BSNLEU, vide it’s letter no.BSNLEU/604(DEV) dated 19.12.2019, had written to Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon’ble Minister of Communications, demanding to take action for filling up the post of Director (Finance), BSNL, which is lying vacant for the past so many years. A copy of the letter had been endorsed to the Principal Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office. BSNLEU has now received a copy of the communication made by the PMO, to the Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, for taking appropriate action on BSNLEU’s letter.

32 candidates of Karnataka circle are being sent to ALTTC, Ghaziabad, for training. Apart from this, 7 more JE candidates have also completed their pre-basic-I & ll training at ALTTC, Ghaziabad. They were also to join the Phase l training at Ghaziabad. Under these circumstances, BSNLEU has written to the Director (HR), demanding to impart the phase-l and phase-ll training in the training centre at Mysuru itself, for all these 39 candidates. Com.P.Abhimanyu, GS, discussed this issue today over phone with Shri Ashutosh Gupta, Sr.GM(Training), BSNL CO. The  Sr. GM has accepted the demand of BSNLEU and has assured to do the needful for arranging the training of the aforementioned candidates at Mysuru itself.

BSNLEU has sought a formal meeting with the Director (HR), to discuss the following issues:-

1. Holding the JE LICE under 50% quota as on ‘off-line’ instead of ‘on-line’.
2. Relaxation to the ST candidates, appeared in the JE LICE held on 28.01.2018.
3. Giving one time relaxation to the RMs without 10^th Std. qualification, for appearing in the Telecom Technician LDCE.
4. Settlement of the down-gradation of the Sr.TOAs from 7100-200-10100 to 6550-185-9325.
5. Holding of JTO (Civil / Electrical) Special LICE to filling 50% vacancies from Draughtsman (Civil / Electrical) cadres.

BSNLEU has written to the CMD BSNL, demanding to take the needful action for the resumption of the wage negotiations, for finalising an early wage settlement. It is pointed out in the letter, how the DoT had given approval for starting the wage negotiations and how the wage negotiations have reached an advanced stage, after formation of the Joint Wage Negotiating Committee. It has also been pointed out that the Corporate Office had assured prior to the Membership Verification that the Wage Negotiations would resume once recognition to the unions were granted after completion of the Verification.

Compassionate Ground Appointments in BSNL, have been kept under abeyance 09-04-2019. At that time itself, BSNLEU has opposed this and has demanded it’s restoration. It is already two years since the Compassionate Ground Appointments are kept under abeyance. In the meantime, VRS has been implemented and half the employees have already been retired under the scheme.  Under these circumstances, BSNLEU has written to the CMD BSNL, demanding to take steps to restore the Compassionate Ground Appointments.

BSNLEU is continuously writing letters to the CMD BSNL and the Director (HR), raising various important grievances of the employees. However, due to the lock-downs and the subsequent restrictions imposed in the movement of the citizens, the CHQ is unable to meet the top officers of the BSNL Management, to discuss those issues. Hence, the CHQ has requested the Director (HR) to arrange an online Formal Meeting  to BSNLEU, to discuss certain important staff issues.

In the Joint Committee for Wage Revision of the Non-Executives, negotiations are taking place between the Staff Side and the Management Side, for reaching a settlement on Wage Revision of the Non-Executives. In the meeting of the Joint Committee held on 27-08-2018, discussions started on the construction of the new pay scales. As regards arriving at the maximums of the new pay scales, the Management Side’s proposals are not acceptable to the Staff Side. The Management Side wants to keep the maximums of the new pay scales as low as possible. By doing so, the Management Side wants to keep the expenditure on Pension Contribution as low as possible. But, they are forgetting the fact that the 3rd Pay Revision Committee (3rd PRC) has given 43 years of span. The Staff Side tried to make the Management Side to understand that once again the problem of “Stagnation” will raise it’s ugly head after the Wage Revision, if the Maximums of the new pay scales are not kept sufficiently high. Still, the Management Side is not prepared to consider the demand of the Staff Side. Hence, BSNLEU has written a letter to the Chairman of the Joint Committee, furnishing a live case and explaining how the problem of stagnation will come. BSNLEU has demanded that, 43 years of span should be provided for all the new pay scales, as is given in the revised E1 pay scale.

Even at the time when the BSNL Management contemplated to introduce Group Term Insurance (GTI) to the Executives, BSNLEU strongly demanded that, the same should be implemented to the Non-Executives also. The issue was also raised in the 37^th National Council meeting, held on 20^th November, 2018. It was replied in that meeting that, the GTI would be implemented to the Non-Executives, soon after it was implemented to the Executives. GTI is already implemented to the Executives in 2019. Still, it is not implemented to the Non-Executives. BSNLEU has written to the Director (HR), expressing it’s deep resentment over the non-implementation of the GTI to the Non-Executives and has demanded it’s immediate implementation.

JAO LICE was held on 17.07.2016. This exam was held belatedly in J&K circle. 14 candidates emerged successful in this exam. However, still they are not deputed for training. The NATFM says that it cannot start a training batch with only 14 candidates. BSNLEU has written to the GM (Trng.), urging upon him to take expeditious action to solve this problem.

AUAB has demanded meeting with the Hon’ble Minister of State for Communications and the Secretary, DoT, to review the action taken on the issues of wage revision, pension revision, left out issues of 2^nd PRC, payment of pension contribution on actual basic pay, rolling back of the Subsidiary Tower Company, etc.

In the 36^th meeting of the National Council, Com. P. Abhimanyu, Secretary, Staff Side, raised certain issues in his initial remarks. The Chairperson of the National Council responded to those issues. BSNLEU has written to the GM (SR) for inclusion of these in the minutes, and also for follow up action by the Corporate Office.

Consequent to the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana circles, two batches of Non-Executives are forcibly transferred from  CGM Office, Hyderabad to CGM Office, Vijayawada. Due to the efforts taken by BSNLEU, the 3^rd batch, consisting of 10 employees, are retained in Hyderabad till 31^st May, 2018. Under these circumstances, the CGM Office, Hyderabad is experiencing staff shortage. In view of this, BSNLEU has demanded that no more employee should be transferred from CGM Office, Hyderabad to CGM Office, Vijayawada, and that the 3^rd batch of 10 officials should be retained at CGM Office, Hyderabad.

BSNLEU has written to Ms. Sujata T. Ray, Director (HR), seeking a formal meeting to discuss certain pressing issues. They are:-

• Resumption of the negotiation for Wage Revision of the Non-Executives.
• Settlement of the issue of down-gradation of the Sr.TOAs from 7100-200-10100 to 6550-185-9325.
• Holding the JE LICE under 50% quota, as an ‘off-line’, instead of ‘on-line’ and to notify the date of the exam.
• Relaxing the 10th standard qualification condition for candidates to appear in the Telecom Technician LDCE.
• Inordinate delay in holding the Standing Committee meeting.

The DoT has written to the CMD BSNL, expressing it’s concern over the non-payment of salary to the ITS officers on time. It is also stated in the letter that, as per the terms and conditions of deployment of ITS officers in BSNL, it is the responsibility of the Company to make payment of salary to the ITS officers on time. We are surprised to note that the DoT is not worried about the non-payment of salary to the Executives and Non-Executives of BSNL. They are also not worried about the deductions made from the salary of the Executives and Non-Executives, not being sent to the concerned organisations, by BSNL. Further, the contract workers of BSNL are not paid wages for the past 10 months. But, the DoT is not worried about all these, but wants prompt payment of salary to the ITS officers. BSNLEU has written to Shri Anshu Prakash, Secretary, Telecom, cautioning that such partisan attitude will disturb industrial peace in BSNL.

From May, 2019 onwards, the subscription money deducted from the members of the unions and associations, have not been handed over by the Management. BSNLEU has already written to the CMD BSNL on 24.09.2019 and 16.10.2019 demanding to hand over the union subscription money. Presently, the functioning of the unions and associations at the district and circle levels is paralysed due to this reason. Hence, BSNLEU once again written to the CMD BSNL, demanding to hand over the union subscription money.