1. AIC – a view of the audience 2. Officebearers elected in AIC  3. Advisor, President, General Secretary and Treasurer (Right to Left)

WELCOME WING COMMANDER ABHINANDAN, WHO FOUGHT VALIANTLY FOR INDIA AGAINST THE PAK ATTACK!

The people of Kashmir valley and all shades of political opinion there are highly perturbed by reports of the efforts to do away with Article 35A of the Constitution.

This has come in the context of the petitions being heard in the Supreme Court challenging the Constitutional provision and the fact that the Central Government has not made its position clear on the matter.

Article 35A confers the power to the Jammu & Kashmir state legislature to define who are permanent residents and their rights. Any attempt to tamper with this provision will fundamentally damage the special status accorded to Jammu & Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) expresses its strong opposition to the move to interfere with Article 35A. It calls upon the central government to make a public commitment that the Article will be retained intact in the Constitution.

Com. K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary, AIBDPA addressed in detail the AIC of AIBDPA at Kolkata. It covered all the important points to be discussed in the AIC. The speech was much praised by the house.

It was enthusiasm all along and the 1000 odd delegates marched from Yuvabhart YouthHostel , Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata to the Purbashree Auditorium (Com.Sisir Bhattacharjee Nagar), Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Salt Lake , raising slogans in different languages, reflecting the diversity in unity. The procession reached the venue at 10 AM and the National Flag was hoisted by Com. Ananta Kr Bhattacharjee, President and AIBDPA flag by Com.K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary. Thereafter floral tributes were paid to the martyrs under the leadership of Com.V A N Namboodiri, Advisor.

The house assembled fully and good number of delegates were also accommodated in the balcony and still some of the delegates could not make it as it was jam packed. The music party consisting AIBDPA comrades presented melodious welcome song. Then, all the leaders/ guests were felicitated by the Reception Committee. Com.A.K.Bhattacharjee, President presided over the inaugural session. Com.Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya, Chairman, Reception Committee delivered the welcome address giving the significance of Kolkata since the British East India Company era.

Com.A.K Battacharjee in his presidential address recalled the sacrifices made by leaders like Tarapada Mukharjee and K G Bose and the numerous struggles waged against injustice and for the genuine demands of the workers.

Delivering the inaugural address, Com.Hannan Mollah , General Secretary, All India Kisan Sabha minced no words in exposing the anti-farmer and anti-worker policies of Narendra Modi government. He shared the experience had with the great Kisan rally at Nashik , Maharashtra on 21-02-2019 and how the Maharashtra government was compelled to settle the genuine issues in full. The Hindutva philosophy being aggressively pursued by the sangh parivar is supported by the government and all the constitutional institutions are saffronised. He also criticised the anti-PSU policy of Modi government due to which 4 G spectrum is denied to BSNL. He congratulated the BSNL workers for the glorious three days strike .

Com.P.Abhimanyu, General Secretary explained the circumstances under which the AUAB had to go for the three days strike from 18-02-2019 and the workers made the strike glorious by participating boldly ignoring the ESMA invoked by the government. The government move to kill BSNL is being resisted unitedly by the workers and he acknowledged the support and solidarity being extended by AIBDPA. Com.P.Abhimanyu made it clear that regarding pension revision the AUAB demand is for pension revision with 15% fitment and ridiculed the demand of certain pensioners organisations for CPC fitment.

Com.V A N Namboodiri, Advisor in his address reiterated the correct and principled stand of AIBDPA on pension revision which is vindicated by AUAB. Coms.S S Roy, Working President, NCCPA, Animesh Mitra, Secretary General, BSNL CCWF, R N Dhal, AGS, AIPRPA and K G Jayaraj, General Secretary also addressed the inaugural session.

A meeting of the AUAB was held today to review the 3 day strike and also to chalk out the future course of action. General Secretaries / Senior officer bearers of all the constituents of the AUAB participated. The meeting whole heartedly thanked the entire Executives and Non-Executives who made the 3 day strike a historic success. The meeting also congratulated the circle and district level AUAB, for effectively organising the strike. With the view to carry forward the movement further to settle the charter of demands, the following programme of action is finalised.

Conducting March to PMO on 06.03.2019, by mobilising the employees from the surrounding circles.
Memorandum to be submitted to all the MPs, latest by 28.02.2019.
To send messages to the Hon’ble Prime Minister and Hon’ble Minister of State for Communications on Twitter.
Meeting the Hon’ble Minister of State for Communications wherever possible by our comrades. (courtesy: bsnleu website)

CABINET APPROVES RELEASE OF AN ADDITIONAL INSTALMENT OF DA TO CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES AND DR TO PENSIONERS, DUE FROM 1.1.2019
Posted On: 19 FEB 2019 9:22PM by PIB Delhi

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to the release of an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees, and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners w.e.f. 1.1.2019 representing an increase of 3% over the existing rate of 9% of the Basic Pay/Pension, to compensate for price rise. This increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, which is based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC). The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both DA and DR would be Rs. 9168.12 crore per annum and Rs. 10696.14 crore in the FY 2019-20 (for a period of 14 months from January 2019 to February, 2020).This will benefit about 48.41 lakh Central Government employees and 62.03 lakh pensioners.

The success of the three days strike by BSNL employees and the vast propaganda and news reports have exposed the double game of the government and the DOT. Their assurance given to the AUAB in earlier discussions have not been implemented. Their favour to reliance Jio stands exposed. How BSNL is being attacked by the government itself is also exposed. People are gradually understanding that existence and growth of BSNL is necessary to stop the corporates taking over the telecom sector and squeezing the public, if BSNL is not there.

The statistics from each circle shows that vast majority of the workers have gone on strike. AIBDPA in all circles have organised demonstrations extending their support and solidarity to the workers. They well understand that today’s workers are tomorrow’s pensioners and also that yesterday’s workers are today’s pensioners.

Hearty Congratulations to the striking workers.

The three days strike by 1.70 lakh BSNL workers has started by 00.00 hours today, 18-01-2019 on the major demands including 4G spectrum to BSNL, Pay and pension revision etc. Casual contract workers have started the strike on their own demands. The central trade unions, Confederation, AIBDPA, NFPE, BEFI and others have extended solidarity and support.

Congratulations for the BSNL workers and contract workers for the successful strike!

The Three Days strike by 1.70 lakh of BSNL employees from the midnight of 17th / 18th February 2019 is a fight for survival of BSNL and its workforce. It is a fight for justice to BSNL and its workers. In reality, it is a fight against the anti-worker, anti-people neo-liberalisation policy of the government, intended to liquidate the telecom PSU, BSNL, in order to clear the road for Reliance Jio, the telecom company, owned by the richest person in India, Mukesh Ambani. The proposal  to take all measures including closure of BSNL, though later denied by the government, shows to what extend the government has become an open advocate of privatisation and destruction of Public Sector.

The story of telecom is not very old. But its growth has been fantastic. The telephones were was introduced in India in the early part of last century as part of the P and T Department. It was monopoly of the government. It was at first manual exchanges, including magneto exchanges.The growth from magneto and central battery exchanges to the modern exchanges was quick and fast. By 1970s, India had one of the largest telecom network in the world. All the latest communication technologies were introduced which enabled the subscriber to call national and international numbers from their own telephones.

Till this time due to various reasons, including national interest and secrecy as also the cost of the infrastructure, telecom services were the monopoly of the central government. The modernization of telephone system ensured that this is an area where big money could be made. This was also the period when the USSR, the first Soviet  country, collapsed and the world economic order changed from bi-polar to supremacy of the capitalist powers led by US.

The central Government also started the Liberalisation, Privatisation, Globalisation (LPG) policy of exploitation of the people. The priority of the public sector was taken away and privatisation of PSUs became the order of the day. How to  privatise Telecom was the  question before the government. It was not easy to privatise the telecom services being run by the government all of a sudden. The National Telecom Policy (NTP) 1994 allowed entry of private operators for providing telecom services. Licence for providing mobile services were granted to private companies, but denied to the telecom PSU MTNL and DOT. ( When BSNL was formed in 2000, it was also not granted permission to start  mobiles services).

Mighty strikes were organised against privatisation and corporatisation of telecom services. However in the last moment, the three recognised federations agreed for corporatisation with certain assurances from the government for pension payment by government, regularisation of casual labours etc. (Of course half a dozen unions, including E.III(N) union  opposed corporatisation and organised many strikes as mentioned above.) BSNL was formed on 1st October 2000 with many assurances from the government regarding its financial viability, support from USO Fund etc. But within a few years these were stopped one by one.

BSNL was making good profit for about 9 years. Denial of mobile services for the first few years, not allowing purchase of required mobile lines, allotment of inferior spectrum, confiscating all the reserve fund available with BSNL in one way or other, Favouring private telecom companies at the expense of BSNL, not filling up of vacancies created by retirement of about two lakh workers, corruption at top level, no initiative by the BSNL management for a long time etc. resulted in incurring loss for the last few years. The anti-PSU policy of the government was the main reason for the loss.The suggestions given by the Forum/Joint Forum/AUAB ( the joint forums of the unions and associations in BSNL) were ignored.

Government tried to weaken BSNL through disinvestment, VRS, unbundling of copper cable, formation of Tower Company carving out of  BSNL, merger of BSNL and MTNL etc, but the united struggle by the officers and the employees could stop most of these.

Modi Government is aggressively privatising /disinvesting PSUs one after another and BSNL is a big target. Reports are coming in the press ( later denied by the government) that all options including closure of BSNL is under consideration. This is a dangerous situation. Such a situation is being created to allow Reliance Jio to take the entire telecom sector and exploit the 100 and more crores of subscribers by increasing the telephone charges, as have happened in many countries. This is not only an issue of the workers, but the issue affecting the entire country. It is against this first and foremost, that the entire telecom workers, including officers, coming to about 1,70,000 are going on  a three days strike from 18th to 20th February 2018. The strike will start in the midnight of 17th/18th February.

In addition to the survival and improvement of BSNL, the other demands include allotment of 4G Spectrum to BSNL, Pay revision w.e.f. 01-01-2017, Pension Revision, reduction of pension contribution related to actual pay etc.

The one lkh casual contract workers are also going on strike on the same days with the demands of regularisation, minimum wage, against retrenchment, payment of wages in time etc. It is to be noted that these workers have not been paid wages for the last 2 to 8 months in different places.

The All India BSNL DOT Pensioners Association (AIBDPA) has extended all support and solidarity to the strike. They will sit in dharna along with the striking workers.

The Central Trade Unions have extended their support and solidarity to the strike and demanded the government to concede the just demands of the BSNL workers.

Only a few hours are left for the start of the strike. Despite many discussions, due to the adamant stand of the DOT and the BSNL management, the workers are left with no other options other than going on strike. This strike needs the full support of the people.

This is a ‘Do or Die’  Strike for both BSNL and its workers! Let us make it a big success!

[ AUAB has decided that there will not be any strike in J and K due to the emergent situation there. The strike in all places will start after paying salute and homage to the 40 Jawans who sacrificed their lives in the terrorist attack in Kashmir]