to delay shortlisting can be well understood. There has been strong opposition from the Airports Authority Unions against the privatisation. Now the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transports chaired by Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) M.P., has unanimously opposed to the privatisation of these profit-making airports, after modernisation has been done by the Airports Authority of India, a PSU, at great costs. The Standing Committee also has pointed out the case of Delhi Airport, after it was privatised, that the departure and arrival charges being collected from the passengers have gone sky-high.
The airport privatisation will result in more charges on the passengers and maximum profit for the private companies. The UPA government is in an aggressive mood to privatise all the PSUs to the extend possible and destroy the PSUs which have benefited in the growth of the country.
Strong protests should come from from all unions and progressive forces against this cheap selling of the nation’s properties. We have to fully support the unions in the AAI, who are fighting against the privatisation.

‘Privatisation of Airports neither Economic Sense nor Common Sense’ – Parliamentary Committee

03 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by in PSU

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

,

The move of the Ministry of Civil Aviation to privatise Chennai, Kolkata and some other profit-making Airports has been slammed by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, headed by Com.Sitaram Yechury,M.P.,stating that the privatisation neither make economic sense or even common sense.
These airports have been recently modernised by the Air Port Authority of India, spending thousands of crores of rupees. Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Lucknow etc. are some of the few remaining profit-getting airports after Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru etc. which are already privatised. The government seems to be under the plan to privatise all the profit-making air-ports for maximising the profit for private companies and leave the loss making air-ports only to the AAI.

The UPA Government seems to be in a hurry to handover all profit making PSUs to the private companies, before its term is over.But the unanimous report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee’s report against privatisation of Air-Ports will be a road block. It is also pertinent that the Standing Committee has pointed out that after privatisation of the Delhi Airport, it has become the most expensive air port in the world.
Massive protest should come against the ill-motivated move of the government to privatise the air ports and defeat the sinister game.

Govt. hands profitable Airports to private

21 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by in PSU

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

The government is openly coming out without any shame or cover to hand over the profitable airports to the private operators. The Civil Aviation Department has called for bids from private to run eight profitable airports which are now under the Airport Authority of India. These include Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow, Ahmedabad etc. which are profitable. Further, recently all these airports have been modernised by the AAI with its own funds. Now, they are going to be handed over to private under the PPP scheme.
The most profitable airports, Mumbai and Delhi have already been privatised. The other airports with AAI are mainly small ones and mostly on loss. AAI was maintaining its operations with the profit of the major airports. Now, what will happen to AAI is to be seen.
The employees of AAI have opposed the transfer, but the government is moving fast to complete the deal before the General elections.
Shame on the government for its anti-people and anti-PSU decisions.

Interesting statement by RBI Governor

14 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by in PSU

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

,

Raghuram Rajan, RBI Governor, who was in Washington yesterday, has assured the MNCs that the Government of India will bring big banking reforms so that even the MNCs can take over indian banks! Is it reform that Indian banks should be handed over to foreign banks? And such statements are made in a foreign country to appease and please the foreign companies!
Already the Government is in the process of giving licences to the Indian Corporates and big business houses to start banks. The people have not forgotten how the private banks, in the 1950-60s, have been cheating the public and how the government was compelled to nationalise these banks.
Is India gradually being converted in to a subsidiary of the US Government?

CITU denounces Civil Aviation Minister\’s Statement on Privatisation of Air India

10 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by in PSU

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

Press Statement issued by CITU against Privatisation Statement of Civil Aviation Minister
October 6, 2013
The Centre of Indian Trade Unions denounces the statement of the Civil Aviation Minister on privatization of Air India as published in today\’s Times of India. Honorable Minister must note that the Air India belongs to the nation and is not the property of the council of ministers of the UPA Government. The Minister must also note that the precarious financial situation the Air India is facing today is the creation of the reckless and irresponsible experiment of merger of Air India and Indian Airlines by the Ministry and also the irresponsible decision to purchase aircrafts without preparing for making use of them immediately following arrival of the new aircrafts.

The Committee of Public Undertakings (COPU) made clear observation as above, making the government and Civil Aviation ministry in particular responsible for such huge loss of Air India while recommending concrete corrective measures. The Government did not deliberately act upon these recommendations thereby making the financial situation more critical for Air India. This has given the Minister an opportunity for this proposal for privatization.

The honorable minister mentioned about political will for privatization. At present the Centre is politically inclined to sell and privatize not only Air India but every productive asset and vital infrastructure at its disposal, to the satisfaction of its patrons in the corporate lobby, both domestic and foreign. The Civil Aviation Ministry\’s anxiety for privatization is also visible from it\’s hectic move to hand over free of cost 20 airports of the country to private hands on a revenue sharing basis. Most of these airports were modernized and expanded with huge capital investment of around Rs 20,000 crore plus by Government owned Airport Authority of India.

The CITU calls upon the trade union movement and the workers and employees in general to unitedly protest and resist such anti-people moves of the government for privatization of the entire civil aviation sector to the detriment of national interest.

New Pension Scheme Worse than EPS

09 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by in PSU

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

New Pension System worse than EPS

Union Finance Secretary wrote to the Union Labour Secretary suggesting to encourage subscribers of Employees Pension Scheme (EPS) to shift to the New Pension Scheme (NPS) claiming NPS as a better substitute to EPS, NPS being ‘self-sustaining’ with ‘decent returns’ and ‘adequate pension wealth’ and “The government would be free from any open ended and financially unsustainable liability of EPS.

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) disagreed with the Finance Ministry’s proposal stating that return under EPS for May 2009 – May 2013 period would be 10.47% which is higher than the return under NPS; and EPS providing social security for lower income group in old age; pension to widows, children and dependents in case of death of the subscriber; many interim benefits; with provision of withdrawing self contribution in EPF. There is 15 years lock-in period in NPS. EPS subscribers get bonus of two years on completion of 20 years of service and there is provision of commutation or part withdrawal which are not available in NPS. EPS’ corpus stood at Rs 1.83 lakh crore wih 5 crore subscribers as against NPS corpus of Rs 29,852 crore with little over 47.70 lakh subscribers as on March 31, 2013. EPFO manages PF corpus of Rs 3.7 lakh crores plus Rs 1.83 lakh crore pension fund. (From: the Hindu, 6 August 2013/ Working Class)