25 Sunday Mar 2012
Posted in General
This blog, vannamboodiri.wordpress.com was started in July 2010, but regular posting started only in September 2010. With this posting, it will complete 1600 postings. It has been a pleasant experience of writing and posting some reports, my feelings, organisational issues etc. I am happy that I have been getting co-operation, support and guidance from many comrades. The comments have been helpful.
I thank everybody for their support and well wishes in continuing the blog. Thank you all.
25 Sunday Mar 2012
Posted in BSNLEU
On this 22nd March, KG Bose Bhawan, the new office building of the BSNL Employees Union was inaugurated by Com. A.K.Padmnabhan, President CITU by unveiling the name-plate, cutting the ribbon and entering the building in the presence of distinguished guests like Com. Mohammed Amin, CITU Vice-President, Sudha Sunderaraman, General Secretary AIDWA and other senior leaders. In his inaugural speech he congratulated the union and its leaders for the great achievement. Com. P.Abhimanyu, General Secretary, BSNLEU, welcomed all. Com.V.A.N.Namboodiri, president of the meeting, after welcoming all the participants, mentioned the decision of the Thiruvananthapuram All India Conference to purchase a building for the union, which has been fulfilled within a short period of two years. It could be done with the full support of the union members and well-wishers who have liberally contributed to the building fund. Maximum efforts have been taken by most of the Circle/District Secretaries for collection of donations. I would like to congratulate and thank Com. Mihir Dasgupta, former AGS, BSNLEU, who personally donated Rs. 50,000 to the building fund. In addition, his wife Com.Swastika also donated Rs. 10,000 on her own. The building has been named as ‘K.G.Bose Bhawan’, in honour and memory of our beloved leader and guide Comrade K.G.Bose, who gave correct direction and working class ideology to the P&T movement. A booklet on the life and activities of Com.KG written by Com.VAN Namboodiri was released in the function and supplied to all participants.
After the inauguration and greetings by leaders of the fraternal organisations, the meeting ended and lunch was offered to all. Many of the leaders and workers went through the building, appreciated and congratulated the Union.
Coms.M.Krishnan, SG, NFPE was present and addressed along with Coms. Sreedharan (P.III), Giriraj Singh( RMS), Des Raj Sharma, C.C.Pillai (former SG NFPE), Nagabhushanam, Ishwar Dabbas and others. Com.M.S.Raja(Secretary, Confederation) also addressed. Com.K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary, AIBDPA also addressed. Almost all the senior leaders of the BSNL Unions were present in the function. Coms/ Shri Chandeswar Singh (NFTE), K.Vallinayagam (FNTO), G.L.Jogi (SNEA), Ravindranath (AIBSNLEA), Suresh Kumar (BSNLMS), V.Subburaman(TEPU), R.K.Kohli (NFTBE), B.R.Jhakkatia (SEWA BSNL), Andiappan (FNTBEA), S.P.Sharma (BSNLWRU), Hari Singh (BTU BSNL), A.A.Khan, Sebastian, ND Ram, S.S.Tomar and many other leaders and workers of other unions were present and all of them greeted and congratulated BSNLEU. Senior leader, Com. O.P.Gupta, despite his ailment and old age, also came and conveyed his best wishes. It was a poignant moment when Com.OPG put a shawl on V.A.N.Namboodiri, President of BSNL Employees Union. We are thankful to all these comrades for attending the function and giving us blessings. We also thank the CITU and AIDWA leaders and workers who attended the function. Greetings were received from Coms. Sisir Bhattacharjee, the veteran P&T leader, Ananta Kumar Bhattacharjee (Prsident AIBDPA), Mrs. Parul Bose (wife of Com.KG),Mrs. Jyotsna Bose (wife of Com.Moni Bose), Pabitra Chakroborty (NCCPA), Com.P.V.Chandrasekharan ( President AIBDPA Kerala) and others.
The Central Secretariat of BSNLEU has been fully occupied with the arrangements for the last few days. The staff of Dada Ghosh Bhawan, Coms. T.A.Biju, Pradeesh, Harish, M.L.Tiwari, Baiju, Negi – all have done their best to make the function a great success. But two names have to be mentioned specially, that of coms. G.B.Salakki and T.A.Biju, who was fully engaged with the work, day and night. We thank al of them for making all the arrangements.
And thanks to Shri Surinder Singhji and his family, the former owner of the building, who came and addressed the function.
25 Sunday Mar 2012
Posted in TU News - India
The working class in India has been continuously agitating against the neo-liberalisation policy implemented in India starting in 1991 when Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister and Manmohan Singh the Finance Minister. The socialist pattern of society announced by Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime minister, and the building up of a strong Public Sector, an independent foreign policy based on mutual respect and co-ordination – all have been thrown away. Especially after the collapse of the USSR, Indian government, whether Congress ot BJP has started tilting towards the imperialist block headed by United States. After Dr. Manmohan Singh became the Prime minister, with the full support of the political supremo of the Congress and with capitalist experts like Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Minister Chidambaram to guide, the neo-liberal policy is being implemented in an aggressive manner. India is gradually being downgraded as a subordinate ally of the United States. The Joint military – naval exercises, the tilt in foreign policy which may result in antagonizing our long friends like Iran and Sri Lanka, all are indications of the subordinate status of India.
Internally, the neo-liberal policy has hurt the poor the most. Of course, a number of billionaires and millionaires have arisen in the horizon with lacs of crore of rupees at their command. But the condition of the poor has not only not improved, but has become worse. But the Manmohan Singh government is not worried. It has found out methods to artificcially reduce the number of poor in the country. It has changed the standards for poverty in the country, with the format that Rs. 26 is sufficient for a person to live a day! Attacks on the working class are increasing everyday. Hard earned rights are being taken away arbitrarily. Hire and fire has become way of life. Prices have increased many times making life miserable for the have-nots.
It is against this anti-people anti-working class policies that the trade union movement has been organising struggles after struggles. 14 All India Strikes have been organised participated by crore of workers on an increasing rate as can be seen below:
1. 29th November 1991 participated by more than one crore
2. 16th June 1992 1.5 crore
3. 9th September 1993 1.5 crore
4. 29th September 1994 2.5 crore
5. 11th December 1998 2.5 crore
6. 11th May 2000 2.5 crore
7. 16th April 2002 2.5 crore
8. 21st May 2003 3.5 crore
9. 24th February 2004 4.0 crore
10.25th September 2005 6.5 crore
11.14th December 2006 6.5 crore
12.20th August 2008 6.5 crore
13.7th September 2010 6.5 crore
14.28th February 2012 10 crore
The participation in the strikes has been continuously increasing and in the 28th February 2012 strike, it has reached 10 crore, about 10% of the total population. In the latest strike all the Central trade unions together have given the call, which was for the first time after independence.
There is no other way but to continue the struggle against this anti people, anti-worker policies. Victory is ours.
24 Saturday Mar 2012
Posted in TU News - International
Public services across Portugal ground to a halt as unions staged a 24-hour strike on 22rd March 2012 against austerity measures agreed by the government in return for an international bailout. Garbage went uncollected, ports and schools closed, public transport was disrupted by the country’s second general strike in four months. The strike was against the change in the labour laws that make it easier to fire workers, reduce holidays and cut layoff compensation, moves the government contends will revive the economy. It is also angry at government austerity measures such as the elimination of public employees’ Christmas and vacation bonuses — each roughly equivalent to a month’s pay — that aim to rein in the public deficit. Unlike the two previous general strikes held in November 2011 and November 2010, yesterday’s action did not have the backing of Portugal’s second-biggest union, the historically more moderate General Workers Union (UGT), which reached an agreement with the government over the labour law reforms. The metros in Lisbon and Oporto, Portugal’s second-largest city, were closed, forcing tens of thousands of commuters to find an alternative way to get to work or school. The majority of ports, including the port of Lisbon and Viana do Castelo in the north, were closed while garbage collection was halted across the country, according to CGTP. Hundreds of schools closed their doors throughout the country, according to the Fenprof teachers’ union. Demonstrations and rallies were held in 38 cities and towns across the country, including Lisbon, Oporto and Coimbra. Much of the strike passed peacefully, but a skirmish broke out between police and young activists who had organised their own march in one place.
24 Saturday Mar 2012
During the CEC meeting of the BSNLEU at New Delhi on 22-23 March 2012, the souvenir published in connection with the All India Conference of the BSNL Casual and Contract Workers Federation held at Lucknow on 24-25 September 2011 was given to all the participants. I have gone through the Souvenir. It includes a number of educative articles by Coms. M.K.Pandhe, Tapan Sen, V.S.Achuthanandan, Swadesh Dev Roy, Kali Ghosh, R.S.Yadav, V.A.N.Namboodiri and others mainly dealing with the issue of the casual and contract workers, the need to end the exploitation, the rights of the workers and the urgency of making a change to the better. There are articles both in Hindi and in English.
My congratulations to Coms. K.R.Yadav, R.K.Mishra and other leaders who organised the AIC in a spectacular way and published this souvenir. The souvenir be read by our workers and leaders.
24 Saturday Mar 2012
Posted in BSNLEU
The Central Executive Committee of BSNL Employees Union held at New Delhi on 22nd and 23rd March has decided to continue sustained agitation for settlement of the immediate issues of the workers and also to unite the entire telecom workers to save BSNL.
The CEC was presided by Com. V.A.N.Namboodiri, the President of the Union. The report presented by the General Secretary, Com. P.Abhimanyu was adopted with certain amendments. The house stood in silence paying homages to the revolutionary martyrs Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukh Dev who were hanged by the British on 23rd March 1932.
The CEC decided to continue observation of the Customer Delight Movement which started in April last year. It decided to make all out efforts for the settlement of the issue of the casual and contract workers as also the issues of Pensioners. The All India conference will be held at Ludhiana (Punjab) from 25th to 28th September 2012. ( Details of the CEC will be put in the BSNLEU website).
24 Saturday Mar 2012
Posted in Telecom
It was 157 years back on this day, 24th March (1855), that the transmission of Telegraphs messages was introduced in India. The telegraph lines from Agra to Calcutta was an important event that changed the country along with the introduction of Indian Railways. The above two, helped the British in suppressing the First War of Independence due to quick communication and quick transportation of military personnel. But it was also a path to modernising the country. Both the Telegraphs and the Railways celebrated their 150th anniversary in 2005 with wide publicity. Both have served the people of India creditably for about one and half century. Now, the telegraphs services have almost become extinct with the introduction of telephones and latest technology of communications. The Railways are going to be gradually privatised as per the indications and programmes included in the latest Railway Budget.
24 Saturday Mar 2012
Posted in General
The Central Government is trying to reduce the poverty level, minimum wage etc. and Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the Dy. Chairman, Planning Commission and even the Prime Minister go on justifying the same. But when it comes to any expenditure for them, there is no limit.
Take the case of Travelling Allowance of the Very Very Important Personalities (VVIPs), which includes the President, Prime Minister, cabinet Ministers etc. Last year the expenditure increased to Rs. 499.9 crore from the earlier year of 46.95 Crore. If the Cabinet Secretariat and the PMO is included, it increased from Rs, 152.4 crore to Rs 606.6 crore in 2011-12.
There is the call of the austrity by the government. But in the case VVIPs there is an extraordinary increae in all expenditures. The austerity is only for the toiling masses and not for the big people. The new kind of democracy
24 Saturday Mar 2012
The Central Government has announced 7% additional DA for Central Government employees with effect from January 2012. Now the total DA will be 65%, increased from 58%. The total expenditure because of the additional DA is expected to be around Rs. 7500 crore.
Central Government employees’ DA are revised twice in the year, in January and July, while BSNL employees /PSUs get every three months, in January, April, July and September.
23 Friday Mar 2012
Posted in History
The three young revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged on 23rd March 1931by the British imperialists. The role played by them for independence of the country and against the British suppression of the freedom fighters was written in gold letters. These young revolutionaries faced death with a smile. Their memory gives us the inspiration to fight against all wrongs.
Red Salute to the memory of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Raj Guru !
