After hard-bargaining and in the intervention of the Haryana Government, the strike of the Maruti workers has been called off after 14 days. The Maruti Managemnt has been compelled to take back all the 1200 casual workers. It will reinstate 64 of the regular workers. About the balance 34 workers including the leaders, enquiry will be conducted. There will be no pay for the strike period plus one day penalty.
The Maruti Workers have to be congratulated for their heroic struggle against all odds against the MNC Suzuki-Maruti and compelling them to a settlement. The management has been adamant and with the support of the Haryana government has been victimising the workers for having formed a union of their own choice at the Manesar plant. The workers were moved out of the plant by the police but they stood their ground and sat outside the factory all these days 24 hours of the day. It was a grim fight and the management was compelled to come for talks and agreement. A lot of anti-worker acts of the management came in to light like only 7 minutes time for tea-break, unjustified pay cuts etc. The agreement also provides for forming of a Grievance Redressal Committee and a Labour Welfare Committee. It is also understood that the chance of recognising the Maruti Suzuki Employees Union, formed by the workers of the Manesar plant.
The support given by the workers of other plants of the Suzuki nearby is an inspiring examples of the solidarity of workers which helped in bringing a settlement.
Full details are yet to be known, but the strike is historic in more than one ways and stands as a warning to the employers who have started to exploit the workers waiving all labour laws.
Many issues are yet to be settled, but that is part of any such agreement.
My Hearty congratulations to the Maruti Workers!

BSNL has also issued orders endorsing DPE orders vide 14-3/2010-PAT(BSNL)/revised scale dated 21-10-001 increasing the IDA to 52% w.e.f. 1st October 2011. The increase is 4.8%.

While some improvements were seen in providing mobile connections in earlier months, the August statistics show a complete down fall of the BSNL new connections.
While Idea gave 23.3 lakh connections in August 2011, Reliance provided 12.8 lakh, Airtel 11.5 lakhs and Vodafone 11.3 lakhs, BSNL has fared with a meagre 2.6 lakh connections only. The workers have been putting their maximum efforts for increasing the connections, then, how this down fall has come? We have pointed out earlier to the BSNL management that mobile lines are in acute short supply and this may affect the new connections. But management was telling that sufficient number of mobile lines are available.
This colourless performance of BSNL can only be due to shortage of Mobile lines. Will the management take immediate action to get the mobile lines?

DPE vide No.F.No.2(70)/2008-DPE(WC)-GL-XVII/2011 DATED 21-10-2011 issued orders revising IDA by 4.8% making a total of IDA 52% from October 2011.
The BSNL is yet to issue orders.

The Communications Minister or for that matter the UPA Government will bend to any extent to help the private telecom operators. It is what is going to happen with the 3G roaming services.
The 3G Spectrum was allotted by circle-wise auctions on the premises that the company which auctions for a particular circle can provide 3G in that circle alone. Most of the private telecom companies auctioned for their choice circles. BSNL even without being given a chance to auction was asked to pay the maximum auction amount for all circles.
The conspiracy has now been exposed. All these private companies are providing 3G services in all the circles by making roaming agreements between them. Without paying the charges for 3G Spectrum in all the circles, they are providing the services. At the same time BSNL has been compelled to pay the full charges.This is completely against the auction rules and is cheating the government.
The TRAI has recommended to take action against these companies for violation of licence agreements, but the DOT is keeping mum, because the government don’t want any action against its favourite private companies.
And in the Draft NTP-2011, it is proposed to allow spectrum sharing which these private companies have already done. The Government is making illegal to legal to help these private companies.
And putting BSNL in to lurch which was compelled to pay for all circles.

The protest demonstrations and meetings in Greece against the pay-pension cuts and severe austerity measures reached a new heights on Thursday with more than one lakh people coming to the streets all over the country, In Athens the protest demonstrations became violent with clashes with the police. The demonstrations were part of the 48 hours strike called by the workers. to oppose the bill that is being moved in the Parliament of the pay-pension cut etc. The demonstrations are continuing.
The neo-liberal polcies and capitalist path of development have helped the rich to become richer, but the poor has become poorer and is on the path to ruin. In almost all capitalist/developed countries the protests are getting momentum.

Draft of NTP-2011 is proposing exit policy for those private telcos who want to leave from the telecom sector. This is another policy decision which will help the private companies which will be exiting. In fact if a company has failed to implement the licence agreements including rolling out services, its licence fee should be forfeitted and penalty should be imposed. Instead of that the government is now proposing to bail them out by relaxing the rules. This should not be done. There should be no question of returning the licence charges etc.
The present proposal will help cartelisation which will be against the interest of the consumers.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has warned the governments about a scarred generation of youths due to the increased unemployment in the world. According to the report, ‘ Global Employment Trends for youth 2011 Update’, the number of unemployed youth has increased by 4.5 million during the 2008-09 period alone. There is much frustration among the youth and it may reflect in various ways including complete distrust of entire political and economic system.
The recent protest actions in US, European countries, UK etc. and the massive participation of the youth in these agitations indicate the anger of the youth towards the present economic system of inequality.
It is for the governments, including India, to take this warning seriously and ensure more employment and reduction of disparity between the rich and poor.

The Telephone Statistics for August 2011 as per TRAI is given below: This is compiled by Com. Mihir Dasgupta, former AGS, BSNLEU

Telephone Subscribers’ Base in India
for the month of August 2011
SERVICE
PROVIDER
COMPANY W I R E L I N E W I R E L E S S T O T A L Wireless
VLR
Proportion
%
Number Market Share
% Number Market Share
% Number Market Share
%
Bharti Airtel 3327797 9.77 171846824 19.85 175174621 19.47 88.86
Reliance 1255289 3.68 146066926 16.87 147322215 16.37 62.67
Vodafone 0.00 144144031 16.65 144144031 16.02 81.01
BSNL 24453818 71.78 95411079 11.02 119864897 13.32 52.79
Tata 1345601 3.95 88555271 10.23 89900872 9.99 50.40
Idea 0.00 98441714 11.37 98441714 10.94 91.55
Aircel/ Dishnet 0.00 59191661 6.84 59191661 6.58 52.43
Uninor 0.00 27738154 3.20 27738154 3.08 61.08
Sistema 43479 0.13 12835938 1.48 12879417 1.43 48.77
MTNL 3446216 10.12 5555087 0.64 9001303 1.00 37.42
Videocon 0.00 6382493 0.74 6382493 0.71 37.26
Loop Telecom 0.00 3181967 0.37 3181967 0.35 42.62
S-Tel 0.00 3433988 0.40 3433988 0.38 42.21
HFCL Infotel 195137 0.57 1445751 0.17 1640888 0.18 36.67
Etisalat/ Allianz 0.00 1477495 0.17 1477495 0.16 31.86
Total 34067337 100 865708379 100 899775716 100 70.30
TELE DENSITY
Urban 7.11 157.76 164.87
Rural 0.99 35.20 36.19
Overall 2.84 72.12 74.96
Broadband = 12.69 million
Source:
TRAI Press Release
dated 20th October, 2011
HIGHLIGHTS

 In Wireless (GSM+CDMA) segment, monthly growth marginally improved to 73.4 lac in August’11, compared to July’11. Top four performers in net Wireless Subscribers addition in Aug’11 are: Idea (23.3 lac), Reliance (12.8 lac), Bharti (11.5 lac) & Vodafone (11.3 lac). BSNL added only 2.6 lac. Worst loser is Videocon (- 6.5 lac). S-Tel lost 0.7 lac.

 Amongst BSNL Circles, Andhra Pradesh again recorded highest Wireless Subscribers’ growth of 3 lac in August’11 followed by Tamil Nadu (including Chennai) 1.9 lac, Kerala 1.3 lac &. Karnataka 1 lac. Eight Circles posted negative growth in August’11 viz. Rajasthan (2.4 lac), UP(E) (1.2 lac), Kolkata (92 K), west Bengal (41 K), Bihar (28 K), Haryana (20 K), Gujarat (3 K) & HP (2 K). In VLR position of August’11, Kerala Circle tops with 64.99%, followed by Andhra Pradesh 64.77%, J&K 62.59%, Maharashtra 61.16% & Bihar 60.09%. Kolkata TD occupies the last position with 34.66%, though improved marginally from last month’s 32.14%.

 VLR – Visitor Location Register shows the actual number of active Wireless telephones. In August 2011, VLR report indicated that only 70.30% (60.86 crore) of all wireless subscribers were active. Company-wise detailed status is shown in the table.

 Urban – Rural Divide on the Basis of Tele- Density: The gap i.e. Urban TD minus Rural TD is widening month by month as visualized from the consecutive 5 months’ figures : April’11= 125.2, May’11= 126.2, June’11= 127.5, July= 127.8% & Aug’11= 128.7%.

On this day, 21st October, two years back in 2009, All India BSNL-DOT Pensioners Association (AIBDPA) was formed at an All India Convention of Pensioners held in Delhi. The Convention was inaugurated by late Comrade M.K.Pandhe, the veteran trade union leader, who called upon the pensioners to rally together and fight against the move of the government to take away the hard earned rights of the workers and pensioners by the central government.
The last two years have been a period of continued struggles and agitations organised under the leadership of the AIBDPA. Along with the working employees, under the leadership of the Joint Action Committee of BSNL Associations and Unions of Executives and Non-Executives, two strikes were organised in April 20th and December 1-2, 2010 by which the government was compelled to agree for pension revision of pre-2007 BSNL retirees which was a great achievement. Many other issues have also been taken up by the AIBDPA.
The membership of the Association has increased substantially and the Association has been formed in almost all the circles in the short period of two years. More and more pensioners are joining the AIBDPA.The union quarterly journal ‘Tele Pensioner’ is being published regularly.
It is part of the National Co-Ordination Committee of Pensioners Association (NCCPA) as also BCPC, the umbrella organisation of the pensioners.
The fight against the anti-worker PFRDA is gaining momentum. A Parliament March is being organised on 25th November 2011, which will be participated by lakh of workers and pensioners. A good number of AIBDPA members are also participating in the March.
Within two years, AIBDPA has become an integral part of the DOT and BSNL Pensioners. AIBDPA will continue to fight for the rights of the pensioners along with the workers unions.
Best Wishes and Greetings to all members and well wishers on this AIBDPA Day!