BSNL has signed MOU with Oriental Insurance Company, for implementing Group Health Insurance for the employees. This MOU has to be renewed from 01-05-2023. Under these circumstances, Oriental Insurance Company has steeply increased the premium amounts. For example, the present premium amount of Rs.13,594 is being increased to Rs.21, 213. Similarly, the present premium amount of Rs.21,876 is being increased to Rs.44,190. Likewise, all the existing premium rates are steeply increased by the Oriental Insurance Company.  Under these circumstances, both BSNLEU and NFTE BSNL have written letter to the  Director(HR) today, requesting not to sign the MOU in haste. The unions have requested the BSNL Management to negotiate the premium rates with other insurance companies also. The table showing the Oriental Insurance Company’s revised premium amounts and also the joint letter written by BSNLEU and NFTE BSNL are enclosed for the information of the employees.

BSNLEU has already sought a Formal Meeting with the Director(HR) for discussion of important staff issues. Management has fixed 23-03-2023 as the date for this Formal Meeting. BSNLEU has already submitted items for this meeting. Today, again, BSNLEU has submitted three additional items, to be discussed in the Formal Meeting. Those items are:-

1) Review the norms fixed for various cadres under the Restructuring Scheme.

2) Implement  the National Council decision on holding a Special JTO LICE for the Draftsman of Civil/ Electrical wings.

3) Modify the arbitrarily issued Sports Compendium, in consultation with the Recognised Unions.

Due to the serious efforts taken by BSNLEU, the Group Term Insurance (GTI) has been implemented to the Non-Executives also. The sum assured under the GTI for the Non-Executives, is Rs.20 lakh and the premium amount to those born before 15.09.1972 is Rs.18,172/- and the premium amount for those who are born after 15.09.1972 is Rs.3,776/-. In the case of Executives the sum assured under their GTI is Rs.50 lakh. The premium amount to those who are born before 15.09.1972 is Rs.45,430/- and the premium amount for those who are born after 15.09.1972 is Rs.12,980/-. Under these circumstances, some of the Non-Executives desire to join the GTI with Rs.50 lakh as the sum assured. They are willing to pay the higher premium amount.  Hence, BSNLEU has written to the Director (HR), demanding that those Non-Executives, who are willing to join the GTI with the higher sum assured, should be allowed to do so.

BSNLEU is continuously taking up the Rule-8 transfer issue of the DRJEs. BSNLEU has already taken to the notice of the CMD BSNL that, the NE-1 and NE-2  circle administrations are violating the instructions of the Corporate Office, regarding the Rule-8 transfer of DR JEs. Once again, BSNLEU has written letter to the CMD BSNL today, requesting him to interfere on this matter, so that the DR JEs of NE-1 and NE-2 circles get their justified Rule-8 transfers.

BSNLEU is continuously taking efforts to remove the discrimination contained in the NEPP, between the absorbed employees and the Directly Recruited employees. While the employees absorbed from the DoT get the 1^st and 2^nd upgradations under NEPP, on completion of 4 years and 7 years, the Directly Recruited employees get their 1^st and 2^nd upgradations only on completion of 8 years each. This issue is already taken up with the CMD BSNL on 09.05.2022. It is also discussed in the Formal Meeting held with the Director (HR) on 13.06.2022. Again BSNLEU has written to the CMD BSNL today, requesting him to immediately remove the discrimination.

NE-II circle union has brought to the notice of the CHQ that, there is no regular CGM for NE-II circle for more than one year now. The CGM, NE-I, is looking after as the CGM of NE-II also. Non-availability of a regular CGM for NE-II circle is hampering development as well as maintenance of BSNL services in NE-II circle. BSNLEU has written to the Director (HR) demanding the posting of a regular CGM for NE-II circle without further delay.

The Corporate Office has issued guidelines on 18.10.2022, regarding the allotment of accommodation to the unions and associations. It is mentioned in the letter that, office accommodation will be allotted to the Recognised Unions at the CHQ, Circle and BA levels. The district unions of BSNLEU are still functioning at the OA level also. As per the letter issued by the Corporate Office, there is no provision for the allotment office accommodation to the district unions functioning at the OA level. This has created problems in the functioning of the district unions. Hence, BSNLEU has written to the Director (HR), requesting to issue necessary guideline to the field units for the continuation of office accommodation to the district unions functioning at the OA level also.

BSNLEU has written letter to the CMD BSNL, demanding to immediately convene the meeting of the Joint Wage Negotiating Committee. The Wage Negotiating Committee meeting was last held on 10.06.2022. Thereafter, no meeting is held. Now, the 9^th Membership Verification is already over, based on which BSNLEU has been recognised as the Main Recognised Union and NFTE has been recognised as the 2^ndRecognised Union. Hence, BSNLEU has demanded that, the Wage Negotiating Committee meeting should immediately be held with the Recognised Unions. The Joint Wage Negotiating Committee Chairman has already been transferred out of the Corporate Office and is posted as the CGM of NTR circle. Hence, BSNLEU has demanded that a new Chairman should be appointed from among the officers working in the Corporate Office. 

BSNLEU has written letter to the Director (HR), taking up various sports related issues. The issues include, non-conducting of the All India BSNL Sports Tournament, non-holding of the BSNL Sports and Cultural Board meeting, non-issuing of the BSNL Sports Calendar, delay in considering promotions of the outstanding sports personnel, etc.

BSNLEU has already issued notification for holding it’s CEC meeting online on 01.11.2022. Today, the Corporate Office has issued letter to all the CGMs, for the sanctioning of Special Casual Leave to the Circle Secretaries and Central Office bearers of BSNLEU for attending the CEC meeting.

Jio and Airtel are procuring their equipments from Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung. However, BSNL is being pressurised by the government to procure equipments only from Indian companies and not from global vendors. No one is able to tell when TCS will supply 4G equipments to BSNL. Due to the inordinate delay in BSNL’s 4G launching, lakhs of customers are leaving BSNL. Hence, BSNLEU has once again written to the Hon’ble Minister of Communications, demanding that BSNL should be allowed to procure equipments from global vendors, at par with the private telecom companies.

DR JEs who have completed 5 years of service, are entitled for transfer under Rule 8 of BSNL Transfer Policy. However, in most of the circles, Rule 8 transfers are being denied to the DR JEs. This problem is being actively taken up by BSNLEU. Especially, this problem is very acute in NE-1 and NE-2 circles. As per the Corporate Office orders, both NE-1 and NE-2 circles are termed and “surplus circles”. As such, the requests for transfer under Rule 8 of the DR JEs of both these circles should be considered. However, the NE-1 and NE-2 circle administrations are wantonly denying these transfers. BSNLEU is continuously taking up this issue with the Director (HR) and the PGM(Estt.), BSNL CO. Today, once again BSNLEU has written to the Director (HR), on this issue. Com.P.Abhimanyu, GS, telephonically discussed this issue with Shri Saurabh Tyagi, PGM(Estt.) and has demanded the intervention of the Corporate Office. The PGM(Estt.) has assured to take necessary action.

BSNLEU has continuously been demanding that all the LICEs of the Non-Executives should be conducted without delay. However, in the name of Restructuring, Management delayed these LICEs. Now, JTO LICE is already conducted. Notification has also been issued for holding the JE LICE. However, the TT LICE is not yet notified. BSNLEU has written to the Director (HR) today, demanding to immediately issue notification for holding the TT LICE.

BSNLEU has written letter to the Director (HR) today, demanding to change the designation of the left out Non-Executive cadres. BSNLEU has pointed out that new designation should be given to the Junior Hindi Translator, Senior Hindi Translator, Driver and other left out cadres. 

Notification had been issued for holding the JE LICE on 16.10.2022. However, this JE LICE has been postponed, without mentioning the next date of the exam. This has created a sense of uncertainty among the JE LICE candidates. Hence, BSNLEU has written to the Director (HR) today, demanding to immediately notify the next date of the JE LICE.

95 JTO posts, belonging to the ST category, are lying unfilled for the past so many years, in Punjab circle. As per the DoP&T Rules, if any SC/ST post is unfilled, even after carrying forward the posts for three Recruitment Years, then the posts should be dereserved and filled up with candidates belonging to Other Communities. In Punjab circle, the above stated DoP&T order has not been implemented and the 95 unfilled ST posts have not been filled up with candidates belonging to Other Communities. Hence, BSNLEU has written to the Director (HR) to immediately dereserve these 95 JTO posts and fill them up with candidates belonging to Other Communities. 

BSNLEU has already written letter to the CMD BSNL, requesting to postpone the implementation of the online attendance system for the Non-Executives, taking into account the difficulties that would be faced by the employees. In continuation of this, BSNLEU has once again written letter to the CMD BSNL today, explaining about the denial of facility that is being presently availed by the sportspersons in BSNL. 

The Corporate Office has issued notification for holding for a Special JTO LICE 2022. However, it is observed that, the Management has imposed certain harsh and unwarranted conditions on the candidates appearing in the Special JTO LICE 2022. For example, if a selected candidate fails to join in the circle for which they have given option, then the candidate will be debarred for one year from appearing in the JTO LICE. Similarly, it is stipulated in the notification that, even temporary transfer, under Rule 9 of BSNL Transfer Policy would not be granted, before completion of 5 years. All these are harsh, illogical and unwarranted conditions. BSNLEU has written to the Director (HR), demanding removal of these harsh conditions.

The BSNL Management has issued instructions for the implementation of Online Attendance system for the Non-Executives, w.e.f 01-10-2022. The CHQ of BSNLEU has received complaints / views from the field units, regarding the problems that would be faced by the Non-Executives, in the event of the introduction of the online attendance system. In view of this, BSNLEU has written letter to the CMD BSNL, giving the details of the problems anticipated to be faced by the Non-Executives and has requesting to take steps for the redressal of the same. BSNLEU has also demanded that, the implementation of the Online Attendance system from 01-10-2022 may be deferred, pending discussion with the Recognised Unions.