Meetings with DOT and BSNL on Pension issues etc.

07 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners, BSNL - Better Service to the Nation

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Meetings with Member (Services), Joint Secretary (T), Advisor (Finance), DDG(Admn), Director (Estt.) all in DOT and GM (Estt.) BSNL
Com. V.A.N.Namboodiri, President, BSNLEU & Advisor, AIBDPA, Com. K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary, AIBDPA, Com. Animesh Mitra, Acting General Secretary, BSNLEU and Com. S.C.Bhattacharjee, Treasurer, BSNLEU had meetings with Shri V.Umashanker, IAS, Joint Secretary (T), Ms. Nirmala Pillai, Advisor (Finance) and Shri S.C.Sharma, DDG (Estt) on 6th August and Shri S.C.Misra, Member (Services), Shri Prachish Khanna, Director (Estt.) DOT and Shri R.K.Goyal, GM(Estt.) BSNL on 7th August 2013.
The following issues were discussed:
1. Issuing order for 78.2% IDA Fixation for pensioners both pre-2007 and post-2007.
This is being processed and orders can be issued after receipt of the clarifications sought from BSNL by DOT. This was the reply given by DOT officers. However, the union leaders collected the copy of the letter sent by DOT and met GM(Estt.), BSNL, who agreed to send the reply to DOT tomorrow, 8th August, itself.
2. Anomaly in Pension to those retired within 10 months of formation of BSNL
After much efforts it is understood that the file is with the AO(Finance), DOT. It will be further persued with Member (Finance).
3. Refund of BWA Spectrum charges to BSNL
The Joint Secretary (T) stated that it is being arranged to the advantage of BSNL. The issue is already with the GoM on “Revival of BSNL & MTNL”
4. Discrimination by High Power Committee of C.O. on Compassionate Ground Appointments:
The leaders had a long discussion on this issue with the GM (Estt.). They cited specific cases wherein though those who scored more points were denied appointment while those with
Less points were given postings. They cited the examples of Kerala, W.Bengal etc., where despite vacancies, cases were not settled. The GM (Estt.) stated that the decision of the C.O. High Power Committee is final. The leaders disagreed on this and other points.
5. Unwanted intervention of C.O. in denying chance to TSM to appear in the examination for promotion TM – case of NE-II circle
The GM (Estt.) stated that this is being settled.
6. Upgradation of Asansol for grant of HRA
This is being examined.

COAL INDIA WORKERS TO STRIKE AGAINST DISINVESTMENT

07 Wednesday Aug 2013

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New Delhi/Kolkata, Aug 7:

The trade unions of Coal India on Wednesday decided to slap three-days strike notice opposing the Government’s proposal to divest shares in the public sector miner.

“All the unions have agreed to declare strike from September 19-21. The workers cannot be kept in vacuum,” Jivan Roy, General Secretary of All India Coal Workers Federation of India (AICWF) told Business Line.

Coal India workers are represented by five leading trade unions — INTUC, HMS, BMS, AICWF and AITUC. Other than INTUC, all the four unions have decided to go on strike. The INTUC workers are yet to make a final decision on participating in the strike. According to the unions, the stake sale would adversely impact its workers across 35 districts in the country.

The Union Coal Minister, Sriprakash Jaiswal, today said the Government is confident that the unions will agree to 5 per cent divestment proposal. Jaiswal was talking to media after a conference in Kolkata.

A single-day strike can cost the Maharatna miner loss of more than one million tonne of production.

There are nearly 3.5 lakhs permanent workers in Coal India, in addition to another 2 lakh contractual employees.

AICWF claims that the strike declared by it would mean 70-80 per cent of workers not working.

Last week, the Government failed to convince the workers of Coal India even after it offered to reduce disinvestment stake to 5 per cent from the earlier proposal of 10 per cent.

The Government is hoping to garner nearly Rs 20,000 crore by selling 10 per cent stake in Coal India. This is seen as one of the most important share sales to meet the Government’s divestment target of Rs 40,000 crore in the current fiscal.

In addition to opposing the share sale, the workers want coal mining to be given infrastructure status. Also, they want captive mines allocated to the private sector that have not been explored to be allocated to Coal India. (Courtesy: Business Line)

National Convention of Workers at New Delhi

06 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by in TU News - India

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NATIONAL CONVENTION OF WORKERS AT NEW DELHI
A National Convention of Workers was held on 6th August 2013 at Mavlankar Hall, New Delhi, under the auspices of the 11 Central Trade Unions, which organised the 48 hours strike on 20-21 February 2013, on the major demands of the workers and common people. More than 1,000 delegates from the central trade unions and independent federations from the various parts of the country attended.
The Presidium consisted of the Presidents of the participating organisations including Com. A.K.Padmanabhan (CITU), Abani Roy(UTUC) and others. The Declaration of the Convention was circulated in advance both in Hindi and English.
The General Secretaries / representatives of the 11 central trade unions addressed the convention and supported the declaration and the programmes chalked out there in. S/Shri B.N.Rai (BMS), K.K.Nair (INTUC), Gurudas Dasgupta (AITUC), Harbhajan Singh and Umraomal Purohit (HMS), Tapan Sen (CITU), Satyavan Singh (AIUTUC) S.P. Tiwari (TUCC), Smt. Latha Bahan (SEWA), Rajiv Dimri(AICCTU), Ashok Ghosh (UTUC) and Pachimuthu (LPF) addressed the Convention.
After the speeches, the Presidium declared the Declaration as unanimously passed amidst thunderous applause from the house.
The Declaration congratulated the workers for the historic 48 hours strike on 20-21 February 2013 and called for further programmes on the 10 point charter on which the strike took place. It is decided to organise demonstrations/rallies/satyagrahas on 25th September 2013 and a massive demonstration before the Parliament on 12th December 2013. On the same day, 12th December, district level demonstrations also have to be organised. In the declaration as well as Convention, the issue of minimum wage and other demands of the unorganised and contract workers were stressed.
The National Convention has once again planned the next programmes for realisation of the demands raised by it. All these programmes have to be organised effectively and successfully.

68th year of Hiroshima Bombing. Peace Rallies in Japan.

06 Tuesday Aug 2013

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HIROSHIMA, Japan, Aug. 6 Hiroshima marked the 68th anniversary of the western Japanese city’s atomic bombing on Tuesday morning with representatives from 70 countries and the European Union, calling for a world order based on trust and dialogue.

The annual memorial ceremony, held at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in the city center, was attended by some 50,000 people including war survivors, bereaved family members and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Among them were also representatives from foreign countries and the European Union, including 32 ambassadors to Japan such as U.S. Ambassador John Roos.

All attendees offered a silent prayer at 8:15 a.m. local time, the time the bomb was dropped in 1945.

After the prayer, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui made this year’ s peace declaration, stating that the atomic bomb, which indiscriminately stole the lives of innocent people, is the ultimate inhumane weapon and an absolute evil.

He stressed that even as the survivor’s average age surpasses 78, they, who have overcome such terrible pain and sorrow, still hope for the world to share their longing for peace and to choose the right path.

The mayor then admonished policymakers of the world for their belief that they can continue to maintain national security by saber-rattling, urging them to shift to a system of security based on trust and dialogue without being trapped in the past.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke after the mayor’s speech, stating that the deaths caused by the nuclear attack were too terrible for the Japanese to describe, and that they, the Japanese people, have a responsibility to abolish nuclear weapons and to pass on their personal experience of terror caused by the bombing of Hiroshima.

Abe also promised in the morning to further increase his efforts to promote international disarmament and non-proliferation while firmly maintaining Japan’s Three Non-Nuclear Principles of not possessing, not producing and not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons into its soil.

After the memorial event, a 37-year-old father, working as a public servant in neighboring Okayama Prefecture, told Xinhua that he attended the ceremony with his sons because he thought people in his generation must play a key role in memorizing the tragedy and the lesson of peace today, 68 years after the blast.

Many memorial events are scheduled throughout the day including a ceremony in which more than 10,000 paper lanterns are floated down a river next to Hiroshima Memorial.

Circle Convention of Contract workers at Jind (Haryana)

05 Monday Aug 2013

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A Circle Convention of all the casual and contract workers engaged in Haryana Circle will be held at Jind on 1st September 2013. All the workers are requested to participate in the same.

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by US

05 Monday Aug 2013

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On 6th August 1945, the US dropped Atom Bomb on Hiroshima and on 9th on Nagasaki, two big cities of Japan, which completely destroyed the two cities and killed lakhs of innocent civilian people. More people were maimed, disabled and affected by radiation for their entire lives. There are still thousands of people who are suffering by the radiation.
The bombing was not to win the II World War. The war had already won. The axis forces of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy have already been defeated. The allied forces of Britain, USSR and US had captured the capital of Germany, Berlin, Fascist Mussolini was defeated and Japan was already going to surrender.
The bombing was to declare to the world that US has got the atomic bomb. It was to warn the USSR, that US is the NO.1 power. It was also to find out how much loss could be made by the new atom bombs. For the above luxury, tens of thousands had to sacrifice their lives.
Imperialism is cruel. And that is what US imperialism has shown. The peace loving world will never forgive the US for this inhuman act. They join together at Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6th and 9th August every year and pay homage to those killed and also take oath to work to ensure that Hiroshima and Nagasaki is not repeated. This year Com. P.Abhimanyu, General Secretary, BSNLEU also is attending the function at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

CEC Meting of BSNLEU Haryana at Kurukshetra

05 Monday Aug 2013

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A meeting of the Circle Executive Committee of BSNLEU, Haryana Circle was held at Kurukshetra on 5th August 2013. The meting was presided over by Com. Naresh Kumar, Circle Union President. Com. V.A.N.Namboodiri inaugurated the CEC. In his speech he stressed the necessity of improving the services and also fighting to get the assurances of the government given at the time of corporatisation on financial viability of BSNL, for an efficient management and a change of the mind set and work culture of the employees. The problems of casual contract workers and the need to organise was also emphasised. Shri Chandrahasan, GM, Karnal, Coms. Animesh Mitra, Acting General Secretary, Kuldeep Singh, CHQ Asst. Treasurer, M.S.Kadian, Circle Secretary, Bijendr Singh, I.S.Malik, District Secretary Karnal and all the other district secretaries also spoke. Com. Animesh Mitra, Acting General Secretary, in his speech touched all the important organisation matters as also workers issues in detail.

The CEC meeting was very effective and gave inspiration to the comrades present. This was the first Circle CEC meeting after the Kolkata CEC meeting, which called for holding the circle Executive Committee meetings to prepare the workers for struggle as decided by CEC. It was also decided to hold a Circle Convention of the Casual contract workers on 1st September at Jind.

My Hearty Congratulations to Com.MS Kadian and his team for the excellent meeting. Thanks to karnal comrads also who arranged the meeting.

Frederic Engels’s 118 Death Anniversary

04 Sunday Aug 2013

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5th August 2013 is the 118th Death Anniversary of Frederic Engels, Philosopher and co-author of Communist Manifesto (1948) along with Karl Marx. Das Kapital was written by Marx but Engels helped him in the effort. After death of Karl Marx, Engels edited the volumes of Das Kapital and published the same.
On his 118th death anniversary My Red Salute to Engels!

Planning Commission recommends Restricting labour law

04 Sunday Aug 2013

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After fixing the poverty line at unbelievable low, the Planning Commission is now proposing changing the Labour Laws to suit the requirement of employers and foreign MNCs. Through continuous struggles, workers have been able to get some job security, bargaining strength and also right to strike when necessary. Now the Planning Commission wants to do away with all these safe guards to please the foreign investors.

According to reports the Planning Commission has suggested for changes in the industrial Disputes Act, The Factories Act and the Trade Unions Act. The changes include, increasing of working hours, removing restrictions of Lay-Off, increasing the % of votes in strike ballot to 70%.

The Central Trade Unions have to take this issue seriously so that the issue gets focussed and also that it is fought and defeated.

Parliament Session – FDI in pension and insurance

04 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners

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The government wants to being FDI in pension and increase FDI in Insurance sectors. The European and US imperialists have been continuously pressurising the government of India for the same so that their MNCs who have got huge funds with them can invest and reap maximum profits. During the visit of Finance Minister P.Chidambaram and other ministers in US, they have assured the foreign investors that the government is seriously trying address the issues raised by them. And FDI in both the sectors are a priority for them.

It is reported that the main opposition, BJP, has agreed to reconsider their objection. This is only a matter of time.

The workers in Insurance sector have been continuously opposing FDI and had been successful so far, to a certain extend in containing FDI increase. The Central/State government employees and other workers have been stoutly opposing FDI in Pension. A big Parliament March was organised last year against PFRDA Bill. The PFRDA Ordinance is issued, but it will have to be passed in the Parliament.

There is no other way, but unitedly fight the menace of FDI with support of the people.