All India Conference of BSNL Employees Union – Kolkata
6-9 November 2014
The VII All India Conference of BSNL Employees union, the biggest and recognised union in BSNL, is scheduled to be held at Kolkata, from 6th to 9th November 2014. The Reception Committee with veteran P&T TU leader Com. Sisir Bhattacharjee as President, Com. Adhir Kumar Sen(Circle Secretary, Telecom Stores) as Working President and Com. Animesh Mitra (Circle Secretary W.Bengal) and Com. Saibal Sen Gupta (Circle Secretary Kolkata) as Joint General Secretaries along with their comrades in the Reception Committee have been working for the last few months enthusiastically to make all the arrangements for the AIC in a big way.
The Reception Committee is facing difficulties due to the the present political situation in the state. Govenment buildings and halls are not being allotted for the Conference and connected functions. Earlier we had the experience of the Conference of the Confederation of Central Govt. Employees, when allotted accomodation was cancelled. As such, the Reception Committee in consultation with CHQ, has decided the Telecom Factory premises for holding the Conference. Sufficient open space is there, which has to be converted in to a suitable Conference Hall accmmodating about three thousand or more people. Though the delegates and observers are less than 2,000, more workers will attend the Inaugural Session and Open Session on the first day. The kitchen and dinning hall will be nearby. Accommodation for the delegates are being arranged in nearby available places. In short, the Reception Committee is not taking any chance and is taking all measures to make the the accommodation of the delegates most convenient.
Kolakata (Calcutta) is a historical city, which has been the capital of the country till 1911 when it was shifted to New Delhi. The heritage buildings like Victoria Memorial, the famous hanging Howrah Bridge, the crowded streets with the age-old trams still running – there are a lot of places to see and enjoy, if time permits. The Telecom Factory Alipore, itself is a heritage building constructed about 150 years back for manufacturing the equipment for telegraph services etc and which has been the main factory of the P&T Department.
The inspiring role played by Bengal in the Independence struggle against the British is noteworthy. Social and progressive movements sprang up, some of them turing to revolutionary struggles. Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranatha Tagore and similar social reformers tried to change society for better. In the Cellular Jail in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, one can see the large number of names of the freedom fighters who were jailed and put to gallows.
In the recent past, the left party government under the leadership of Com. Jyoti Basu enacted many laws which improved the condition of the workers and the poor. But at present, the working class and poor people are being attacked and their rights are being taken away. The working class and common people are resisting these onslaughts under the leadership of the Left Parties. This is only a temporary set back which will be changed by sustained efforts of the people.
Bengal is the cradle of the Trade Union movement in P&T. It was here that the pioneers of the P&T movement started their work. Henry Barton, Babu Tarapada Mukherjee, Dada Ghosh – there are many more names which are closely connected with the initiating of the trade union. The stories of their suffering, sustained struggles are a saga to be understood and remembered. It is again here, that the leading light of the P&T movement, Com. K.G.Bose, the indomitable fighter, started his activities, who later became the inspiration of lakhs of Central Government and P&T Workers in their advance march. The memories of all these stalwarts will be with the delegates when they reach Kolkata.
It is in this great city of Kolkata that the AIC will be held from 6th to 9th November 2014. (will be continued)

The VII AIC of BSNL Employees Union, the biggest union in BSNL, is going to be held at Kolkata from 6th to 9th November 2014.This is the first time that an AIC of BSNLEU is being held at Kolkata. The earlier conferences were held at Visakhapatnam (March 2001 ) Lucknow (June 2003 ), Guwahati (January 2006), Mumbai (February 2008), Thiruvananthapuram (May 2010), and Ludhiana (September 2012). The AICs were held regularly in time and the present AIC is in November 2014. It will be difficult to find many other unions which hold their Conference in such a regular way.

The systematic way in which the AICs of BSNLEU is held is well known. The number of delegates and observers are calculated on the basis of the quota paid and intimated earlier so that they can be allotted accordingly.

In the delegates session, the issues are discussed seriously, at the same time in a free and frank way. Maximum time is allotted to delegates, within the limited time available. This time also Open Session, Women Session, Seminar, Procession, Cutural programme etc. are being organised.

This Conference has a special importance. It is being held in our own building and premises. It is being held at the heritage telecom Factory, Alipore, Kolkata, which was manufacturing almost all items for telephone services for a very long period. The buildings and premises will remind you about the British rule and their heritage in the country.

With only one more piece of information I will conclude. The holding of the AIC at this time in Kolkata, or for that matter in W.Bengal, is challenging. The anti-people policies of the Mamata government and the brutal attack on the democratic and left movements is well known. No government or PSU buildings are allotted for holding the conference or accommodation. The Reception Committee has to find out alternate accommodation etc.

Yes, the reception Committee and the CHQ has taken up this challenge in its right spirit and are making all efforts to make the conference a very big success.

Let us march towards AIC ! VII Kolkata AIC Zindabad !