28 Wednesday Aug 2013
The 16 day strike of the casual and contract workers of Kerala Circle has been withdrawn after successful agreement with the Management. The Wages are to be increased and other demands also agreed. The proposal of the management for Works contract instead of labour contract has been stopped. The BSNL Employees had started Work-to-Rule from 26th in support of the strike.My Hearty Congratulations to the Kerala Workers!
07 Wednesday Aug 2013
Posted in PSU
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New Delhi/Kolkata, Aug 7:
The trade unions of Coal India on Wednesday decided to slap three-days strike notice opposing the Government’s proposal to divest shares in the public sector miner.
“All the unions have agreed to declare strike from September 19-21. The workers cannot be kept in vacuum,” Jivan Roy, General Secretary of All India Coal Workers Federation of India (AICWF) told Business Line.
Coal India workers are represented by five leading trade unions — INTUC, HMS, BMS, AICWF and AITUC. Other than INTUC, all the four unions have decided to go on strike. The INTUC workers are yet to make a final decision on participating in the strike. According to the unions, the stake sale would adversely impact its workers across 35 districts in the country.
The Union Coal Minister, Sriprakash Jaiswal, today said the Government is confident that the unions will agree to 5 per cent divestment proposal. Jaiswal was talking to media after a conference in Kolkata.
A single-day strike can cost the Maharatna miner loss of more than one million tonne of production.
There are nearly 3.5 lakhs permanent workers in Coal India, in addition to another 2 lakh contractual employees.
AICWF claims that the strike declared by it would mean 70-80 per cent of workers not working.
Last week, the Government failed to convince the workers of Coal India even after it offered to reduce disinvestment stake to 5 per cent from the earlier proposal of 10 per cent.
The Government is hoping to garner nearly Rs 20,000 crore by selling 10 per cent stake in Coal India. This is seen as one of the most important share sales to meet the Government’s divestment target of Rs 40,000 crore in the current fiscal.
In addition to opposing the share sale, the workers want coal mining to be given infrastructure status. Also, they want captive mines allocated to the private sector that have not been explored to be allocated to Coal India. (Courtesy: Business Line)
20 Saturday Jul 2013
Posted in TU News - International
Athens, July 17 :The strike on 16th July with the demonstrations against the multi-pronged law of the government of ND and PASOK in Athens and in 65 cities throughout the country has been the starting point for new struggles. This draft law threatens to smash any rights that have remained for the working people both in the private and public sector, by means of abolishing the National Collective Bargaining Agreement and setting the minimum wage according to the needs of the businesses’ profitability, dismissing thousands of employees in the public sector and the municipalities, imposing new cuts in healthcare and welfare, introducing new tax categories that impose an even more savage tax plundering with the abolition of tax-free income, something that will have tragic consequences in the every-day life of the workers’ and people’s families.
The class oriented forces fought for this strike in difficult conditions under the overall assault of the government and the employers, with the employer-led trade unionism undermining the struggle of the working people. They showed that the working people, both in public and private sector, must carry out a unified struggle along with self-employed and poor farmers.
In Athens the Omonia Square was flooded with strikers and protesters who arrived at 10:30 after having gathered in their meeting points. It was a particularly mass strike demonstration. There has also been an important participation of workers who in the previous organized struggles in their workplaces. (Report from AFP)
13 Saturday Jul 2013
Posted in PSU
Our Red Salute to the comrades of Neyveli Lignite Corporation, who are on strike since 3rd October against the decision of government to disinvest shares in the company. All the unions in the NLC are involved in the strike, but the government is still adamant.
The Central trade Unions have called for support and solidarity of all the unions to this justified strike of NLC employees. BSNL Employees Union along with other unions in BSNL, as per the call of the Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations had organised massive demonstrations on 9th July all over India in support of the NLC strike.
The government should come down from the present adamant stand and discuss with the Unions in NLC and drop the proposals for disinvestment. That will be a wise decision.
06 Saturday Jul 2013
Posted in PSU
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Left parties today demanded that the Centre withdraw its decision to sell five per cent stakes of the public sector Neyveli Lignite Corporation to private players.
22 Saturday Jun 2013
Posted in Telecom
The workers in the Nokia Siemens Network at Chennai are on strike since 7th June, demanding recognition of union, reinstatement of victimized workers, wage revision etc. The Union is affiliated to CITU and its 72 workers stand suspended.
My support to the striking workers and demand the management to resolve the issues through discussion with the union.
10 Monday Jun 2013
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation
The Department of Telecom (DOT) approved the 78.2% IDA fixation for BSNL Employees which has been pending for about one year even after an agreement was reached between the Unions and the BSNL Management last June. The government had already taken decision earlier for this corrective step much earlier. This will be applicable to pensioners also, for which another order will be issued. BSNL is expected to issue the order today or tomorrow.
It is only because of the strike notice given by the Forum of BSNL Unions and Associations as also the continued pressure from the unions that this could be achieved. BSNL Management and DOT was helpful. Congratulations to all!
10 Friday May 2013
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation
The Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations has decided to organise agitational programmes culminating in an Indefinite Strike with effect from 12th June 2013 demanding the implementation of the 2012 June Strike agreement on 78.2% IDA fixation. It is almost one year since the agreement has been made, but so far the orders have not been issued. Though the BSNL Board has approved, the delay is caused due to non-approval by DOT. BSNL Management has not made effective pressure to get it approved and orders issued.
The programme of actions include demonstrations on 22-05-2013, dharna on 05-06-2013 and Indefinite Strike w.e.f. 12th June on the exact date when the agreement was signed in 2012.
All the Unions/Associations have called upon the workers to implement the programmes effectively to compel the BSNL/DOT to issue the orders without any further delay.
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