The Delhi High Court has confirmed the 3 years imprisonment of Sukh Ram, former Communications Minister, in the case of undue favour shown to a private company, in awarding contract for supply of telecom equipment, while he was the Minister. Ms. Runu Ghosh, former DDG in DOT as also the Managing Director of Advanced Radio Masts, P.Rama Rao were convicted jail sentences in the same case. The High Court has directed all the  three to surrender before the trial court to serve their sentences.

It is to be noted that since the introduction of the Neo-liberal policies and so called Reforms in India, the telecom sector has been witness to continuous scams and corrupt practices.

At present out of the 35 lakh subscribing to EPF,  14 lakh are getting pension of less than Rs. 500. This is less than the pension given to the senior citizens etc in states like Kerala, with out any contributions. The Central Trade Unions have already put a strong demand to increase the minimum pension to Rs.1,000/- This is fully justified.  The plea  of the employers and the government that that 0.63 % will have to be paid in addition to the contribution of 8.33% is not acceptable to the workers. However, if  any extra amount has to be paid, it should be paid by the employers and the government.

In the same way, the interest rate of the present 9.5% should be increased for EPF account, the unions have demanded. The government and the employers want to reduce it. This also is not acceptable to the workers.

The meeting of Central Board of Trustees of EPFO tomorrow has to take a favourable decision, increasing both the Minimum Pension and Interest Rate.

the 2 G scam special court has now charge sheeted a further eight  companies / top bosses in connection with the 2 g Scam. They are Ravi Kant Ruia (Essar Group), Anushman Ruia (Essar ), Vikas Saraf (Essar), Ms Kiran Khaitan (Loop Telecom), I.P.Khaitan and three companies viz. Loop Telecom Private Ltd., Loop Mobile India Ltd and Essar Teleholdings Ltd.

Immediate fall out of the same was that Ravi Kant Ruia was  compelled to resign from the post of Chairman of the company.

It is yet to be seen how many heads will roll in 2 G scam.

We are agressively organising and running unions in BSNL and MTNL, the public sector telecom companies. During the last more than 15 years many private sector companies have started functioning in telecom sector and there are thousands of workers employed in these companies. Are there any unions for these workers? I am not aware. Is it not the responsibility of  organised telecom workers to help the private sector workers to form their unions. I think it is necessary. Of course, it is not easy since the private managements never welcome formation of unions in their companies as is evident from the case of Maruti, Hyundai etc. Yes, there may be objection and resistance from the managements, but union is most necessary to defend the interests of the workers.

We have t think about the issue of formation of unions in private telecom companies with out further delay.

21^st December 2011

Today, the meeting started at 0930 hrs (NST). The Sri Lankan delegates Bros.  Rohanlal Nissanka (TOU) and H.K.Hettiarachchi (TEDA)   submitted their country reports on the developments on the company as well as the union matters. BroMd. Mofizul Islam Ointu (BATESKOP) from Bangladesh also submitted  his report. All reports were very informative.

The house then discussed about the organising of the unorganised /outsourced workers, Professional and management service personnel etc. Certain guidance on these were  given by the organisers.

Since the meeting was being held at Nepal and more delegates were present from the country, detailed discussion took place regarding the organisational issues with particular reference to Nepal.

After the summing up by the Director of the session, Bro. Kun and thanksgiving, the council ended by about 13.30 hours.  The next Council meeting was decided to be held at Dacca in Bangladesh. The meeting  was a good experience to know how the unions are organised in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh etc.

Reception at TEAN Office

Immediately after the Council meeting, a reception was held at the Union office of the Telecommunication Employees Association of Nepal (TEAN), which is situated in the office of the General Manager ( Head of the Company) of the Nepal telecommunications. BSNLEU and TEAN have got a long close association and  leaders of both unions used at attend the conferences of the other union. It was a reception for me and Bro.Kun. I had visited the union office earlier also. All the Executive Committee members were there. In addition, one of the Directors of the Board, Com. Thankalal Shrestha, a former President of the Union and its nominee in the Board, Gopal Dhakal, Advisor and another  former President were also present.( In the Nepal Telecommunications, one member of the Board is nominated by the recognised union).The President, Com. Asok Karn welcomed us and presented flower bouquets and mementos. On behalf of BSNLEU I honoured Coms. Shrestha and Asok Karn, former and present presidents by putting red shawls on their shoulders. Some sweets I brought from Delhi were also supplied to the comrades present. Both Kun and myself made very brief speeches and I invited TEAN leaders to attend BSNLEU All India Conference to be held at Ludhiana next year.

Since my flight to New Delhi was at 1700 hours, I started immediately in the vehicle arranged by Comrade Karn. One of the executive committee members  accompanied me to the air-port. There was heavy traffic and I was worried a little about reaching the airport in time. However without much delay I reached. The flight was in time and I reached back at Delhi by about 1900 hours.

The UNI council meeting was very educative and I was happy that I participated.

 

 

 

At very short notice I had to start for Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, to attend a meeting of the South East Asian Telecom Unions scheduled to be held on 20-21 December 2011. Though the invitation came at the last moment, I thought it is necessary to attend the same and proceeded by the afternoon of 19^th instant.

But the journey was not easy. The flight was to start at 1405 hours, which was delayed first for one hour, then again for another hour due to the heavy fog. It took off at 1615 hours at last and reached Kathmandu by about 1800 hours. I had got a window seat on the left side of the plane so that I can see the Himalayan ranges. But that was not to be. Due to the sky not very clear, I could see only the faint image of the Himalayas. Anyhow, I have seen it clearly earlier.

There was not much delay in coming out of the Kathmandu Airport, since the entrants from India and other SAARC countries are allowed without much hassle. After having a cup of coffee, I found the agent from the Hotel Himalayas displaying my name in a paper board. I got in his vehicle and reached the Hotel Himalayas, where some delegates to the meeting had already arrived.

Hotel Himalayas is a  star hotel with all connected facilities. I was taken to my room and intimated that the dinner is ready in the restaurant. It was already 1930 hours and after refreshing myself, went for dinner. The organiser Mr. Kun Wardana Abyoto, Director, Telecom/ICTS UNI was there. I enquired about the details of the meeting from tomorrow and he explained everything. Mr Kun is from Indonesia and the interaction was pleasant.

Outside, it was very cold, just like Delhi, but inside the room, the temperature was comfortable. I tried to open the internet, but being out of India, the data card did not function. I had a good rest by going early to bed.

The Council Meeting starts

On the morning on 20^th, I wanted to go for a morning walk, but it was very cold and I thought it better to stay inside. After the break-fast, the meeting started at 0930 hours. (By the way the Nepal Standard Time is 15 minutes in advance of IST). There were about 30 delegates, including from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Pakistan delegate could not come due to certain difficulties at home. Mr. Christopher N.G., Regional Secretary, UNI Global Union, Ms. Olga Vinogradova, UNI Global Policy Officer from Russia, Mr. Bjorn   Lynd, Head of International Affairs from Finland, Shankar Lamichane, General Secretary, UNI Global  and Mr. Sharan K.C., Trade Union Solidarity Centre were present. Delegates from Nepal included leaders from all the four telecom unions. From India, in addition to me Com. Prasad, from Bangalore was there. Com. Asok Karn, President of the Telecom Employees Association of Nepal (TEAN) presided.

After welcome and Presidential address, the printed report of the Director was presented by Mr. (or Brother as used by UNI), Kun Wardana with certain opening remarks. Mr. Christopher spoke afterwards with certain suggestion on the social dialogue the unions have to initiate.

After tea-break, the delegates from the various unions were requested to present their reports. First all the four unions from Nepal gave their presentation. Two unions represented the Nepal Telecom Employees, one represented the workers of the Nepal Telecom Authority employees and the last represented the Ncell  ( a private company) employees.  From the report, it was clear that the telecom workers in Nepal was well organised. It was a pleasant surprise that after all these unions presented their reports, an announcement was made on the spot that all these unions have formed a coordinating committee, UNI TEL, to work together on common issues.

Next report was made by Mr. Prasad, from India, who has been organising the telecom workers in the private sector. He pointed out the difficulty while organising the workers in Uninor (Telenor).  The workers in the private sector are afraid of retrenchment and harassment, if the management gets wind of the formation of union.

Next was my turn. I thanked the organisers for inviting BSNLEU, even though it is not affiliated with UNI. I gave a written note, which was circulated by the organisers at the time of my speech, and explained the telecom sector issues as also the union activities. The struggles organised by the union and JAC were also briefed. Our fight against VRS and privatisation was pointed out.   Many clarifications were sought by the delegates which were answered by me. The house appreciated much the report from BSNLEU.

The meeting was adjourned for next day, since it was almost 1800 hours by the time. A party was hoisted by the host Nepalese Unions, during which the delegates could interact with each other and get a lot of information about the union functioning in other countries. During the party, I could meet many comrades from the TEAN (Telecom Employees Association of Nepal) with whom BSNLEU had very close relation. Coms. Thankalal Shreshtha, former President of the union and a member of the Board of Directors of Nepal Telecommunications, former President Com. were all there. Today also I retired early to sleep.  (to be continued)

 

 

 

 

 

 

South East Asian Telecom Unions meet at Kathmandu

At very short notice I had to start for Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, to attend a meeting of the South East Asian Telecom unions scheduled to be held on 20-21 December 2011. Though the invitation came at the last moment, I thought it is necessary to attend the same and proceeded by the afternoon of 19^th instant.

But the journey was not easy that way. The flight was to start at 1405 hours, which was delayed first for one hour, then again for another hour due to the heavy fog. It took off at 1615 hours at last and reached Kathmandu by about 1800 hours. I had got a window seat on the left side of the plane so that I can see the Himalayan ranges. But that was not to be. Due to the sky not very clear, I could see only the faint image of the Himalayas. Anyhow, I have seen it clearly earlier.

There was not much delay in coming out of the Kathmandu Airport, since the entrants from India and other SAARC countries are allowed without much hassle. After having a cup of coffee, I found the agent from the Hotel Himalayas displaying my name in a paper board. I got in his vehicle and reached the Hotel Himalayas, where some delegates to the meeting had already arrived.

Hotel Himalayas is a five star hotel with all connected facilities. I was taken to my room and intimated that the dinner is ready in the restaurant. It was already 1930 hours and after refreshing myself, went for dinner. The organiser Mr. Kun Wardana Abyoto, Director, Telecom/ICTS UNI was there. I enquired about the details of the meeting from tomorrow and he explained everything. Mr Kun is from Indonesia and the interaction was pleasant.

Outside, it was very cold, just like Delhi, but inside the room the temperature was comfortable. I tried to open the internet, but being out of India, the data card did not function. I had a good rest by going early to bed.

The Council Meeting starts

On the morning on 20^th, I wanted to go for a morning walk, but it was very cold and I thought it better to stay inside. After the break-fast, the meeting started at 0930 hours. (By the way the Nepal Standard Time is 15 minutes in advance of IST). There were about 30 delegates, including from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Pakistan delegate could not come due to certain difficulties at home. Mr. Christopher N.G., Regional Secretary, UNI Global Union, Ms. Olga Vinogradova, UNI Global Policy Officer from Russia, Mr. Bjorn   Lynd, Head of International Affairs from Finland, Shankar Lamichane, General Secretary, UNI Global  and Mr. Sharan K.C., Trade Union Solidarity Centre were present. Delegates from India included leaders from all the four telecom unions. Com. Asok Karn, President of the Telecom Employees Association of Nepal (TEAN) presided.

After welcome and Presidential address, the printed report of the Director was presented by Mr. (or Brother as used by UNI), Kun Wardana with certain opening remarks. Mr. Christopher spoke afterwards with certain suggestion on the social dialogue the unions have to initiate.

After tea-break, the delegates from the various unions were requested to present their reports. First all the four unions from Nepal gave their presentation. Two unions represented the Nepal Telecom Employees, one represented the workers of the Nepal Telecom Authority employees and the last represented the Ncell  ( a private company) employees.  From the report, it was clear that the telecom workers in Nepal was well organised. It was a pleasant surprise that after all these unions presented their reports, an announcement was made on the spot that all these unions have formed a co-ordinating committee, UNI TEL, to work together on common issues.

Next report was made by Mr. Prasad, from India, who has been organising the telecom workers in the private sector. He pointed out the difficulty while organising the workers in Uninor (Telenor).  The workers in the private sector are afraid of retrenchment and harassment, if the management gets wind of the formation of union.

Next was my turn. I thanked the organisers for inviting BSNLEU, even though it is not affiliated with UNI. I gave a written note, which was circulated by the organisers at the time of my speech, and explained the telecom sector issues as also the union activities. The struggles organised by the union and JAC were also briefed. Our fight against VRS and privatisation was pointed out.   Many clarifications were sought by the delegates which were answered by me. The house appreciated much the report from BSNLEU.

The meeting was adjourned for next day, since it was almost 1800 hours by the time. A party was hoisted by the host Nepalese Unions, during which the delegates could interact with each other and get a lot of information about the union functioning in other countries. During the party, I could meet many comrades from the TEAN (Telecom Employees Association of Nepal) with whom BSNLEU had very close relation. Coms. Thankalal Shreshtha, former President of the union and a member of the Board of Directors of Nepal Telecommunications, former President Com. were all there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

South East Asian Telecom Unions meet at Kathmandu

At very short notice I had to start for Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, to attend a meeting of the South East Asian Telecom unions scheduled to be held on 20-21 December 2011. Though the invitation came at the last moment, I thought it is necessary to attend the same and proceeded by the afternoon of 19^th instant.

But the journey was not easy that way. The flight was to start at 1405 hours, which was delayed first for one hour, then again for another hour due to the heavy fog. It took off at 1615 hours at last and reached Kathmandu by about 1800 hours. I had got a window seat on the left side of the plane so that I can see the Himalayan ranges. But that was not to be. Due to the sky not very clear, I could see only the faint image of the Himalayas. Anyhow, I have seen it clearly earlier.

There was not much delay in coming out of the Kathmandu Airport, since the entrants from India and other SAARC countries are allowed without much hassle. After having a cup of coffee, I found the agent from the Hotel Himalayas displaying my name in a paper board. I got in his vehicle and reached the Hotel Himalayas, where some delegates to the meeting had already arrived.

Hotel Himalayas is a five star hotel with all connected facilities. I was taken to my room and intimated that the dinner is ready in the restaurant. It was already 1930 hours and after refreshing myself, went for dinner. The organiser Mr. Kun Wardana Abyoto, Director, Telecom/ICTS UNI was there. I enquired about the details of the meeting from tomorrow and he explained everything. Mr Kun is from Indonesia and the interaction was pleasant.

Outside, it was very cold, just like Delhi, but inside the room the temperature was comfortable. I tried to open the internet, but being out of India, the data card did not function. I had a good rest by going early to bed.

The Council Meeting starts

On the morning on 20^th, I wanted to go for a morning walk, but it was very cold and I thought it better to stay inside. After the break-fast, the meeting started at 0930 hours. (By the way the Nepal Standard Time is 15 minutes in advance of IST). There were about 30 delegates, including from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Pakistan delegate could not come due to certain difficulties at home. Mr. Christopher N.G., Regional Secretary, UNI Global Union, Ms. Olga Vinogradova, UNI Global Policy Officer from Russia, Mr. Bjorn   Lynd, Head of International Affairs from Finland, Shankar Lamichane, General Secretary, UNI Global  and Mr. Sharan K.C., Trade Union Solidarity Centre were present. Delegates from India included leaders from all the four telecom unions. Com. Asok Karn, President of the Telecom Employees Association of Nepal (TEAN) presided.

After welcome and Presidential address, the printed report of the Director was presented by Mr. (or Brother as used by UNI), Kun Wardana with certain opening remarks. Mr. Christopher spoke afterwards with certain suggestion on the social dialogue the unions have to initiate.

After tea-break, the delegates from the various unions were requested to present their reports. First all the four unions from Nepal gave their presentation. Two unions represented the Nepal Telecom Employees, one represented the workers of the Nepal Telecom Authority employees and the last represented the Ncell  ( a private company) employees.  From the report, it was clear that the telecom workers in Nepal was well organised. It was a pleasant surprise that after all these unions presented their reports, an announcement was made on the spot that all these unions have formed a co-ordinating committee, UNI TEL, to work together on common issues.

Next report was made by Mr. Prasad, from India, who has been organising the telecom workers in the private sector. He pointed out the difficulty while organising the workers in Uninor (Telenor).  The workers in the private sector are afraid of retrenchment and harassment, if the management gets wind of the formation of union.

Next was my turn. I thanked the organisers for inviting BSNLEU, even though it is not affiliated with UNI. I gave a written note, which was circulated by the organisers at the time of my speech, and explained the telecom sector issues as also the union activities. The struggles organised by the union and JAC were also briefed. Our fight against VRS and privatisation was pointed out.   Many clarifications were sought by the delegates which were answered by me. The house appreciated much the report from BSNLEU.

The meeting was adjourned for next day, since it was almost 1800 hours by the time. A party was hoisted by the host Nepalese Unions, during which the delegates could interact with each other and get a lot of information about the union functioning in other countries. During the party, I could meet many comrades from the TEAN (Telecom Employees Association of Nepal) with whom BSNLEU had very close relation. Coms. Thankalal Shreshtha, former President of the union and a member of the Board of Directors of Nepal Telecommunications, former President Com. were all there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

South East Asian Telecom Unions meet at Kathmandu

At very short notice I had to start for Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, to attend a meeting of the South East Asian Telecom unions scheduled to be held on 20-21 December 2011. Though the invitation came at the last moment, I thought it is necessary to attend the same and proceeded by the afternoon of 19^th instant.

But the journey was not easy that way. The flight was to start at 1405 hours, which was delayed first for one hour, then again for another hour due to the heavy fog. It took off at 1615 hours at last and reached Kathmandu by about 1800 hours. I had got a window seat on the left side of the plane so that I can see the Himalayan ranges. But that was not to be. Due to the sky not very clear, I could see only the faint image of the Himalayas. Anyhow, I have seen it clearly earlier.

There was not much delay in coming out of the Kathmandu Airport, since the entrants from India and other SAARC countries are allowed without much hassle. After having a cup of coffee, I found the agent from the Hotel Himalayas displaying my name in a paper board. I got in his vehicle and reached the Hotel Himalayas, where some delegates to the meeting had already arrived.

Hotel Himalayas is a five star hotel with all connected facilities. I was taken to my room and intimated that the dinner is ready in the restaurant. It was already 1930 hours and after refreshing myself, went for dinner. The organiser Mr. Kun Wardana Abyoto, Director, Telecom/ICTS UNI was there. I enquired about the details of the meeting from tomorrow and he explained everything. Mr Kun is from Indonesia and the interaction was pleasant.

Outside, it was very cold, just like Delhi, but inside the room the temperature was comfortable. I tried to open the internet, but being out of India, the data card did not function. I had a good rest by going early to bed.

The Council Meeting starts

On the morning on 20^th, I wanted to go for a morning walk, but it was very cold and I thought it better to stay inside. After the break-fast, the meeting started at 0930 hours. (By the way the Nepal Standard Time is 15 minutes in advance of IST). There were about 30 delegates, including from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Pakistan delegate could not come due to certain difficulties at home. Mr. Christopher N.G., Regional Secretary, UNI Global Union, Ms. Olga Vinogradova, UNI Global Policy Officer from Russia, Mr. Bjorn   Lynd, Head of International Affairs from Finland, Shankar Lamichane, General Secretary, UNI Global  and Mr. Sharan K.C., Trade Union Solidarity Centre were present. Delegates from India included leaders from all the four telecom unions. Com. Asok Karn, President of the Telecom Employees Association of Nepal (TEAN) presided.

After welcome and Presidential address, the printed report of the Director was presented by Mr. (or Brother as used by UNI), Kun Wardana with certain opening remarks. Mr. Christopher spoke afterwards with certain suggestion on the social dialogue the unions have to initiate.

After tea-break, the delegates from the various unions were requested to present their reports. First all the four unions from Nepal gave their presentation. Two unions represented the Nepal Telecom Employees, one represented the workers of the Nepal Telecom Authority employees and the last represented the Ncell  ( a private company) employees.  From the report, it was clear that the telecom workers in Nepal was well organised. It was a pleasant surprise that after all these unions presented their reports, an announcement was made on the spot that all these unions have formed a co-ordinating committee, UNI TEL, to work together on common issues.

Next report was made by Mr. Prasad, from India, who has been organising the telecom workers in the private sector. He pointed out the difficulty while organising the workers in Uninor (Telenor).  The workers in the private sector are afraid of retrenchment and harassment, if the management gets wind of the formation of union.

Next was my turn. I thanked the organisers for inviting BSNLEU, even though it is not affiliated with UNI. I gave a written note, which was circulated by the organisers at the time of my speech, and explained the telecom sector issues as also the union activities. The struggles organised by the union and JAC were also briefed. Our fight against VRS and privatisation was pointed out.   Many clarifications were sought by the delegates which were answered by me. The house appreciated much the report from BSNLEU.

The meeting was adjourned for next day, since it was almost 1800 hours by the time. A party was hoisted by the host Nepalese Unions, during which the delegates could interact with each other and get a lot of information about the union functioning in other countries. During the party, I could meet many comrades from the TEAN (Telecom Employees Association of Nepal) with whom BSNLEU had very close relation. Coms. Thankalal Shreshtha, former President of the union and a member of the Board of Directors of Nepal Telecommunications, former President Com. were all there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has been reported in the media that CMD BSNL R.K.Upadhyay stated that for offering  VRS an amount of Rs. 4,000 crore can be spent by BSNL and the rest ( about Rs. 14,000 crore) has to be provided by DOT. For one thing, if the entire proposed amount of Rs, 18,000 crore is given for BSNL, it can develop and expand and the company will become financially viable. The cash crunch can be made good.  So why spend for VRS when that amount can be utilised for better purposes?

Secondly, from where BSNL is going to spend Rs.4,000 crore for VRS? How can BSNL spend the money for VRS instead of development?

The management has to answer these vital questions before proceeding with VRS.

The truth has come from the horse mouth itself. In answer to a Parliament Question, the Finance Ministry has intimated that a subsidy of Rs. 4.6 lakh crore has been given towards direct tax incentives, exemptions, profit and investment linked deductions and other subsidies to the corporates and the rich. Rs. 3.73 lakh crore in central excise and custom duties alone was given.

But what about the poor in the country? The total subsidy given is only 1.44 lakh crore. It was 1.54  lakh crore in 2010-11 which has been reduced to 1.44 lakh crore in 2011-12. At the same time the subsidy increased from Rs. 4.37 lakh in 2009-2010 to Rs. 4.6 lakh crore in 2010-11 for the rich.

This UPA government, no doubt, is a government of the rich and not aam admi as claimed. It always in on the side of the MNCs, the corporates and the big business. Once again it stands proved by its actions, as in the case of its aggressive role to being 51% FDI in multi-brand retail trade, , though  it failed for the present,that it stands for the rich.

Now wives of overseas people ( like Indians )  in Britain will not be allowed in the country unless they know English. A recent court ruling has made it compulsory, which is going to create a lot of difficulties for the lakhs of people who are working in Britain if their wives don’t know English. This is applicable for the children also.  There are a large number of foreigners in Britain, mainly from the Commonwealth countries, and this rule will adversely affect them all.

This ruling is completely against the right of the people for family life. The government of India should take up the matter with the U.K.government. If India pass such a rule stating that any foreigner or his spouse staying in India should know Hindi, what will happen?

Usually, the cold becomes severe after 21st December. But his time it has started earlier. In Delhi the temperature has come down to 5.0 degree. In Agra, Amritsar etc it has reached even 2-2.5 degrees. In Haryana and Rajasthan also it is the same. In J&K places like famous tourist spot Gulmarg has recorded a minimum temperature of below  minus 8 degree. Cold wave is blowing through out the north.

20 persons have been reported dead due to severe cold so far. There has been much delay in organising the night shelters in Delhi which caused great distress to the street vendors, beggars, homeless etc.

However, in Delhi at day time there is sun and the temperatures go up to 15-20, but by 1600 hours the cold starts taking over the situation.  In the morning by 0700-0800 hours on school days, one can see the children fully clad with warm clothes, but still shivering, going  schools.

At the same time, winter is the time of many celebrations and a large number of marriages take place in this season. One has to adjust to the climate and live on.