20 Monday Feb 2012
Kolkatta Circle have shown the example for the unity of the Casual and Contract workers. In a meeting held by all the casual and contract workers
unions in Kolkata, a co-ordinating committee has been formed for dealing with the workers’ issues. I am reproducing here a report on the matter :
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Congratulations, Comrades!
20 Monday Feb 2012
Posted in Telecom
Shri J.R.Sharma, present Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will be retiring in May 2012 after a stint of 3 years. Who is going to be the next Chairman. The incumbent to the post will be selected by a high level search-cum-selection committee consisting of Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth, Principal Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office Pulok Chatterjee, Secretary (personnel) P K Mishra, Telecom Secretary R Chandrashekhar and Advisor to Prime Minister Sam Pitroda . Applications have been invited already for the post of TRAI Chairman. The appointment will be for three years, at the pay scale of Rs 3.75 lakh per month.
20 Monday Feb 2012
Posted in Obituary, Tributes
Today, 20th February 2012, is the 5th death anniversary of Comrade Chittabrata Majumdar, the former All India General Secretary of the CITU and a veteran trade union leader. Com. Chittabrata born in August 14, 1935 in the district of Dacca in the undivided Bengal, in the young age itself entered the trade union movement and became an important trade union functionary of W.Bengal. He was the state Secretary of the CITU W.Bengal for a long period. He functioned as Minister in the first Left Front Government.
He was elected as the All India General Secretary of CITU in the Chennai Conference in 2004 and re-elected in the Bangalore Conference in 2007. Com. Chittabrata Majumdar was closely connected with the P&T Trade Union movement and helped and guided BSNL Employees Union in its onward march. He was always available for consultation and guidance despite his serious illness and the heavy responsibilities as a Member of Parliament, GS of CITU and Polit Bureau Member of CPI(M). He attended our Gauhati AIC and addressed.
I pay my respectful homage to the memory of this great TU leader. Red Salute to Com. Chittabrata Majumdar!
20 Monday Feb 2012
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation
It seems that the UPA-II Government is moving towards 100% FDI in telecom sector. The auction for 2G spectrum is expected shortly consequent to the cancellation of the illegal 122 licences by the Supreme Court. Many of the affected companies, including Telenor (Norway based company) are reported to file petition against the SC judgement and have approached the government for the refund of the spectrum charges with interest. The government is under pressure to favour the affected companies. In such a situation, the government is sure to bail out these companies as has been doing earlier.
The present move to allow fully foreign owned companies to bid for the oncoming 2G auction, in reality, will mean 100% FDI in telecom. Although the present FDI cap in telecom is 74%, in practice it is much more than that. It is not that the government is not aware of the violation of the FDI cap, but it is being silently allowed. If the fully foreign-owned companies are allowed to bid in the 2G auction, it will be 100% FDI. This needs to be strongly protested.
20 Monday Feb 2012
Posted in General
The Allahabad High Court in a recent case ( Hari Shankar Srivastav Vs Commissioner, Food and Civil Supplies ) has given judgement that if the Disciplinary Authority wants to disagree with the report of the Inquiry Officer exonerating the charge sheeted officer, then the latter should be asked to file his reply as also a fresh show-cause notice before imposing any punishment. In many cases, the Disciplinary Authority usually mentions that he disagrees with the Inquiry report and impose punishment. This judgement delivered on 6th February 2012 is against such types of illegal imposement of punishment.
19 Sunday Feb 2012
The severe criticism from various corners against the statement of the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee that he was not getting sleep thinking about the subsidy, had its effect. In this blog also, I have expressed strong protest in the matter stating that there was no problem for the FM to give more than 4.6 lakh crore subsidy to the corporates and the big business, but was worried about the 1.4 lakh crore subsidy to the poor.
Today, Pranab Mukherjee has clarified that he was not worried about the amount of subsidy, but was worried about the fact that the subsidy was not reaching the poor. He stated: “I lose my sleep not when I look at the volume of quantum of subsidy, but because it is not reaching to the poor and needy and targeted group,” while talking about subsidy leakages. He also stated that in addition to the 1.4 lakh crore another 1 lakh crore subsidy will be there.
His clarification may save him from further criticism, but what about reducing the subsidy to the rich and increasing it for the poor? Is the government ready for the same? Is he prepared to stop the subsidies to the rich and give it to the poor in the coming budget?
19 Sunday Feb 2012
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation
There seems to be a great slackness on the part of the BSNL management on all activities. It is taking too long a time to take decisions and also implement them. The government machinery, DOT, was slow, but the PSU, BSNL, is fslower. This has adversely affected not only the developmental and expansion activities but also the settlement of the issues of the workers.
Have a look at this. The National Council is the forum for the staff side and the management side to discuss and settle important issues of the workers. Despite continued demand by the staff side, the management failed to convene any meeting since the last meeting in August last year. At last it has fixed the meeting for 27th February 2012. But whether the management is prepared to settle the issues focussed in the meeting? We have to wait and see.
The Designation Committee meeting is fixed to be held on 23rd February after a gap of more than one year. There was no difficulty for the management to change the designations of the executives and top management personnel more than once. But when it comes to Non-Executives, there is a negative attitude on the part of the management.
Removing anomalies for the ITS and Executives, management has got a a soft corner. But in the case of non-executives there is no soft corner.
There are many more discriminations, when the issues are concerning non-executives. The management should change its negative stand and must have sincere dialogue and settle the issues amicably. If it does not act, the workers will have no other course but to resort to strong agitational programmes.
17 Friday Feb 2012
The budget session of Parliament which was postponed due to the election in the four states, will now starts from 12th March, after the results of the elections are declared.
This section is expected to be stormy, not only on the corruption issues, but also on the issues focussed by the 28th February united strike by the entire workers in the country. The outcome of the elections may have far reaching consequences and reflection in the Parliament.
17 Friday Feb 2012
Posted in TU News - India
The All India BSNL-DOT Pensioners Association (AIBDPA), the biggest union of the DOT and BSNL Pensioners Association, has extended its support and solidarity to the nationwide strike on 28th February 2012. In his circular, the General Secretary of the Association, Comrade, K.G.Jayaraj, has called upon all its members to participate in all the programmes connected with the 28th February strike to extend the solidarity. The Pensioners very well know that it was only through the struggles organised by the BSNLEU and the Joint Action Committee of BSNL Unions/Associations that many of their issues, including Pension Revision, could be achieved.
More and more support for the strike is coming from all sections.
17 Friday Feb 2012
Posted in TU News - India
Despite the demand of all the unions in the 44th Indian Labour Conference, no decision was taken by the Government to fix the minimum wage at Rs.10,000.The employers of course opposed it. But it is for the government to take the decision.
Look to the following facts. These employers who say that they can’t pay the minimum wage of Rs.10,000 to the workers are paying themselves, to their CEOs, CMDs, MDs and top management personnel, lakhs and in some cases crores of rupees . They are spending crores for their air-travels in first class and executive class. They are living in multi-storeyed bungalows and spending crores for club membership etc. at the company’s expenses. All kinds of fringe benefits are extended to the top personnel.
But when it comes to the bare minimum wages for the ordinary worker, they refuse to pay. It is the inability, or rather the unwillingness, of the government that is the cause for the denial of minimum wage to the toiling worker. This has to be changed.
