I am on leave! No posts for four days till 11th July.
I am on leave – no posts for four days.
06 Friday Jul 2012
Posted in General
BSNLEU strongly pursues with management to end discrimination to Post – 2007 recruitees
06 Friday Jul 2012
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation
In continuation of its sustained demand for ending the discrimination and grant of 30% fitment / 5 advance increments for the post-2007 recruitees including TTAs, Sr.TOAs, RM etc., BSNLEU has written a detailed letter to BSNL with live examples for immediate settlement of the issue. It is posted in the BSNLEUwebsite www.bsnleuchq.com. The issue has already been taken in the National Council and discussed and all the additional details required for the settlement are furnished now.
The management can not avoid a favourable settlement. Justice has got to be meted out to the concerned officials.
Defend the workers against the New Reforms
06 Friday Jul 2012
Posted in General
The announcement of the Prime Minister for continuing with the reforms and for better investment friendly climate means that the government is going to continue with its proposals for the Amendment to the Insurance Act, PFRDA Bill, reduction is subsidy to the poor and also attack on the trade union rights of the workers. The last Parliament could not pass the same due to the opposition from the ranks of the ruling UPA itself. It is not clear what will be the position after the President’s election.
The government is more interested about pampering the MNCs, corporates etc. than alleviating the conditions of the poor and the toiling masses in the country. Nobody is against the increase in GDP, but it should not be at the cost of the poor people of the country. The so-called reforms have already increased the unemployed and the cost of living like anything. Rich has become richer and poor, poorer. Can these reforms be allowed to continue in the same way.
The united working class in the country can not allow this situation to go. The 28 February strike was a warning to the government. The central trade unions are preparing for another show down.
The government can not be allowed to continue with this anti-people policies. It has got to be fought and defeated.
Save BSNL – DOT, BSNL Management to act immediately
06 Friday Jul 2012
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation
BSNL has been in loss for the last three financial years. The loss has been increasing year after year and it has now reached about Rs. 8,000 crore. The main reasons for the loss are the backing out of assurances on financial issues by the DOT and the inefficiency of the top management.
In order to restore the efficiency and financial viability of BSNL the following actions by DOT and BSNL are required immediately.
1. The Access Deficit Charge (ADC), Reimbursement of Licence Fee and liberal subsidy from USO Fund should be restored or Rs.10,000 crore to be given as subsidy to BSNL per year.
2. The spectrum charges, both of 3G as well as Broadband coming to about Rs.18,000 paid by BSNL to DOT be refunded to BSNL, the incumbent operator and government company.
3. Urgent implementation of repatriation of non-opted ITS officers to DOT and immediate recruitment of required top-level management to fill up the vacancies.
4. Promotion of efficient and eligible executive officers to top management through modalities to be finalised in discussion with the associations.
5. Recruitment of Regular Mazdoors by regularising the left out casual labour engaged by DOT/BSNL for long period.
6. Regular (at least monthly) discussion between the management and unions at all levels, from Corporate to SSA, regarding the improvement of the services, fast development, procurement of equipments, financial management etc. Workers to be taken in full confidence.
7. All executives/non-executives to be given suitable training in marketing and maximum numbers engaged in that section. Incentives to be provided.
8. Wasteful expenditure to be avoided. Zero tolerance to corruption.
There can be many other good suggestions, which can also be included.
BSNL /Telecom has a great tradition in efficient service and it is property of the people. This has to be maintained efficiently and improved for the benefit to the people.
DOT,BSNL,Workers should jointly enable the PSU to provide the best service to the people.
DOT can not cut itself from BSNL staff issues
05 Thursday Jul 2012
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation
The latest instruction / order issued by the DOT that the BSNL unions/Associations cannot directly correspond with DOT is a misguided one. BSNL was formed from the DOT and a lot of issues concerning the BSNL staff are still to be settled by the DOT, including that of pension and some retirement benefits. Wages and some other staff issues also need the approval of DOT. The policy decision with regard to functioning of BSNL is taken at DOT/government level in which the BSNL and its employees are very much interested. There are a lot of similar issues which have to be decided by the DOT or to be approved by the DOT.
In such a situation, the BSNL Employees Unions will have to take up these issues with DOT. Unless there is much pressure, just like strike notice, the BSNL management does not bring them to the notice of the DOT. Therefore, it is necessary to have a channel of communication for the unions with DOT in the interest of the BSNL and its employees.
Neo-liberal policy vs. need of the people
05 Thursday Jul 2012
Posted in General, Uncategorized
I have been going through the newspapers and the TV channels. Some of the main issues focussed are the floods in Assam, the power shortage in Delhi and other cities, the severe drought in Rajasthan and some other states and also the export of wheat when the poor people of the country are starving without food.
The floods in Assam has taken many lives and lakhs of people have lost all their belongings including their homes. Kaziranga sanctuary is flooded and hundreds of animals have died. In Rajasthan the drought has been serious and there is no water even for drinking. These are, of course, natural calamities. But through out centuries,mankind has been able to at least reduce the adverse effect of these calamities to a certain point. Water is made available even in deserts. Immediate action to save the lives of people in case of floods can be done, since these are annual occurences in the Assam region. But unfortunately, no such precaution and prior arrangements are not at all made even though it is well-known that such disasters may happen. And the sufferers are mainly the poor and lower middle class people. The rich and the well to do people can move away during these times and have some cushions to face the disasters. But what about the poor people? The Central and State governments have utterly failed to face the situation. The plea that there are no sufficient funds does not stand scrutiny since lakhs of crores of rupees are snatched away by corrupt politicians and usurped by the super rich, corporates and MNCs.
While the poor people do not get food, wheat is being exported in thousands of tons as fodder to the developed countries. Some times food grains are rotten in the godown of the government. But it will not be supplied to the hungry people. The situation is worse than at the time of the dictators of the past.
The situation has become worse after the implementation of the neo-liberal policy in the country since the 1990s. While crores of people have not even huts and stay in the dirty and muddy areas of the cities, on the other side are the posh areas where the super rich stays in big mansions bigger than the palaces of the kings in the past with all facilities and amenities. 20% rich people owns more than 80% of the assets in the country, while the 80% don’t have even 20% of the total assets. The situation is worsening every day.While Ambanis and Jindals have Rs.50-60 crore salaries, the poor somehow survives with less than Rs.20 per day. The policies being adopted by the government is increasing the discrimination each and every day.
It is high time that the people as a whole has to raise their voices against this discrimination and complete neglect of the poor and downtrodden in the country and fight for a reversal of the anti-people policy of the government. The government should be compelled to change its wrong policies.
Physicists celebrate evidence of new particle
05 Thursday Jul 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
GENEVA – To cheers and standing ovations from scientists, the world’s biggest atom smasher claimed the discovery of a new subatomic particle Wednesday, calling it “consistent” with the long-sought Higgs boson — popularly known as the “God particle” — that helps explain what gives all matter in the universe size and shape. We have now found the missing cornerstone of particle physics,” Rolf Heuer, director of the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN), told scientists… »
BSNL can not become a bad and exploiting employer.
04 Wednesday Jul 2012
The P&T Department and DOT has a honourable past as one of the most efficient Department/s of the government of India.
While there was exploitation of Part-time, casual labour etc. , in stages they were promoted to Group D or regularised. Tens of thousands of workers thus reguarised are the backbones of the DOT/BSNL through whose continuous labour the telecom had spread over throughout the country passing hills and rivers, deserts and inaccessible regions. In installing the great telecom infrastructure all over the country, the Line/Sub-Inspector,Lineman and Casual Labour had a great role along with other officials. Thousands of these workers perished while erecting and maintaining lines on the sides of the Ganges in the high Himalayan ranges, in the expanding deserts of Rajasthan, the Kashmir valley and in the great plains of India. It is true that the new generation is not aware of the same and the old generation might have forgotten them in the changed circumstances.
The present Telecom Mechanics, the Regular Mazdoors, the casual labour and the contract labour belong to that great tradition. Some of them have risen up to the post of executives and higher posts in the non-executives, but most of them still continues in their early position.
BSNL Employees Union and United Forum since formation of BSNL havemade maximum efforts to improve their condition along with those of the higher level cadres, but as it is, the benefits will always be more at the top than at the lower levels.
The maximum sufferers at present in BSNL are the casual and contract labours engaged by the DOT/BSNL for the last many years. More than 4,000 casual labours who have been engaged in the DOT/BSNL for the last 15 to 20 years are still to be regularised though about 6000 similarly placed casual labour have been regularised till 2005. Only very few have been regularised/granted TSM status afterwards, that too only after contempt cases were filed against BSNL management.
There is no valid justification for regularising these casual labour who have been engaged on the basis that they will be regularised after certain condition like working for 240 days in a year with out break etc. Almost all these 4000 casual labour have fulfilled these conditions. As far as the 2770 casual labour in W.Bengal and others in other circles have full record of their work maintained by the management itself. They are performing the duties of the regular mazdoor, TM, Sr.TOA etc. but at the minimum wages, though they are to be given equal wages( minimum) of the postsin which they are working. The Laws of the country passed by the Parliament on Minimum Wages, Social Security etc. are flatly denied to them.
This inhuman exploitation in BSNL should be put to an end. It is a shame not only to the management, but to all the employees and unions/associations in BSNL. The casual labour should be regularised with out any further delay. The BSNL Management has to take immediate action for the same as other PSUs and government Departments have already done.
The Post Office
04 Wednesday Jul 2012
Posted in General
While visiting Cambridge, I went to a Post Office in the main street. The Post Office name was written outside and two big red Post Boxes were there for putting the letters etc. I went inside. It was busy with many customers. Six or seven counters were functioning. Transactions were going on. Inside also there were post boxes. Postal covers were arranged on an open almirah on the wall. Customers took the necessary articles and paid the cost. Banking transactions were also going on. On another side, stationary were being sold. Money Exchange, conversion of foreign currency, was another work. People were coming and going. It was a lively office. I was standing for some tim watching the counters etc. An official of the P.O. came to me and asked what I wanted. I told him that I am from India and was a retired P&T employee and was just watching how the P.O.works in UK. He smiled and said OK.
The Royal Mail, as the postal service in UK is called, is still used by a good section of the people. Almost every day, the Postman visits our home with letters, which are mainly advertisement materials, letters, parcels etc. The official collecting the mails from the Postal Boxes comes at the scheduled time. The old red Post Boxes fixed may be hundred years back are still maintained as it is. I felt at home at the Post Office.
In India also the Postal administration is making changes for the sustainability of the Post Offices. Union is taking a very important role for a better service and financial viability.
Has Corruption become ‘Honourable’ ?
04 Wednesday Jul 2012
Posted in Corruption
During the last few years corruption seems to have become honourable and even a necessary cap for many of the politicians and top bureeacrats. Those businessmen, MNCs etc. who bribed Ministers and top officers and got benefits and became super-rich used to boast themselves of their ‘achievements’.
Now it seems that in politics also corruption has become honourable. Hundreds of top level politicians and bureacrats are now charged with corruption, punished, arrested etc. and many of them are in jail or bail.Many has escaped conviction. Many escape even FIR with their high political status and being in the ruling party. But there seems to be no remorse at all forany of them. They flaunts themselves before the camera, issue statements denying everything and is suppported by many. They are given big receptions when released on bail or on parole. I do not want to mention any specific individual since the fact is known to all.
The media has also got a role in this ‘honouring’ of corruption. Giving wide publicity as if these corrupt persons are ‘heroes’, the public opinion is also being influenced.
This situation should be changed. There should be a strong condemnation of corruption and corrupted persons so that this evil which is adveresely affecting the health of the country should be removed or atleast reduced.
