1999 May – The All India Conference of AITE Union Class III N is going to be held at Erode, T.Nadu from 13 to 16 May. As usual all preparations for the AIC, both at Erode and at CHQ, New Delhi

A lot of luggage. About 2,500 copies of Annual Report and accounts ( coming to about 100 pages.) ( Present system of printing at the spot not started). CHQ publications separate.  The Annual reports received from  press in the last moment. No time to book in the goods compartment. There was another reason. Booking will be very costly which we can not afford,, with the union entangled in court cases and disputes created by the disruptors. Com.K.M.Pillai, CS MTNL Delhi, Com.T.A.Biju, Office Secretary, Typist Bijoy Chandran  somehow managed to bundle every thing. About 30 very big packets. In addition, our personal belongings. Delhi comrades led by Com. R.S.Chauhan and H.L.Makkar  helped.

But where to put them, if not in the luggage compartment ? Of course, many delegates from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, U.P. etc. in the train. Biju and other comrades took the bundles and put them in the  compartments wherever our delegates were. It was very inconvenient, but every one took it as part of the game.  Of course, it created difficulties for other passengers. No other way. TTEs during the journey questioned, but our comrades managed.

When we reached Erode, there was another problem. The stop is only for two minutes. How to unload the luggage? Hundreds of comrades led by S.Mohan Dass, President Reception Committee, Com. S.Chellappa, Circle Secretary and Convener Reception Committee, P.Abhimanyu, AGS, P.Karunakaran, L.Parameswaran, M.Chandrasekharan, C.Mani, N.Sinniyan, S.Murugiah, D.Gopalakirishnan, Killivalavan, Babu Radhakrishnan and many other leaders were in the station platform with red banners and flags to receive us. I told them the matter of our luggage and volunteers rushed to take the bundles. It was not an easy matter and the train whistled for onward journey. But the leaders managed to stop the train for a few minutes more and everything was downloaded. I always was surprised about the enthusiasm and energy of T.Nadu comrades.

Garlands after garlands. Powerful slogans. It was memorable. All the difficulties in the train was forgotten.

It was a grand conference, both in the matter of discussion and also in the decisions taken. Apart from other things Com. Sharavanan Branch Secretary of a small Branch Harur,  presented an amount of Rs. 65,000 to purchase a new typewriter for CHQ. It was help in time. Our comrades know what is to be done at any particular moment.

Train Journeys 13 – Joke or Fact ?

During 1977 to 1981, while I was Circle Secretary, E.III Union Kerala Circle, had to stay at headquarters Trivandrum. I had to visit home at Calicut, where my wife and young children stayed. I managed to come by night train on Fridays atleast twice in a month, if not weekly.

Many MLAs and other political leaders also return by Friday. They also travel by 3 tier sleeper only. They will discuss politics, make jokes etc. It was a time of relaxation for them.

Once I was in the same compartment with some CPI(M) leaders including veteran leader Com.E.K.Nayanar. They were discussing many things, myself a silent spectator. When it was time to sleep, Com.M.V.Raghavan spoke in a ‘serious’ tone. ‘Dont allow Com.Nayanar to sleep in his middle berth’. Others asked why? MVR continued “When we were going to attend a meeting, Com.Nayanar got a middle berth. All were sleeping, when there was a big ‘thud’ noise and every body woke up. Com.Nayanar was on the floor !” Everybody including Nayanar laughed heartily. Joke or fact ?
Anyhow Nayanar slept only on lower berth that night.

LUNCH HOUR BLACK FLAG DEMONSTRATION AT CORPORATE OFFICE, NEW DELHI. AIBDPA COMRADES UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF COM.R S CHAUHAN, AGS PARTICIPATED.

The call of AUAB to hold Black Flag Lunch Hour Demonstration on 16-07-2020 demanding immediate implementation of BSNL Revival Package, including rolling out 4G services was carried out successfully throughout the country. Despite serious situation prevailing in the country due to the super spread of Covid.19, in many places AIBDPA comrades also participated as per the call of CHQ.

The central Secretariat of the BSNLCCWF met today through video conference and discussed about the serious issues of the contract workers and casual workers including retrenchment, outsourcing, no payment of wages and took decisions for agitational programmes. This will be consulted with BSNLEU and then finalised. Wait for the details.

Com.M.S.Raja no more
Extremely sad news. Com.M.S.Raja, former Secretary General of Audit and Accounts Association and Dy. Secretary General of the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers have expired today at Trichur, Kerala, at about 7.30 PM after a severe heart attack. He had settled at Trichur after his retirement from service. He was only 61.
Com.Raja was was a vibrant and dedicated leader who was always on the forefront of the struggles. While at Delhi we used to meet now and then to discuss matters. Even about two weeks back, I had contacted him and requested him to work for the senior citizens through the Senior Citizens Friends Welfare Association which he agreed. On my request he also sent me a book written by Com.E.X.Joseph, a former SG of Confederation and Audit and Accounts Association. Com. Raja was a real follower of Com.S.K.Vyas.
His death is a great loss to the trade union movement of the central government employees and especially Audit and Accounts workers.
My Heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
Red Salute to Com. M.S.Raja!

Bhopal, October 1991. It was more than a bomb explosion. Com.O.P.Gupta, the undisputed General Secretary of All India Telecom Employees Union Class III for long 37 years was utterly defeated in a stiff contest in the Bhopal All India Conference held in the last week of October 1991. Com.Moni Bose was elected as General Secretary and myself as President. Out of more than 30 circles, we had majority in 7 circles only, but in the election we won, which was a complete surprise to all. Our propaganda against the wrong decisions taken by OPG which was against the interests of the workers have clinched. But we knew that OPG group will not sit idle and parallel list of office-bearers and dispute will come later as in 1971, when Com.K.G.Bose was elected as President of NFPTE.

So, when OPG tried through his supporters to forcibly take the ballot papers and other documents connected with  the election, the election officers headed by Com.J.Renganathan ( Com.Homi Daji, M.P. the former President and who  conducted the election having left the place) resisted and handed over the same to the newly elected General Secretary, Moni Bose. There was some tussle and move to manhandle us.

How to keep the ballots and records safe was one question. We took the help of the M.P. State Secretary of Income Tax Employees Federation of India, Com.Ramachandran. After two days Moni Bose and me started for Delhi. Since we had apprehension about the safety of the records on reaching Delhi, we took Com. Ramachandran also with us in the journey. The election records including the about 10,000 ballot papers (separate for office-bearers and 35 Federal Councillors), calculation sheets, 30 or so ballot boxes, seals etc were packed in two big sacks and taken along with us. We were full of anxiety as to what will happen when reaching Delhi.  We kept our journey schedule secret and no information was given to anybody about our arrival at Delhi, since there was apprehension about the safety of records and our own safety. What happened in the P IV Union earlier, when Com.K.Adinarayana won against the wishes of Com. OPG was well known to us. We had our own experiences in the Conferences, when our comrades were beaten. Better be prepared.

Our plan was to get down at Nizamuddin Railway Station and go to V.P.House or so, where Com.K.Adinarayana was staying or some other place to be safe. But on reaching the station we decided that we will get down in New Delhi Railway Station and face the situation boldly. Com.Ramachandran went to ITEF office from Nizamudin Station with the records.

It was a complete surprise! when we got down from the train 40 – 50 comrades led by Coms. Adinarayana, Secretary General NFPE, P.S.Raman Kutty, GS, T.III Union, Desh  Raj, GS P.IV and others were there to welcome us with union flags and shouting slogans. It seemed that they were more happy than us in the election victory. We were garlanded and led to the RMS office where a meeting was held.

Our anxiety was gone. We became bold. Yes, we had good support. We decided to go directly to Dada Ghosh Bhawan, the E.III Union Office. There was no problem. Gupta allotted one room for us and told that he will vacate building within one month handing over everything to the newly elected office bearers. Temporarily, there was truce.

(Our plan to keep the ballot papers and records safe had its advantages later  when OPG created dispute through parallel lists and court cases. It is another long story. Some time later about that.)

National Convention of Workers – 19-07-2010

As per the decision of the JAC, a National Convention of BSNL workers was held on 19th July 2010 at Mavlankar Hall New Delhi to give wide publicity to the problems of BSNL and to educate and prepare the workers for agitational programmes. The Convention was presided by Com.N.T.Sajwani, Chairman of JAC. Com.V.A.N.Namboodiri Convener welcomed and also presented the draft declaration for discussion of the convention. Com.Basudev Acharya, Member of Parliament and senior leader of CITU inaugurated the Convention. Prominent Central T.U.leaders, Com.M.K.Pandhe, Vice-President CITU, Shri G.Sanjeeva Reddy, President, INTUC, Com.G.L.Dhar, Secretary AITUC, Com.Prabir Purkayastha, telecom expert and other leaders addressed the convention and supported the action programmes of the JAC.

The convention was also addressed by Coms. P.Abhimanyu (BSNLEU), G.L.Jogi (SNEA), C.Singh (NFTE), K.Vallinayagam (FNTO), Prahlad Rai (AIBSNLEA), Suresh Kumar (BSNLMS), V.Subburaman (TEPU), Hari Singh (BTU), N.D.Ram (SEWA BSNL), D.P.Patwa(AIBCTES), Shriwastava (WRU), and O.P.Gupta (NFTE). A large number of employees were mobilised from the nearby circles like Rajasthan, UP(W), Punjab, Haryana, H.P. and Uttarkhand.

As per the decision of the National Convention, circle level conventions were held with massive participation and addressed by the leaders of the JAC.

Strike postponed to 1-3 December 2010.

In view of the Bihar Assembly elections and Kerala local body elections, the JAC meeting  held on 23-09-2010 decided to postpone the three days strike from 19-21 October to 1-3 December 2010.  (To be continued)

July 11th, 2020 is the 60th anniversary of the start of the Historic Five Days Strike of the Central Government employees in 1960.

The strike was for acceptance of Need Based Minimum Wage per the 15th Indian Labour Conference approved formula as also for grant of automatic DA whenever the cost of living index is increased, as demanded by the unions. It was also against the retrograde recommendations of the II Central Pay Commission which only denied the justified demands of the workers and the unsympathetic stance of the central government.

Under the Joint Council of Action of the Central Government Employees Federations (AIRF, AIDEF, Confederation and NFPTE), the biggest Indefinite Strike in independent India started on the night of 11/12th July 1960, the anniversary of the 1946 P and T Strike. The government refused to negotiate despite continued efforts of the JCA, as also many Members of Parliament including Shri Feroze Gandhi, M.P.( Husband of Smt.Indira Gandhi). The government was adamant. Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru called the strike as ‘Civil Rebellion’ and utilised the entire government machinery to crush it. Essential Service Maintenance Ordinance (ESMO) was promulgated and thousands of workers were arrested, convicted, dismissed, suspended, terminated and charge sheeted. All India leaders were arrested and put in Tihar Jail. NFPTE Secretary General Com. P.S.R.Anjaneyulu was paraded through the streets of Delhi while sending to Tihar Jail. Never before India has seen such brutal attack on any strike in the country, not even in 1946 Postal Strike, when the British were the rulers.

It is to the credit of the workers and their loyalty to their organisation that the strike continued for long five days, despite severe repression and manhunt. The entire Railways, Postal and Telecom services- all were all badly affected. Unable to continue against the brutal attack of the government and victimisation, the strike was called off on the fifth day.

5 Railways workers in Dohad were killed by police firing. They are Coms. Ranjit Singh, Sakharam, Sitaram, Kripa Shankar and another comrade whose name is not known. Two comrades in Kerala, Com.Ekambaram from Telephones Palakkad and another Comrade from Trichur Postal Division, whose name is not known, committed suicide unable to face the victimisation and termination from service. Many workers were punished with rigorous imprisonment. Public, trade union leaders and outsiders were arrested for supporting the strike. Recognition of the federations/unions were withdrawn.

The workers faced these attacks with full confidence in their organisation and leaders. They knew that there is no other way to defend their rights and achieve justified demands. They saw the most cruel face of the so called ‘Socialist Pattern Government’.

PTTI and many other foreign trade unions as also the trade unions in the country supported the strike and demanded the government to vacate victimisation.   In the Parliament, Nehru government was put on the dock by eminent Members of Parliament like Comrades A.K.Gopalan, S.M.Banerjee, Nath Pai and many others, who demanded justice to the workers and vacation of all victimisation.

It took more than three years for the vacation of victimisation and re-recognition of the unions and federations. But the scars remained for a long time.

Though crushed, the 1960 strike was not in vain. For that matter, no struggle is in vain. The government was compelled to act against the price rise, appoint two Committees one after another to consider the demand of DA and has to start discussion with the unions on the constitution of negotiating machinery, the Joint Consultative Machinery(JCM).

As a participant of the historic strike, I have my own experiences, which I may narrate some time  later.

The 1960 strike has many lessons for the working class. The determination, dedication and sacrifice of the leaders and workers who were part  of the great struggle will ever be remembered.

The Central Govt. employees are once again on the struggle path. The working class are on struggle against the curtailment of trade union and labour rights, imposition of more working hours, privatisation of Public Sector Units etc. etc. Utilising the Covid situation, Mody Government wants to steam roller its anti – people policies.

On this 60th anniversary of the epic strike of 1960, Red Salute to all the participants of the strike and especially to those who sacrificed their lives in the struggle! 1960 Strike has given the message that the workers will never surrender to the anti-worker policy of the government.