VII Membership Verification of non-executive unions is going to take place in April 2016, probably on 26th April and the counting on 28th instant.  Meeting is called by the management to discuss the matter with the participating/applicant unions.

From the past experience and also from a democratic point of view, certain changes are required in the process, adopted from the last Membership Verification, when a new system was introduced with the recognition of two unions, instead of the earlier one. BSNL Employees Union, which was the lone recognised union in the earlier 4 verifications, need to be congratulated for pressurising the management to agree for recognising the first two unions and getting it approved. It was a correct decision and was in vogue in the government departments, including DOT. But some undue restrictions have been made arbitrarily by the management, which needs to be modified. They are:

1. The calculation of the % of votes received by the unions should be on the basis of the total polled votes. This is the system in the general elections viz. Parliament and Assembly elections. At present in BSNL, the % is calculated on the basis of the total eligible voters, which is not correct.
2. The election for the posts of Leader and Secretary for Councils at all levels should be by the democratic verdict of the total council members. At present, the posts of Leader and Secretary are arbitrarily fixed for BSNLEU and NFTE respectively. This should be changed.
3. The Recognised Union/s should have the right to nominate any employee to the council, limited to the number in their quota. At present, only a member of the recognised union can be nominated. This restriction is fully unjustified.
4. One post of Director in the Board of Directors of BSNL should be reserved for the recognised union/s. This is as part of the union’s representation in the Management. This will not only improve the functioning of the management, but also the co-ordination between the management and the unions. This system is functioning  in Nepal Telecom which has paid much dividend.
5. Periodicity of the National Council and other councils should be strictly maintained as also that of the Standing Committee.
6. On those items in the council for which no agreement could be reached, should be arbitrated.
7. Periodic meeting with Secretary DOT and Communications Minister to be part of the Scheme.