Great Victory! BSNL C.O. issued orders for EPF Payment to Casual labours from 01-10-2000

18 Monday May 2015

Posted by in BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers, BSNLEU

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It is a great victory for the BSNLCCWF and the casual and contract workers! The Federation as well as BSNLEU has been demanding that for the casual and contract workers EPF should be implemented from at least 01-10-2000. After much efforts, the BSNL Management had implemented EPF for casual workers from 10-01-2011. In many places EPF was not implemented to the contract workers.

These along many other issues were taken by the BSNL Casual & Contract Workers Federation with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour and also the Central Provident Fund Commissioner, New Delhi. The representatives gave detailed evidence before Parliamentary Standing Committee with full documents. The EPF Commissioner held meeting with the President BSNLCCWF and Officers of BSNL on this. Accordingly the EPF Commissioner (Central) issued a strong letter dated 22-04-2015 to BSNL asking them to implement EPF to casual labours w.e.f.01-10-2000 (the date of formation of BSNL) retrospectively. It was also directed that wherever, EPF is not implemented for contract workers, it should be implemented as per EPF Act.

Now today, 18-05-2015, the BSNL C.O. has issued the orders directing the CGMs to immediately take action for implementing EPF for casual labours w.e.f. 01-10-2000 and also implement EPF for contract workers, wherever it is not implemented so far. Not only the EPF contributions will be made by BSNL management, but interest also will have to be paid, which will benefit the workers. The EPF with  retrospective effect from 2000 will benefit the existing 3469 casual labours.

The mammoth CMD Office March on 15th October 2014  and the Two Days Strike on 21-22 April 2015 by the Casual & Contract Workers have not been in vain. At least one of the important demands has been settled.

It is a land mark victory for the casual and contract workers! Congratulations to all our comrades who stood strongly with the organisation and participated in the struggles!

Private telecom companies are allowed to reap undue benefits by DOT.

18 Monday May 2015

Posted by in BSNL News, General, Telecom

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Reproducing below a report from “Business Line” on the CAG report on Telecom.   

“The Telecom Ministry has sought legal opinion on a CAG report that stated undue benefits were extended to companies including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, RCom and Tata Teleservices on a number of issues.

According to a source: “The Ministry has sought legal opinion on the matter so as to undertake further course of action.”

Taking note of CAG’s findings, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has asked the ministry officials to seek legal opinion, sources said.

Raising concerns over various policy issues in the telecom sector, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has recently flagged financial gaps to the tune of over ₹31,000 crore including towards non-imposition of fines and the undue gains to private operators.

Reliance Jio Infocomm got undue benefit of ₹3,367.29 crore after the Department of Telecom (DoT) allowed it to provide voice calling facility under the new licensing regime, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had said in its report.

Whereas Bharti Airtel made an undue gain of ₹499 crore because of DoT’s decision to merge Chennai telecom circle with Tamil Nadu in a hasty manner in 2005, the government auditor said.

Reliance Communications and Tata Teleservices got undue benefit to the extent of ₹882.06 crore (2009-10 to 2013-14) after the DoT granted telecom licences for dual technology in October 2007/January 2008, the CAG said.

The companies concerned had maintained that there was no wrong doing on their part

The CAG had also said the DoT allowed operators to enter into mutual commercial agreements for intra-service area roaming in 2008 resulting in adverse financial impact on revenues.

The auditor had also highlighted undue favour to CDMA operators when the DoT decided not to auction 800 MHz spectrum for enhanced voice data optimised (EVDO) services in 2010 though they were providing 3G EVDO services with the available 2G spectrum (800 MHz) without liberalisation of spectrum.”

How the telecom department was supporting the private companies is very clear from the above report. While the government is not prepared to give any assistance to the BSNL, thousands of crores of rupees are allowed to be pocketed by private companies on various counts.

Full MNP by July 2015 – You can dial distant numbers without ‘0’ or ’91’

18 Monday May 2015

Posted by in BSNL News, Telecom

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Good News! At last full MNP is going to be implemented by July 2015. Once it is implemented there is no need to dial STD ‘0’ or ’91’. By dialing the 10 digit number you will get any number in India.

The private companies have been delaying implementation of MNP stating that much funds are required for the technical alternation for full MNP. It is hoped that they will not put more pressure on the government for further delay in  implementation of full MNP.

BSNL will post profit by 2018 – CMD BSNL

18 Monday May 2015

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‘”BSNL is Coming Back to Profits by 2018, according to Shri Anupam Shrivasatava, CMD BSNL. BSNL is targeted to taste the profits again with new strategies. BSNL is going to be one of the most prestigious and profit making company among other PSU’s and other telecom service providers.”

This is a report in the media. We hope that the new strategies and plans of the new CMD BSNL will bear fruits. Workers are prepared to fully co-operate.

Com. B.G.Tamhankar, former NFPE President no more

18 Monday May 2015

Posted by in Obituary, Tributes

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With extreme sorrow it is intimated that Comrade B.G.Tamhankar, former President of NFPE, passed away on 17-05-2015.

My Heartfelt Condolences to the bereaved family and comrades!

 

One Rank One Pension for Armed Forces cleared by Cabinet

18 Monday May 2015

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners, Pension

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The Central Government has cleared the ‘One Rank One Pension’ Scheme for the army personnel, which is a long pending demand of the armed forces. This is good news. An additional provision of Rs. 8,300 crores  have been made for this purpose.

OROP Scheme should be made applicable to the civil pensioners also. The Pensioners organisations have been making this demand for long.

 

Do not infringe on the democratic rights of the state government

18 Monday May 2015

Posted by in General

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The intervention of the Lft. Governor, Delhi,  in the appointment of the govt. secretaries and other connected matters of the Delhi Government is not appropriate. It is not only the Constitution alone, but there are conventions and method of democratic functioning. Delhi Government should be allowed to function with out infringement on its democratic rights.

Railways in acute need of 2,000 additional wagons

17 Sunday May 2015

Posted by in General, Neo-liberal policy

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It is reported that Railways is in acute shortage of wagons to carry goods, especially coal. As per the Railways Minister Shri Suresh Prabhu, more than 2,000 additional wagons are required. The tenders are yet to be finalised.

It seems that the BSNL example is being repeated here. Making shortage of required wagons, the railways will be in difficulty. And then running of goods trains can be taken over by the private corporates. There is every chance that the shortage is planned to weaken Railways, as it was done to BSNL by cancelling the tender for required mobile connections, which was the main reason for starting of its down fall.

19th May – Death anniversary of Comrades P.Sundarayya and E.K.Nayanar

17 Sunday May 2015

Posted by in History, Obituary, Tributes

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It is very rare that the death anniversary of two great leaders falls on the same day. 19th May is one such day. Com.P.Sundarayya, the first General Secretary of CPI(M) and Com.E.K.Nayanar, PBM, CPI(M) and Chief Minister of Kerala for 3 terms, passed away on 19th May, the former in 1985 and the latter in 2004. Both of them were veteran leaders of the Communist movement, who sacrificed their entire life  for the toiling masses.

We pay our respect and homage two these two great sons of India on their death anniversary! They will always be remembered for their great contribution to the Communist movement and the society.

Red Salute to Com.Moni Bose on 5th Death Anniversary!

17 Sunday May 2015

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Moni Bose Remembered

19th May 2015 is the 5th death anniversary of Comrade Moni Bose, veteran leader of the telecom trade union movement and also the former Patron of BSNL Employees Union. His entire life was devoted to the P and T Trade union movement. Though terminated in the 1949 P and T Strike, he continued his activities in the NFPTE. He was elected as the General Secretary of All India Telecom Employees Union Class III in 1991 Bhopal AIC, defeating the revisionist leadership.

Com.Moni Bose was an excellent speaker, writer and conversationalist. His commitment to the organisation and the workers was complete. I had the opportunity to work with him very closely after the Bhopal AIC, where he was elected as GS and me as President. For about 6 years, we were together in  Dada Ghosh Bhawan running the All India Union. There were severe attack on the union by the defeated leadership, the Department and the government. There was not sufficient fund. Com. Jyotsna Bose, wife of Com. Moni, also shared the difficulties. It was very difficult to give salary to the employees, publish the journals and expense for tours etc. But we held on with the conviction that we shall face all these challenges and win ultimately. That is what happened, because the workers were with us.

After 1996, Comrade Moni Bose returned to Calcutta, but he was completely in touch with the union. His advice was always available. Till his death on 19th May 2010, this continued. In his death we lost one of the best dedicated comrade and leader. It is our duty to continue the great tradition and march along the path trodden by Com. Moni Bose.

On this 5th death anniversary of Com.Moni Bose, I put a few Red Roses in his everlasting memory.

Red Salute to Comrade Moni Bose!