The Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension vide its OM No.4901/31/2008-Estt(C) dated 2nd december 2013 has called for details of the casual labours in all departments for an assessment of present status of the Casual Labour (Grant of Temporary Status and Regularisation) Scheme of 1993. Why the assessment is being made is not specifically mentioned. But at the same time, it mentions that there has been representations from many departments for regularisation of the casual labour.

In the BSNL, the management is completely against regularisation and is utilising the Umadevi case to deny regularisation even to those who have been working for more than 20-25 years for DOT/BSNL. Instead of trying to somehow give a job to these workers who have served the nation, the management is trying to find out reasons for denying them a livelihood.

Nothing else can be expected from a management which has taken decision to impose VRS to retrench 1 lakh employees to reduce the number of staff. Only through sustained and sacrificial struggles, the workers will be able to get themselves regularised.