It seems that the Government was waiting for the end of the winter session of the Parliament. The session ended on 13th December and the Petrol prices have been increased by Rs. 2.95 per litre on 14th. This is the sixth time that the petrol prices have been hiked after deregulation in June 2010. The govt. plea that the hike has been ordered as the  international crude oil prices have risen sharply has not much meaning since the hike made is much more than the international hike. This is made to allow private oil companies to grab maximum profit.

Increase in petrol prices will escalate prices of all commodities which will cause further miseries to the common people. Of course it will allow the big business to get super profits.

The call of the Central Trade Unions to organise Parliament March on 23rd February 2011 against price rise and other demands should be made successful with maximum participation thus giving a strong message against price rise to the government.

Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister,  in his inaugural address at the Indian Labour Conference held at New Delhi on 23rd November 2010 is reported to have stated as follows:

“We have enacted several progressive labour laws since independence and some even before that. But it appears that  not all these laws have had the intended good effects that we would like to see on the ground. We need to consider the possible role of some of our labour laws in contributing to rigidity in the labour market which hurt the growth of employment on a large-scale. Is it possible that our best intentions for labour are not actually met by laws that sound progressive on paper but end up hurting the very workers they are meant to protect? …………….If we want to draw more and more workers in to the organised sector where they can claim the benefits that currently cover such a very small proportion of our labour force, we do need to rethink the nature of the laws that enforce such benefits?”

Is the above speech a direction to reform the labour laws in support of the employer instead of the employees? It seems so, in view of the neo-liberal policies being implemented by the Government of India. You can give your opinion.

It is reported that an enquiry is being conducted on the grant Wimax licence. Prasanth Banerjee, Member of Parliament has stated that he has written letters as early as on March 11, 2010 about the shortlisting of a certain company with doubtful credentials. He even wrote letters to the Prime Minister but nothing seems to have been done.

This is concerning  M/s Ampoules & Auto, the address of which is given in Kolkata. But on enquiry at the place the local people reported that they never heard of such a company in that address.

Strange things are happening in Telecom which is unheard of. It is not only the 1.76 lakh crore  2G scam, but many other scams  that is being exposed.

The final question – Why is the UPA Government afraid of 2G enquiry? Or what is it about 2G that scares the Congress ?

For detailed information on this, read ” Who is afraid of 2G ” article by Telecom Expert Prabir Purkayastha in Page No 4 of Peoples Democracy dated 12th December 2010. You can also view it from PD website: www.pd.cpim.org

The one man committee Justice Shivraj Patil stated that his job is to go by the records maintained by the DOT to study the circumstances and developments in the telecom sector that led to the formation of the New Telecom Policy 1999 and subsequently introduction of the fourth Cellular Telecom Mobile Service licence in 2001. In fact it is not an enquiry in to the 2 G Scam. Justice Patil also stated that former Communications Minister Raja will not be called for questioning.

It is very clear that the opposition charge that the enquiry will be an eye wash is being established as correct.

DOT has started issuing show cause notices to the private telcos that either suppressed information or furnished false information for getting the mobile licences. It will also issue notices to those companies that have got licences but have not fulfilled their roll-out obligations.

It is reported that 9 companies which have got about 119 licences will be issued show cause notices. These companies includes Unitech, Loop Telecom, Etisalat DB Telecom, Swan Telecom, Data Com Solutions and S Tel.

The 2G scam enquiries will bring much more violation of rules, favouritism, corruption cases and so on. This is only but the tip of iceberg.

57 employees of Air-India who were dismissed in connection with two days strike of about 25,000 employees from 25th May this year have been reinstated. 27 employees who were suspended also have been taken back. It is assured that the rest of the dismissed employees will also be taken back.

Air India Management has taken a knee-jerk action against the employees immediately after the strike started. The  Air Corporation Employees Union and Air Craft engineers  Association were derecognised at the time of strike. They are yet to be recognised.

We demand that the unions be recognised and the employees reinstated.

A complaint has been filed by CPI(M) Himachal Pradesh to the CVC demanding enquiry in to the sale of Agro-Industrial Packaging India Limited (AIPIL) to a scrap dealer of Nagpur for a paltry amount of Rs. 1.08 crore while it is valued at about Rs. 30 crore. The company was constituted in 1990 to manufacture corrugated apple cartons instead of wooden cartons thus to save the trees being cut indiscriminately. The many world-class imported heavy-duty machinery of the company which will fetch crores of rupees are treated as junk and given free.

The State governments are following the disastorous path of central government in privatising the PSUs, ‘the temples of modern India’.

Each state has its own speciailities. Gujarat also has its own way of hospitality. Gujaratis have a special way of treating their guests in the traditional way. More than that they want the guests/visitors to be gifted with food items. This time also when I visited Ahmedabad along with Com.P.Abhimanyu, General Secretary, BSNLEU I had the same experience.  They presented us with  sweets, numkins and what not! Coms. Prajapathi, All India Vice-President, G.J.Naik, Circle Secretary ,I.S. Khan, Acting Circle Secretary and of course Com. Chaniara, Circle i Vice- President, who never misses a chance to give you numkins brought from his own place.  We know it is part of your love to the organisation and of course your hospitality. Thank You.

I was invited to attend the 8th National Conference of the Trade Union Co-ordination Committee (TUCC) at Bhopal. I attended the same on 12th December and addressed. While CITU and other Central Trade unions were there, BSNLEU alone was there from independent Federations. I spoke about our sustained struggles against theanti-worker policies of the   the 2 days struggle. I also stated our committment to be part of the joint struggle of the Central Trade Unions and our decision to participate in the 23 February 2011 Parliament March. There was good appreciation from the delegates for the correct stand we had taken.