Magnificent Strike by BSNL Employees
V.A.N.Namboodiri
The one day
strike on 15th December 2011 by the BSNL workers has once again
shown that there will be sustained struggles against the neo-liberal policies
being implemented by the government with the motive of weakening the PSUs and gradually privatise
them. The full participation of the workers in the strike as per the call of
the Joint Action Committee of BSNL Associations / Unions of Executives and
Non-Executives itself is a warning to the government against its anti-BSNL
decisions and plan to disinvest and privatise.
The
Back-ground
Since formation
of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited in 2000, the government has been making all
efforts to disinvest and then privatise this most
profitable PSU. While the first telecom PSU, VSNL, has been privatised
and is now a Tata Company and the second PSU, MTNL,
has been disinvested to the extent of 46%, it could not disinvest either 1% of
BSNL due to the strong opposition and continued struggles by the BSNL workers.
As such, the government has been conspiring with the BSNL top management to
weaken it, so that it can be made loss-making and then can justify
disinvestment and privatisation.
Accordingly, the
commitments made by the government at the time of corporatisation
to ensure the financial viability of the company has either been discontinued
or withdrawn within a few years. The Reimbursement of Licence
Fee, payment of ADC and liberal grant from Universal Service Obligation (USO)
Fund, which were all the assurances of the government have been
stopped thereby reducing more than Rs. 8,000 crore revenue of the company.
BSNL was having
about Rs.40,000 crore
surplus cash in the Banks. This was an eye-sore to the government. Through
clever manipulations, the government has taken away almost all this surplus
cash within the last few years. In the name of a Notional Loan (which was never
given to BSNL nor was there any need), the government took away Rs. 7,500 crore and in addition
higher interest at 14.5%, totalling about Rs.15,000 crore. In the name of 3 G and
Broadband Spectrum an amount of Rs. 18,500 crore was compulsorily taken away, without giving any
chance for BSNL to participate in the auction or bid for the circles it wanted
to provide services, which opportunity was given to the private companies. Further, the BWA (Broadband) spectrum allotted to
BSNL was of inferior quality not suitable for providing services in advanced
technology like 4G etc. Thus, almost all the surplus of the company has been
looted by the exchequer
Another method to
weaken BSNL was by curtailing its procurement of equipments essential for
providing services as also maintenance. Despite the fact that BSNL was given licence to provide mobile services after six years it was
granted to private companies, by 2006, it has reached the second position and
was competing with the leader, Air-Tel, for the first position. Since there was
a market of more than 500 million yet to be tapped, BSNL floated a global
tender for 45 million mobile lines. But when the tender was being finalised, the BSNL was compelled by the government to
cancel the tender to favour the private companies.
Again in 2010, the next global tender for 93 million lines were also got
cancelled, making BSNL completely impotent to give mobile connections. A third
tender for a humble 5.5 million mobile equipments was
also got cancelled in 2011. This situation was fully utilised
by the private companies to maximum provide mobile connections which resulted
in BSNL going down to the fourth position in mobile market share. Naturally,
the revenue also came down drastically.
While there is a
good scope for increasing the Broadband connections, in which BSNL is still the
leader by a long margin, due to non-supply of modems required for providing the
connections, much improvements could not be made. Due to Non-supply of cables,
telephone instruments etc new land line connections could not be given. The
inefficiency and lack of commitment of the top management ,
mainly the ITS officers, most of whom are on deputation from DOT and is not
absorbed in BSNL, made the situation worse.
The Joint Action
Committee has been continuously approaching the government as well as
discussing with the management to take necessary action to improve the
situation but of to no avail. As a result, for the first time BSNL posted a
loss of Rs.1,850 in 2009-10 and it increased to Rs. 6,000 and odd in 2010-11. The revenue dropped to Rs.29,
000 from the earlier Rs. 40,000. As
responsible stakeholders, the unions under the leadership of the JAC, started a
campaign “ Customer Delight Year 2011-12” from May 2011 onwards making maximum
efforts to improve the services and to make the management to procure mobile
equipments, cables, broadband modems, telephone instruments etc. which are most
important for development and improving the services. Workers took extra pains
to make the services better. As a result, the negative trend continuing for the
last two-three years were changed to slightly positive, both in providing
connections as well as in revenue.
Instead of
appreciating the efforts made by the workers, the management purposely started
attack on the workers by freezing the Leave Travel Concession & leave
encashment and cancelling the medical allowance
hitherto being given. Bonus was denied to the workers. In addition, the BSNL
Board proposed to the DOT for retrenching one lakh
workers through VRS, on the plea that the loss to BSNL is due to the salary to
be paid to the large number of workers. But the fact is that even when there
was one lakh more workers, BSNL was earning more
revenue and more profit. Reducing the workforce will only deteriorate the
services as have been seen in the case of MTNL, where VRS has been implemented
thrice. The BSNL management, in their own wisdom, forgot the commitment of the
former Communications Minister that VRS will not be implemented without
consultation with the Unions. The move for VRS and withdrawing existing
facilities to the staff was a subtle move by the government/management to demotivate the workers so that the campaign and ‘Save BSNL’
movement by the workers can be defeated and the down fall of BSNL will continue
preparing the scene for disinvestment and privatisation.
It was to avert
such a situation and compel the management and the government to take urgent
actions for improving and expanding the services and to stop from resorting to
anti-worker decisions that the call for one day strike on 10th
October was given by the JAC. On the basis of the assurances by the management
to take necessary actions on some of the demands, the strike was deferred. But,
since no important decision was taken by the management as assured, the
deferred strike was notified again for 15th December 2011.
In preparation
for the strike, serious campaign was organised by the
JAC. Many Members of Parliament of various political parties were approached to
take up the above issues with the government to save BSNL from the present
crisis. Central Trade Unions and All India Federations were approached for
support and solidarity. Maximum propaganda was made through the media.
Magnificent
Strike
The strike was a
complete success throughout the country. Most of the offices were deserted and
closed due to the strike. Thousands of striking workers demonstrated in Kolkata, Chennai,
If
the issues are not settled urgently and action not taken to procure equipments
etc. to improve and expand the services to the customers, the JAC will meet to
decide upon further programmes of action.