It seems that the government wants to disinvest maximum shares of the PSUs, even if it is given at discount, much less than the original value.Does the government feel that they may not get a chance after next elections to sell these shares?

It is reported in today’s papers that further shares of Power Finance Corporation (PFC), ONGC, SAIL, Hindustan Copper Limited(HCL) and Minerals and Metal Trading Corporation (MMTC) are going to be disinvested at discount rates. The government gradually wants to disinvest up to 49%, keep it there for sometime and then privatise disinvesting further shares thus handing over all these valuable assets to the private big business.

The working class has to organise sustained struggle to stop this loot of public assets with the support of the people.

My hearty congratulations to BSNL Comrades and management of A.P.Circle for their excellent performance in capturing more than 35,000 connections through MNP from other service providers. It is a record all over the country. As per reports available with me only one more circle, Orissa, have got benefit from the MNP (Mobile Number Portability) since it has started. Orissa gained 2,084 lines. A detailed report has come in today’s (7th April 2011) Business Standard.

I personally congratulated Shri Rajeev Aggerval, CGM as also Com.J.Sampth Rao, Circle Secretary and Com. P.Asokababu, Dy.General secretary BSNLEU for this excellent performance. All of them stated that this success could be achieved through the combined efforts of the management and the entire staff. Maximum efforts were made for customer care and also publicising our services, which helped us, they told. This can be done in other circles also.

The Joint Action Committee has decided to observe “Customer Delight Month ” from 1st to 31st May 2011 in an effort to improve the services and to interact with the customers. All of us have to make it successful. Let BSNL restore its number one telecom operator position in the country.

A few weeks back I had mentioned about the close co-ordination between Hindus and Muslims In Bijapur, where a Hindu becomes the convener of a Miladi-Nabi function and a Muslim that of a Hindu festival.

Now today’s Hindu Daily reports a very welcome news in the same line. In Rui, which is in the Latur District of Maharashtra, Muslims and Hindus, in fact all the people of the village, have jointly reconstructed a Ram Temple destroyed 275 years back along with a Mazjid destroyed during 1947-48.
Communal harmony will go in a long way for a better and peaceful life.

Almost all the heads/ CEOs of private telecom companies seems to be involved in the infamous 2G scam. In addition to the former communications Minister A.Raja and his bureaucrat aides, these leaders of India Inc are being questioned one after another. They have all been questioned by CBI earlier.

Now it is the turn of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament. Within the last two days the PAC has questioned Ratan Tata, Anil Ambani, S Tel Director V.Srinivasan, Sanjay Chandra of Unitech Wireless, Charles Goodworth Director of Telenor Asia, Vinod Goenka of Etisalat DB etc. Niira Radia, the corporate lobbyist was also questioned. From the reports many of these bigwigs are not answering the questions on many issues stating that these are included in the CBI charge sheet and hence cannot be stated etc. But truth can not be kept hidden all the time. The people of this country have a right to know all. And the corrupt, both the bribe-giver and the bribe-taker should be punished. Those who played with the assets and funds of the nation should be seriously dealt with.

Casual and contract workers in many circles/divisions of BSNL are on agitation for implementation of minimum wage, social security measures like EPF, Insurance etc. Although the BSNL corporate office has issued clear instructions, the workers are not getting the full wages. EPF, Insurance premium are not deducted, identity cards are not given etc.

In Assam, FIR has been registered against contract workers for going on struggle by filing false cases by the contractor-management conspiracy. Many contract workers denied employment after Corporate office is insisting to pay minum wage.

Leaders of the BSNLEU at Circle and SSA levels should give all support and help to the just struggle of these workers who are being exploited and are denied even what is provided as per rules and laws of this country.

The 16th Congress (Conference) of the World Federation of Trade Unions is being held at Athens (Greece ) from 6th to 10th April 2011. WFTU is one of the biggest trade union confederation with large number of trade unions affiliated to it all over the world. Its progressive outlook and sustained struggles and interventions against the capitalist system and for improving the conditions of the workers have been appreciated. The last Congress was held at Havana (Cuba) which was participated by me, where I could get discuss the problems of telecom workers from various countries.

Com.P.Abhimanyu, General Secretary, BSNLEU is participating in this Congress and had already reached Athens.

I wish the Congress all success and hope that it will discuss all important issues facing the workers and will take appropriate decisions.

The meeting of the Joint Action Committee of BSNL Associations/Unions held today, 5th April 2011 decided to observe May 2011 as “Customer Delight Month”. In this month, the workers will be mobilised to improve the customer services including fault repair, billing, providing connections without delay, providing Broadband etc.

In this month the executives and non-executives will be visiting the customers and explain the services provided by BSNL and further get new connections. After fianlisation of the scheme it will be put on the websites of the unions.

In preparation for the “Customer Delight Month” an ” Employees Awareness Week” will be organised from 18th to 24th April 2011.