Forum News | VAN Namboodiri's Blog

Tags

The Forum of BSNL Unions / Associations has finalised the Memorandum to be submitted to the Prime Minister on the Revival of BSNL. The agitational programmes including Indefinite Strike from 17th March 2015 have also been finalised by Forum. Both the Memorandum as well as Forum Circular are given below: The Memorandum is to be got signed by maximum people as also the BSNL employees.

FORUM OF BSNL UNIONS / ASSOCIATIONS

D-7, Telegraph Place, Gole Market, New Delhi – 110 001.

Forum/GL 05.12.2014

Indefinite Strike from 17^th March, 2015.

The Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations, the umbrella organisation of Unions/Associations of Non-Executives and Executives in BSNL has called upon the BSNL workers to go on an indefinite strike from 17^th March, 2015 demanding the Central Government and BSNL Management to take immediate steps for the revival of BSNL, which is on loss for the last four consecutive years. The market share of BSNL has come down to about 10%, mainly due to non-procurement of required equipment like mobile connections, cable, broadband modem, drop wire, towers etc. resulting in deterioration of services as well as a blockade for development and expansion. Several pleas to the government and BSNL Management have fallen on deaf ears.

The neo-liberal policy being aggressively adopted by both the UPA and NDA governments is the main reason for the downfall of BSNL with its implementation of the motto “Business is not the business of government” and favouring the MNCs and private telecom companies.

Under these circumstances, the Forum has decided in its meeting on 5^th December, 2014 to organise the following agitational programme, culminating on Indefinite Strike from 17^th March, 2015.

The meeting finalized the Memorandum to the Prime Minister and the Circular to be issued.

Demands Day to be organized on 11.12.2014 by organizing Lunch hour demonstration.
Three Days Dharna will be organized from 6^th to 8^th January, 2015.
The earlier decision to organise a March to Parliament is postponed from 19^th December 2014 to 25^th February 2015.
The Indefinite Strike will be organised from 17^th March 2015, instead of from 3^rd February 2015 as decided earlier.
State level conventions are to be held in January and February 2015 in preparation for the Indefinite Strike. Massive campaign should be organised.
At least one crore signature are to be collected to the Memorandum to be submitted to the Prime Minister on the day of the March to Parliament. For this purpose, quota will be given to the circles @ 50 times of the number of staff in the circle.
Memorandum and Posters are to be prepared in English and Hindi.
The next meeting of the Forum will be held at 03.00 PM on 19^th December 2014.

The strike notice with the demands have already been served to the CMD BSNL, Secretary DoT and Chief Labour Commissioner on 19.11.2014 signed by the General Secretaries of Unions / Associations.

Charter of Demands:

Filling up the posts of CMD/BSNL and Director(Finance) and DIR(HR) of BSNL Board, which are vacant for months.

Stop formation of subsidiary companies of BSNL.

Compensation for loss on landlines for rural / remote area service.

Procurement of equipment for development, expansion and better service, more focus on laying OF cable to strengthen the transmission network.

Transfer of Assets to BSNL

Drop proposal for Merger of BSNL and MTNL.

Spectrum Liberalisation and Trading.

Pension Contribution on actual basic pay instead of maximum of the pay scale for the employees absorbed from DoT to BSNL.

Reject the recommendation of TRAI to force BSNL to surrender 1.2 MHz spectrum in premium 900 MHz band.

Reject M/s Deloittee Consultant recommendations

Free allotment of spectrum to BSNL

Provide financial assistance to BSNL to expand network.

BBNL should be merged with BSNL

BSNL should start 4G Services.

Refund of BWA spectrum charges to BSNL by the Government for the spectrum surrendered by BSNL.

78.2% IDA merger fixation for pre-2007 and post-2007 Pensioners.

Pension Revision of BSNL Pensioners

Fresh Recruitment of Staff.

BSNL service to be mandatory to Central Government, State Government and PSUs.

Condition of mandatory purchase of equipments from ITI to be scrapped.

Implement cabinet decision on 30% superannuation benefits to BSNL direct recruited employees.

Dear Comrades,

BSNL is the asset of the Nation. It is the bread and butter of the employees. People want BSNL services and also improvement. This is a ‘Do or Die’ situation for the workers.

It is, therefore, requested that all the BSNL workers be mobilized in all the programmes in a massive way compelling the government and BSNL Management to accept our demands and save BSNL.

SAVE BSNL – SAVE NATION

V.A.N. Namboodiri

Convener

To,

The General Secretaries of Executive / Non-Executive Unions / Associations in BSNL.

FORUM OF BSNL UNIONS / ASSOCIATIONS

D-7, Telegraph Place, Gole

05.12.2014

SAVE BSNL – SAVE NATION

Memorandum to the Prime Minister

Respected Sir,

As you are well aware, the telecom PSU, BSNL, is in serious financial crisis with posting of loss for the last consecutive four years. It’s market share has reached a low 10% and expansion and development slowed due to lack of mobile and other equipment urgently required.

It was assured at the time of formation of BSNL that the govt. will provide financial assistance to the new entity through Access Deficit Charge (ADC) collected from private companies, reimbursement of licence fee paid by BSNL to government and liberal subsidy from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). But, unfortunately, all these are either fully stopped or reduced. At the same time, all the cash balance of BSNL coming to about Rs.40,000 crore has been taken by the government through spectrum charges (Rs.18,500 crore) notional loan (Rs.7500 crore and interest at 14.5%), licence fee etc. etc. As such BSNL, which had an accumulated profit of about Rs.45,000 crores for the first five years and was paying good dividends to government is now in an accumulated loss of around Rs.28,000 crore for the last four years. As a result, Bonus and many social security benefits like Medical Allowance, LTC are either stopped or curtailed.

The employees and their unions in BSNL together have been making all out efforts to improve the services to the people. But due to the shortage of equipment and anti-PSU and pro-private policies of the consecutive governments, revival is facing serious hurdles.

In order to save BSNL from the present financial crisis and also to provide a better service to the people, we submit the following for your kind consideration and necessary action.