Category Archives: Uncategorized

All India Conference of BSNLEU in September 2012

15 Friday Jun 2012

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The CHQ of BSNLEU has already announced the dates of it s All India Conferece. The AICwill be held at Ludhiana in Punjab from 25th to 28th Septemeber 2012. CEC may be held on 24th. The immediate task of the Branches/SSAs is to conduct the elections for delegates to the AIC as per the provisions of the constitution and reserve tickets for them. There is acute difficulty for getting reservation and it is better that the same are booked at the earliest.

Retrenchment in Tata Communications Ltd.( former VSNL) – What happens in private companies?

27 Sunday May 2012

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Yesterday, 26th May,  I had the chance to attend a meeting of the VSNL /TCL Employees Union in the Constitution Hall near Mavlankar Hall in New Delhi. The organisers had invited me to attend the meeting which was being held to protest the retrenchment and compulsory retirement in VSNL/TCL. The hall was full and the meeting was going to start.

After the welcome speech, one after another, mainly the dismissed workers, narrated their experiences, how they were compelled to resign or retrenched and the threatening situation in the company. Out of about 2800 workers absorbed from DOT/VSNL, there are only about 600 left. More than 2000 new workers have been recruited by Tata. But there is huge discrimination between the two sets of employees. the absorbed employees are completely neglected in career advancement, new opportunities etc. Lat year 19 workers were retrenched and this year 18. They are all having 20 to 30 years of service or more and have worked efficiently. One lady comrade from Bengaluru who was also sacked explained the situation.If this kind of retrenchment /dismissal continues. there will be no absorbee left out in the company.

In my brief speech I stated the need to fight out unitedly against such attacks and anti-Labour policies of the government. I also spoke about the experiences of fighting the govt. policies in BSNL and the present position. On behalf of BSNLEU and the BSNL Employees, I assured full solidarity and support to their struggles for survival.

 

Why should the employees bear the burden for minimum pension?

26 Saturday May 2012

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The demand of the  EPF pensioners that at least a minimum pension of Rs. 1,000 should be paid is very reasonable. After contributing to EPF during their work period, even if Rs.1000 is not paid as pension, what is the meaning of such a pension scheme? The EPF Organisation is proposing that the additional burdern should be borne by the workers. Why the worker who has contributed towards PF/Pension during all his employmnet be asked to contribute again. It should be done either by the management or the government. In some states like Kerala, universal pension of Rs. 500 or so is paid to all those who completed 60 years, if they don’t have any other means of subsistence. Can’t the Central government pay at least this to the workers who have served the country.

Is it not the responsibility of the government to pay the minimum pension of Rs. 1,000 without burdening the worker. Either the government or the management should pay the additional contribution, if it is

April 2012 – A month in which fire claimed three exchanges

15 Tuesday May 2012

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April 2012 witnessed  3 BSNL telephone exchanges destroyed by fire causing huge loss to the company and much inconvenience to the subscribers.

1. A major fire broke out on April 13, in the Exchange in Bhopal situated at Royal Market causing huge loss. It took many hours for the Fire Force to put the fire under control.

2. On April 18, another major fire broke out in Navrangpura Telephone Exchange in Ahmedabad destroying more than 20,000 local connections.

3. Maoists torched Alamanda exchange in Odisha on 22nd April causing much loss.

BSNL lost crores of rupees as also the people were put to much difficulties. Let us be more cautious in future to avoid such accidents / untoward happenings.

We have to appreciate the workers and officers in the above places who tirelessly brought normalcy at the earliest even working round the clock .

What is happening in Tata Communications Ltd.(former VSNL)?(contd.))

14 Monday May 2012

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Today I met two employees who were forcibly retrenched from the Tata Communications Ltd.(former VSNL). The situation of the absorbed workers from DOT/VSNL is pitiable. They are being treated in an inhuman way by the Tata Management.

One of the employee is an Asst. General Manager. A few days back, while he was on field duty, he was called by his superior to immediately come to the office. He was called to the office of the superior, There were more than one senior officers. He was point blankly told to submit resignation from job forthwith, failing which he will be retrenched. He is having 10 more years of service and was worried about his future. He was threatened with immediate retrenchment without any benefit if he do not resign. He was compelled to resign and when he tried to phone to consult, the phone was snatched away. At last out of fear, he gave a resignation letter. The next moment he was given a letter accepting his resignation. This was typed and kept ready earlier. Another officer was also made to submit compulsory resignation in the same way.

Tata companies are stated to be one of the companies keeping good relations with the workers. If this is the situation in Tata Company, what will be happening in other private companies? All labour rules are violated and the workers are being treated as slaves. The central trade unions specially and all unions in the country have to ensure that such inhuman and anti-worker acts are resisted and defeated. Today it is in TCL, tomorrow it may be in BSNL. Can we tolerate such inhuman acts? No. No. We haveto put an end to such attacks.

Railway Minister has to wake up.

11 Friday May 2012

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It has almost impossible to get a railway ticket to anywhere in India during the summer vacation time. Tickets can be booked 120 days earlier. But even if you try to get the reservation on the first day itself, within hours the reservations are over and you get only in the waiting list. It is true that the passengers have increased many fold. Now more and more people go on tours as also visit their kids who may be working in some other place.

The government has to increase the railway tracks, increase the trains and also ensure that the trains run in time. One of the reasons for delay is the lack of sufficient platforms in all major stations causing the incoming trains compelled to wait for their turn.

Will the government and specially the railway Minister listen!

Tata Telecommunications Ltd ( former VSNL) employees facing forced resignation

11 Friday May 2012

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Many employees of the Tata Telecommunications Ltd.  ( former Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited ), including SC/ST ,a re being compelled and forced to submit resignations from job. This is a new kind of retrenchment.

This is one of the result of the privatisation. This kind of retrenchment or forced resignation happened in BALCO and Centaur Hotels after privatisations. Women, SC/ST employees are targeted  first. Then the other employees. In many companies workers were transferred in large numbers to make them submit resignations.

Those who support privatisation or are disinterested in the whole issue should see what is happening to the workers in the privatises PSUs. At any cost we have to stop disinvestment and privatisation of BSNL.

The First War of Independence 1857

10 Thursday May 2012

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The first spark of the First War of Independence 1857 started on 1oth May 1857 at Meerut. It spread throughout the North India like wild-fire. It was a great struggle and war for independence.Before the mighty force of the British Empire it could not win. Lakhs of sepoys and people along with their valiant leaders perished before the guns of the British.

But the war and battles were not in vain. Again the struggle for Independence started and we got independence in 1947.  The present struggle of the people of this county is against the neo-liberal policies being adopted by the government which is not in the interest of the common people and the working class. Let us be part of this struggle of the people of India, nay the world.

Jammu and Kashmir Shifts Secretariat from Jammu to Srinagar for Summer session

02 Wednesday May 2012

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During the British Raj, the capital was shifted from Calcutta to Shimla during summer days. All the officers, employees, families and other connected persons shifted to Shimla with files, vehicles etc. etc. This continued till the capital was shifted to Delhi from Calcutta in 1912.

There is one state which follows this system even now. Jammu and Kashmir shifts its capital to Srinagar in Summer and to Jammu in winter. This month the capital is being shifted to Srinagar. Srinagar is located 300 kilometers north of Jammu. The state government secretariat shifts every spring and autumn between the two capitals in conformity with the changing weather. This not only helps in more convenience but also getting the people of both areas easy access to the government. Fair enough.

In Maharashtra the state assembly is being held in Nagpur also during certain period shifting from Mumbai. I do not know whether any other state is having this practice of shifting the capital according to weather change.

May Day observed all over the world

01 Tuesday May 2012

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The workers all over the world observed May Day with rallies, meetings, demonstrations and in some places by organising strikes also.

In India, big joint rallies were organised in many centres. As per the call of the BSNLEU, in many palces BSNL workers organised rallies or participated in the joint rallies. The workers paid homage to the memory of the martyrs.