Tag Archives: BSNL

Protest Against TRAI Recommendations of Spectrum Surrender by TRAI

27 Monday Oct 2014

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TRAI has recommended to DOT to get the 1.2 MHz spectrum in the 900 MHZ band surrendered by the BSNL for auction to private telecom operators. This will leave BSNL without sufficient premium 900 MHZ band of spectrum for its own operations and services.

We have earlier stated that the present TRAI is openly acting as an agent of the private companies. This recommendation once again confirms our assumption. We strongly protest against this fresh attack on BSNL.

The Forum is meeting on 28th to discuss this as also the implementation of Deloittee recommendations in Maharashtra with regard to reconstitution of SSAs.

An Appeal to all ITS, Executives and Non-Executives in BSNL

23 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by in BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers

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AN APPEAL TO ITS OFFICERS, EXECUTIVES AND EMPLOYEES OF BSNL TO HELP END EXPLOITATION IN BSNL AND TO ENSURE JUSTICE TO CASUAL CONTRACT WORKERS

Dear Friends, Colleagues and Comrades,

My Best Wishes for a Happy Diwali to you and your Family !
As employees and officers of BSNL, we have been making all out efforts to improve the services to the customers as also for strengthening the financial viability of BSNL. We are all committed for restoring the glory and efficiency of the telecom services.
Compared to the present economic situation in the country, we all are adequately paid to a certain extent. Of course many demands are there, which are fully justified and which are yet to be granted. We are capable of fighting and getting our rights accepted as in the past.
Now I want to bring to your kind attention a very unhappy story of wage-slavery and brutal exploitation continuing in our own BSNL. I am talking about the one lakh and odd TSM/Casual and Contract labours who are engaged for work in BSNL and continuing for years together.
The casual labour were engaged prior to BSNL formation, mostly through employment exchanges. The contract labours are engaged mostly after formation of BSNL. All the casual labour / TSM could have been regularised, but for the unpardonable administrative delay in forwarding their cases to corporate office by the field level management.
we, officers and employees, are demanding for better wages, benefits etc. and going on struggle for achieving the same. But these casual and contract workers are pleading and appealing that whatever are the labour laws in the country be implemented with regard to Minimum Wage, Bonus, EPF, ESI, Gratuity, Regularisation etc. It is not that rules are not there. But they are not being implemented.
BSNL is a PSU, fully owned by the Government, but the laws of the government are violated and not implemented here. An unskilled contract worker in a C class City is to be paid around Rs.7,000/ for a month based on the daily rates plus DA decided by the Government and labour department. For semi-skilled, skilled and highly skilled as also in A and B class cities the wages are higher. But, except in very few places, the worker is paid only Rs. 1,000/ to Rs. 4,000 or so. Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 5000 which is due to him/her is denied. Think about what will happen if such an amount is reduced from your pay packet? What will be your reaction? You will certainly fight on the day itself and ensure that your full due is paid. EPF / ESI is not implemented in the case of contract workers, thus denying them any benefit when they are unable to work in their old age.
These workers are brutally exploited by the Contractor and in many places employees / officers become party to this exploitation. Not a single contractor has been punished or blacklisted all these years despite violation of law has been brought to the notice of the top management. This speaks a lot. A top official of the Management stated that this is a practice going on for long and is difficult to put an end to. This is sad news.
You will agree that this exploitation should end and that the contract/casual workers also should get a fair deal. This can be achieved if all of us come together and take a firm position that we will not allow this exploitation to continue.
The corrupt contractors and corrupt officers and employees who support them should be exposed. They should be taken to task. The casual and contract workers should get justice.
I would request you once again to come together to remove this stigma of corruption and exploitation in BSNL and ensure a better deal for these toiling workers whose future is tied up with us and the revival of BSNL.
Once again I wish you on this Diwali Day and request that let us all try to bring some light in to the lives of these exploited section of workers, who are our colleagues and comrades.
Yours Sincerely,
Sd/-
V.A.N.Namboodiri
President BSNL Casual Contract Workers Federation and
Convener, Forum of BSNL Unions / Associations.

Where BSNL is going ? – A thought on Diwali Day !

23 Thursday Oct 2014

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Today, North India is celebrating Diwali, the Festival of Lights. The South has already celebrated the Deepavali, again the festival of lights, yesterday. All over India, yesterday or today the festival is celebrated with lighting of lamps, decorations, cracker firing, giving gifts, consuming a lot of sweets, big purchases etc. The business community see this as the biggest opportunity for grand sales. Personal Greetings, SMS Greetings all goes on merrily.It really is a festival of lights and happiness. We wish everybody a Very Happy Diwali, Deepavali.

But there is no light or happiness, when thinking of BSNL and its future. Darkness is coming with the market share dropping and the losses continuing. The slight improvement seems to have been evaporated.There is a lull. The assurances and declarations of the government to support and subsidise have not been implemented and honoured.

But every dark night ends in a bright morning. Against all odds, the workers have to put their strength and vigour and rally the entire people of the country for reviving BSNL, the communication lines of the common people. Each and every worker should be part of this big campaign. There is no doubt that we will succeed. Let us continue this great campaign and struggle to revitalise BSNL and for a better service to the people.

How Air India was financially ruined by Government ?

19 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation, PSU, Telecom

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Air India was running well and there was modest profit. It all changed after its merger with India Airlines and the intervention of Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel compelling the company to purchase more than double the planes it did not really require.

Shri Jitender Bhargava, a former Executive Director of Air India, in a forth right article in the “Economic Times” dated 19th October 2014 asserts that the Air India has gone down due to the quixotic plane order by the company. While the Director Board of the Air India only wanted 28 air crafts to be purchased,the ministry under Praful Patel compelled them to order 68 air crafts. Air India was having only Rs. 8,000 crore annual revenue and the profit was only wafer thin. It had no reserve fund.

The cost of the 68 planes ordered was Rs. 39,000 crore.If the planes had to be purchased, the company will have to take loans for which an annual interest of Rs. 2,000 crore has to be paid. It was a cruel decision and a financial tragedy would be the result.

The article reviews through the decision making process and how the Minister dictated and compelled the management to issue the order for 68 planes. The director, who even made some remarks on the non-viability of the plan was terminated from the Board.

The quixotic plane order at the behest of minister was the main reason for the financial trouble and down fall of Air India. This is how the Government ensured that the Air India goes down and the private airlines benefit.

In telecom sector, BSNL, the PSU, was humbled and made financially unviable in another way. If in Air India, order was given for more than required planes, in BSNL it was by cancellation of the 45 million mobile equipment order, which was urgently required by BSNL to expand its services, that the government managed to start the downfall of BSNL. It was Communication Minister Raja who accomplished this for the government by compelling the management to cancel the order. It was only through the united struggle of the workers under the leadership of the JAC of BSNL Unions/Associations in July 2007 that at least half of the 45 million lines could be got ordered. But the further cancellation of the tender for 93 million and 5 million sealed the fate of BSNL. The entire cash balance of Rs. 40,000 crore with BSNL was taken away by the government in the name of notional loan, its huge interest, spectrum charges and so on.

Whether it is the UPA or NDA government, the motto is ” Business is not the Business of the Government” and wants to hand over all the PSUs to the MNCs and Corporates. Of course, it is these corporates and MNCs which have donated lakhs of crores of rupees to both BJP and Congress in the elections and they have to be repaid by undue favours.

It is high time that these ruling classes have to be exposed. It is also necessary that the persons responsible should be booked and punished for destroying the valuable assets of the nation.

BSNL the only Dependable telephone service – Hindu Report

15 Wednesday Oct 2014

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It is well known to all that BSNL is the PSU which provides universal service in the country without any discrimination between urban and rural areas. Despite huge loss to the company, BSNL provides services in lakhs of villages as part of the government’s policy of universal connectivity. Private companies are interested only in profit and whenever and wherever profit is not there, they will withdraw from service.

BSNL restores its services expeditiously whenever there is any natural calamity and help the people in distress. it was done at the time of Uttarakhand landslides as also Kashmir deluge. Now when the Hudhud battered Visakhapatnam and nearby places, it is again BSNL which came to the rescue of the common people.

I am reproducing below a report from Hindu, which appreciates the service of BSNL during the recent Hudhud cyclone which devastated Visakhapatnam and nearby places and resulted in many deaths.

” When all private networks failed to provide dependable service when Hudhud cyclone battered North Andhra Pradesh, BSNL was the only operator which proved its robustness.

BSNL’s extraordinary efficiency at the time such a huge crisis – whether it is for carrying out relief operations or for filing updates to media corps or to know well being of kith and kin. “It was BSNL mobile network’s effectiveness which helped me in establishing contact with my old parents to know their well-being after Hudhud caused heavy devastation in Visakhapatnam,” Dilip, an NRI software engineer from New Jersey said.

In Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam, BSNL was proved to be most dependable. “Our mobile signals and landlines functioned extremely well under trying circumstances. Our towers could radiate signals and render good services,” a BSNL spokesman stated.

The official promised to restore wherever their service was partially-affected.”

My Hearty Congratulations to the BSNL Management and workers of A.P. who helped the people in their distress and restored the services in an extremely effective manner.

TRAI acts as Private telecom spokesman

26 Friday Sep 2014

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NOFN project has been entrusted with the three PSUs, BSNL, Railtel and Power Grid. The process is going on. There has been some delay due to tender and connected matters. This delay is being utilised by the TRAI Chairman to include private telecom companies also in the project.
We strongly protest against the unusual intervention of the TRAI to hand over the project to private companies. This project should be done by the PSUs who are fully capable to do the work. BSNL and other two PSUs should also ensure that the work is completed early so that people will get the benefit early.

BSNL issues Appeal for J&K Relief Fund

26 Friday Sep 2014

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The CMD BSNL has issued an Appeal to all BSNL employees to donate to the J and K Relief fund by contributing one day basic salary as requested by the Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations.

Let all of us donate and make the Relief Collection successful.Let us Support the J and K people who are in distress.

Approach EPF Commissioners, wherever EPF is not implemented.

24 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by in BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers

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In the meeting with the Central Provident Commissioner, he has advised BSNLCCWF to approach the Provident Fund Commissioner in the area to ensure that the EPF is deducted and accounted.

All BSNLEU and BSNLCCWF leaders are requested to verify whether the EPF amount is deducted from the wages of casual/contract workers and remitted to the EPF Account. Wherever, it is not done, kindly approach the EPF Commissioner as advised by the CPF Commissioner.
Also send a copy of the list of contract/casual labour for whom deduction is not made for EPF and remitted by e-mail to Com. V.A.N.Namboodiri (van.namboodiri@gmail.com),so that the same can be forwarded to the CPF Commissioner.
This is important and very urgent.

National Council Meeting on 25th September

24 Wednesday Sep 2014

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The next National Council Meeting will be held tomorrow, 25th September 2014. The meeting of the Staff Side of the NC was held today and all the issues to be presented tomorrow were discussed. The meeting expressed its strong protest against the orders issued by the Corporate office against conducting dharna etc. and also for imposing dies-non.

EPF Commissioner calls BSNLCCWF for meeting

22 Monday Sep 2014

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The Central EPF Commissioner, New Delhi has fixed a meeting with the BSNLCCWF and BSNL Management at 11.00 on 24 September to discuss about the ‘Deployment of Contract/Casual Workers for perennial nature of jobs in BSNL’ at the EPFO office. This is a preliminary meeting before the meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour on 29th September 2014 on the same subject for which also BSNLCCWF has been invited to provide evidence.
Comrades are requested to intimate the details about the implementation of the EPF to the Casual and Contract Workers in BSNL in their respective circles.