BSNL Workers to Go on Strike, Dec 15

THROUGH a statement issued from New Delhi on December 7, V A N Namboodiri, convenor of the Joint Action Committee of Associations & Unions of BSNL Executives & Non-Executives has informed that workers executives and non-executive employees in the public sector telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) would go on a one day strike on December 15. This is to register their protest against the proposed retrenchment of workers through the so-called voluntary retirement scheme (VRS), against withdrawal of existing benefits like medical allowance and encashment of leave travel concession, and to demand procurement of mobile equipments, broadband modem etc.

The call for strike has been given by the said Joint Action Committee (JAC) that is the umbrella organisation of BSNL workers.

The statement noted that the JAC has been continuously urging the BSNL management to procure mobile lines and other equipments to enable the company to provide better service to the people. The BSNL, which had been increasing its revenue and profit till 2006, started going down after the government and the management cancelled the tender for procurement of 4.5 crore mobile lines in 2007 and then another for 9.5 crore mobile lines in 2010. This exposed the company to an acute shortage of mobile lines and equipment, which resulted in a decline in its market share and loss of revenue. Moreover, a tender for 55 lakh mobile lines was cancelled in 2011 as well, again on flimsy grounds, giving the private companies a lead in expansion. A recent tender of 1.5 crore lines has also not yet materialised.

While the JAC has been pressing the management to procure equipment etc for development and expansion work, at the same time it urged upon the workers to observe a year long “Customer Delight Year 2011-2012” programme from May 2011 onward in order to improve the services. The employees are attending extra working hours, meeting the subscribers etc without any extra remuneration, and fully cooperating with the management. As a result, from May 2011 onward the trend changed from a negative to a positive growth, however meagre it may have been. Procurement of equipment is bound to help in this positive growth.

However, instead of appreciating and further motivating the workers, the BSNL management is out to retrench about 40 per cent of the existing 2,76,000 workers i.e. more than about one lakh. It is also denying them bonus and withdrawing existing benefits to the workers.

It is to be noted that even when there were about one lakh more workers, i.e. till 2007, the company was earning more revenue and profits. It is only due to the pro-private sector and anti-PSU policies of the government and due to mismanagement that the financial viability of the company has got adversely affected. Hence there is no justification for the present anti-worker decisions by the management which will only demotivate the workers.

Earlier the JAC had decided to go on a one day strike on October 10 this year, but deferred the action on assurance from the management that they would consider the demands of the workers. Despite the assurance, however, there has been no effort for an improvement in the situation. It was thus the JAC has perforce urged upon the workers to organise a one day strike on December 15 coming. It has sought the support of all trade unions and general public in its efforts to improve the services and save the BSNL and its workers.

PD/11-12-2011