It seems that the Air India management is more interested in taking action against the pilots who are on strike, instead of discussing with them and settling the matter.  In fact the present gloomy situation has arisen only because of the utter failure of the management and the wrong policy direction of the government which is in haste to implement the neo-liberal policy of disinvestment and privatisation. Workers are made scapegoats. The Supreme Cour seems to have understood this position.

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain Air India’s plea for initiating contempt proceedings against Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) for allegedly obstructing implementation of its order on training of pilots for Dreamliner aircraft. A Bench headed by Justice T.S. Thakur said that they (pilots) have done nothing, which amounts to contempt of court and suggested the airlines to speak with them to sort out the differences. “They have done nothing for obstruction of justice or to bring disrepute to the court. Your problem is with them. You sit with them and sort out the differences. Don’t resort to contempt proceedings,” the Bench said. It further said that if the strike is illegal, then the airlines can take action against them. “Rest assured that if there is slightest contempt of court, and then we would ourselves initiate proceedings against them,” the Bench further said. Air India had on Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against the office-bearers of the Guild by resorting to protest action, which, it said, disrupted international flight operations of the airline and amounted to contempt of the apex court orders.

What is happening in Tata Communications Ltd (former VSNL)?

 Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (VSNL) was one of the first PSUs privatised by handing over to Tata for a mere Rs. 1439 crores in 2002. Now the name of the company has also been changed to Tata Communications Limited (TCL). What is happening in the TCL is not much known. But it is a must for any worker to know what happens to the workers in a privatised PSU.

Before being corporatized in to a PSU, VSNL was Overseas Communications, a section of the Department of Telecom.  It was corporatized with the specific intention of handing over this lucrative service to the private companies. In 2002, it was sold to the Tatas and an agreement was made on 06-02-2002 called “Share Purchase and Share Holder Agreement” between the government and the Tatas. As per this agreement, the workers were assured that there will be no retrenchment of the existing employees. The SC/ST employees, the disabled and employees coming under weaker sections will continue to get all the benefits they were enjoying earlier and they also will not be retrenched.

But what happened afterwards is entirely different from the agreement and assurances. The existing employees were harassed and were inhumanly treated by the new management. Many had to leave the company to escape from harassment and victimisation. While there were about 2600 employees at the time of privatisation, there are only about 700 left in service now.

In between, about 7,000 new employees were recruited. Their wages etc. were revised but these benefits were denied to the earlier employees. There is severe discrimination in the treatment meted out to the existing workers compared to the newly recruited workers. Further, the Tata management is now compelling all the former VSNL employees to resign and leave the company. They are threatened with retrenchment if they don’t opt for resignation.

All these anti-worker decisions of the TCL are completely against the assurances and agreement made at the time of handing over the company to the present owners. The workers denied of justice by the management have approached the court to stop the retrenchment. The workers have also demanded that they be repatriated to the DOT.

The cases of the other PSUs like BALCO, Centaur Hotels etc. which have been privatised, are not different. Humiliation, harassment, retrenchment etc. are the treatment meted out to the former PSU workers, including women.

The central government is implementing the neo-liberal policy aggressively and these are part of the same. India Inc, MNCs, big business and the media have been completely singing praise of these anti-worker policies. But, in fact, this policy of disinvestment, privatisation etc, are nothing but loot of the assets of the nation by the unscrupulous and profit hungry MNCs and big business with the full support of the ruling classes.

Hence it is the responsibility and duty of the working class to strongly oppose these anti-people, anti-worker policies and their implementation through sustained and mighty joint struggles and defeat them.

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It has been reported in the press that MTNL is proposing VRS for 20,000 employees. If my memory is correct, VRS has been implemented about three times in MTNL. Whether the company is saved by these VRSs. No. It is not through VRS that the company is to improve. It is by better management, support from the government and hard work by employees through which the revenue and profit can be increased.