Note on the issues of Casual /
Contract Labours in BSNL
1.
Regularisation of Temporary Status Mazdoor
and Casual labour in BSNL
The casual labours recruited in DOT were being regularized
on fulfilling certain conditions like working for 240 days in a year without
break. At the time of Corporatisation of DOT services
in to BSNL, it was assured that those left out casual labours and also those
casual labours that have been granted Temporary Status will be regularized.
While many such casual labour and Temporary Status Mazdoors
were regularized, there are about 4000 still to be regularized. This has been
mainly due to the administrative delay in sending the cases by the field
officers to the Corporate Office. Now on the plea of an adverse Supreme Court
judgment, the BSNL management is denying regularization of these casual labours
/TSMs. It is to be noted in this connection that
other government departments and PSUs have
regularized casual/contract labour based on the same court order. These casual
labours /TSMs are working in DOT / BSNL for the last
ten to twenty years and there is full justification for their regularization.
2.
Grant of Temporary Status to Casual Labours
The casual labours are first eligible to be treated as TSM,
in case there is no vacancy at the
time for regularization. The Casual Labours are denied this status stating that
the scheme does not exists now. But he same management has granted TSM to 150
casual labours in
3. Wages of
Temporary Status Mazdoors/Casual Labour / Contract
Labour
While clear instructions exist and the BSNL management had
issued necessary orders, the eligible /minimum wage is not being paid to the
workers at the field level. As the Principal Employer, the management has got
the responsibility to ensure payment of full wages, but the corporate office
satisfies itself by issuing the orders with out any monitoring. Several cases
of underpayment were brought to the Management’s notice, but no action is
taken. Instead, to avoid paying minimum wages, the workers are being
retrenched. This sad state of affairs can not be continued. Workers should get
their due wages as per the Government /Management orders.
4. Implementation
of social security measures
Social security measures like EPF. ESI are not implemented
for the casual/contract workers in most of the circles. In this case also, the
corporate office is washing of its responsibility after issuing an order. There
is no monitoring the implementation. Several cases were brought to the notice
of the management but no remedial action is taken.
V.A.N.Namboodiri,
President, BSNLCCWF