The Circle Executive Committee meeting of BSNLEU, Karnataka, was held at Bangalore today. The programme started with the hoisting of Union flag by Com.P.Abhimanyu,GS. Sweets were distributed to all, on account of the Foundation Day of BSNLEU. Com.C.K.Gundanna, circle secretary, welcomed every one. Com.M.C.Balakrishna, circle president, presided over. Com.P.Abhimanyu, GS, inaugurated the meeting. In his speech, the General Secretary explained about the present status of the important issues of wage revision, pension revision, allotment of 4G spectrum, pension contribution, etc. He further made a detailed analysis of the economic policies being pursued by the government, which results in the accumulation of wealth in the hands of corporates, and pauperisation of the working masses. He also cautioned about the efforts being taken to divide the working class on communal lines. Com.C.K.Gundanna, CS, presented report on activities, based on which deliberations were made by the members. The meeting unanimously resolved to request the All India Union to permit Karnataka circle to host the next All India Conference.

This is the day in 1931, freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sikhdev and Rajguru, attained martyrdom. They were hanged to death by the British imperialists, for demanding freedom for India. Bhagat Singh, who remains as the source of inspiration to tens of thousands of youngsters even today, wanted to form a Socialist government in India. While paying our respectful homage to these three martyrs, let us resolve to accomplish their unfulfilled ambitions.

Inquilab zindabad.

A meeting of All Unions and Associations of BSNL(AUAB) is held yesterday the 22nd March,2018, in FNTO's office. Representatives of BSNLEU, NFTE, SNEA, AIBSNLEA, FNTO, SEWA BSNL, BSNLMS, BSNLOA participated. The meeting reviewed the developments that had taken place after the meeting with the Hon'ble MoS(C) that was held on 24th February,2018. It is observed that the government is moving fast to operationalise the Subsidiary Tower Company from the 1st of April, 2018, totally ignoring the strong opposition from the entire employees of BSNL. In view of this, the meeting decided to launch agitational programme to stop the same. Decision is taken to conduct "lunch hour demonstrations" on 27th March,2018, in front of Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi, as well as at circle and SSA head quarters, throughout the country. A memorandum, opposing the Subsidiary Tower Company will be submitted to the Hon'ble MoS(C) at Sanchar Bhawan. Same memorandum will be submitted to the respective CGMs and the state governors, to be forwarded to the MoS(C). CHQ calls upon the circle and district unions to successfully implement the call.

Neglecting the stiff opposition of the entire employees of BSNL, the DoT / Government is moving fast to make the Subsidiary Tower Company operational from the 1^st of April, 2018. We oppose the formation of the Subsidiary Tower Company because, it will be the end of road to BSNL. Having failed to weaken BSNL through various means, the government is finally trying to kill BSNL by taking away it’s near 70,000 mobile towers. BSNL’s mobile towers are it’s life-line. If the mobile towers are taken away, BSNL will certainly become a skeleton. The IAS officer, who has been appointed by the DoT as the CMD of the Subsidiary Tower Company, will definitely not come under the control of BSNL’s Board of Directors. Thus, formation of Subsidiary Tower Company is a day-light robbery, being done by the government, to steal BSNL’s mobile towers. If the Subsidiary Tower Company is formed, soon BSNL will become a scrap. Hence, CHQ calls upon the entire circle and district unions to massively mobilise the employees for the demonstration to be held on 27.03.2018, in consultation with the other constituents of AUAB. Negligence, lethargy and complacence on the part of our circle and district unions on this matter will not be permitted. Photos and report of the programme should be sent immediately to the CHQ, only through CHQ e-mail ID - [email protected]. Comrades are requested not to send the photos on Whatsapp to the General Secretary.

The CHQ of BSNLEU is extremely shocked and pained to hear that Com. Kallappa, District Secretary of the Contract Workers Union, Bidar, Karnataka, died in an accident that took place today morning. He was a very active and dedicated functionary of the Contract Workers Union. A few years back, Com. Kallappa was retrenched from work. Due to the efforts taken by the CHQ of BSNLEU, he was taken back. He attended the Mahapadav, held at Delhi from 09^th to 11^th November, 2017. At that time another contract worker from Bidar, Mustafa by name, died due to heart attack. Com. Kallappa remained at Delhi for the next two days, and helped the CHQs of BSNLEU and the BSNLCCWF, for getting the post-mortem and other formalities completed. In the death of Com. Kallappa, the contract workers union has lost a dedicated comrade. BSNLEU pays homage to Com. Kallappa and conveys it’s heartfelt condolences to his family members.  

The All Unions and Associations of BSNL has given call to conduct lunch hour demonstrations tomorrow the 27.03.2018, against the decision of the government to form BSNL’s Subsidiary Tower Company, and also against the decision of the DoT, to appoint Shri Amit Yadav, IAS, as the CMD of the Subsidiary Tower Company. Circle and district secretaries are requested to make maximum mobilisations, in coordination with the other constituents of AUAB, and make the programme successful. Memorandum (copy available on website)  should also be submitted to the Chief General Managers and the State Governors. Photos and reports of the programme should be e-mailed on [email protected].

As per the decision, the All Unions and Associations of BSNL is organising a powerful lunch hour demonstration in front of the Sanchar Bhawan tomorrow. As per the Cabinet decision, Subsidiary Tower Company will come under the control of the Board of Directors of BSNL. As such, the CMD of the Subsidiary Tower Company should be appointed only by the BSNL’s Board of Directors. However, the DoT, in a high-handed manner, has appointed an IAS officer as the CMD of the Subsidiary Tower Company, without even informing the Board of Directors of BSNL. This it self clearly shows that, the Subsidiary Tower Company will not come under the control of BSNL. The whole game plan of the government is, to snatch the entire mobile towers of BSNL, in the guise of forming a separate tower company. Hence, opposing the formation of the Subsidiary Tower Company, and also opposing the high-handed action of the DoT, of appointing an IAS officer as the CMD of the Subsidiary Tower Company, the AUAB will be organising a powerful lunch hour demonstration in front of the Sanchar Bhawan tomorrow.

The 36^th meeting of the National Council will be held on 16^th April, 2018. All National Council members of BSNLEU are requested to kindly make note of this, and to attend the meeting without fail.

The SR Branch of the Corporate Office has started giving unwarranted instructions to BSNLEU. A few months back, BSNLEU requested it’s circle unions to give advertisements to the souvenir, to be released by the CITU, on the occasion of the inauguration of it’s Trade Union School at Delhi. At that time, the SR Branch gave instruction to BSNLEU that, advertisements should not be collected from customers, as per the CDA Rules. This was a totally unwarranted advice from the SR Branch, because the CHQ of BSNLEU only requested it’s circle unions to give the advertisements, and did not direct to collect advertisements from any customer. Now, a few days back, the SR Branch has again instructed BSNLEU not to criticise the government’s policies on it’s website. BSNLEU has the right to criticise the government’s policies which affect the working class. The SR Branch has no business to object this. Com. P. Abhimanyu, GS, met Ms. Sujata T. Ray, Director (HR), today, in the presence of Shri A.M. Gupta, GM (SR), and raised his strong objection to the unwarranted instructions being given to BSNLEU, by the SR Branch. All concerned should understand that BSNLEU does not survive on the oxygen supplied by the Management or government. It continues to remain as the biggest trade union of BSNL for the past 14 years, because of the unwavering support being extended by the ordinary workers of BSNL.

As per the call of the AUAB, powerful demonstration was conducted today, in front of the Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi, demanding rolling back of the Subsidiary Tower Company, and also against the appointment of Shri Amit Yadav as the CMD of the Subsidiary Tower Company. Slogans were also raised, condemning the government for trying to break BSNL into pieces, with the sole aim of favouring Reliance Jio. All the comrades were taken into custody by the police and were kept in the Parliament street police station. Subsequently, all the comrades were allowed to go, after collecting the details of the General Secretaries.

The demonstration that was held in front of Sanchar Bhawan today, is significant in many ways. This is the first time that a demonstration is held in front of the Sanchar Bhawan, by the unions and associations of BSNL, in the 18 years’ existence of BSNL. Since the Sanchar Bhawan is housing the Ministry of Communications, police does not give permission to conduct any agitational programme there. Even for today’s demonstration, the police informed us that demonstrations are banned in the vicinity of the Sanchar Bhawan, and hence no one would be allowed to demonstrate there. However, the unions and associations of BSNL decided to conduct the demonstration today at any cost, even by running into the risk of getting arrested. Around 12:45 hrs., the police locked all the gates of BSNL Corporate Office, to stop the employees of the Corporate Office from joining the demonstration. Similarly, a large number of riot policemen were deployed in front of the Sanchar Bhawan. Inspite of these road-blocks, more than 150 comrades gathered in front of the Sanchar Bhawan. Thundering slogans were raised, demanding the rolling back of the Subsidiary Tower Company, and also cautioning the government not to break BSNL, to favour Reliance Jio. All the 150 comrades were crammed into the waiting buses by the police, and were taken to the Parliament Street Police Station. Towards the evening, all the comrades were let off from the police station. CHQ heartily congratulates the UP (West) and Haryana circle unions of BSNLEU, for sending our comrades to participate in today’s demonstration.

Com. P. Abhimanyu, GS, met Ms. Sujata T. Ray, Director (HR) today, and discussed about the proposal made by the SR Branch of the BSNL Corporate Office, to hold the next Membership Verification, under the Check Off System. The GS told that the Check Off System is prone to manoeuvrings and malpractices, and will create undesirable atmosphere in BSNL. He strongly demanded that the next Membership Verification also should be conducted under the secret ballot system only. The GS also handed over the letter written to her on the subject. The Director (HR) gave a patient hearing to the views of the GS and assured that BSNLEU’s views would be looked into.

In today’s meeting with Ms. Sujata T. Ray, Director (HR), Com. P. Abhimanyu, GS, expressed his concern about the BSNL Management’s trend of curtailing the existing facilities of the employees, with a view to reduce the expenditure of the Company. The GS told the Director (HR) that, the Director (Finance) should call a meeting with all the unions and associations to find out the ways and means of curtail the wasteful expenditure. The GS expressed the hope that such a meeting will really bring out valuable suggestions to reduce the expenditure. The Director (HR) appreciated the suggestion of the GS and directed Shri Yashwanth Nath Singh, GM (BFCI) to take the initiative to organise such a meeting.

BSNLEU has demanded Ms. Sujata T. Ray, Director (HR) today that, the latest batch of the Non-Executives, who have been ordered transfers under bifurcation from Hyderabad to Vijayawada, should not be relieved till 31^st May, 2018. Com. P. Abhimanyu, GS, urged upon the Director (HR) to consider this demand, in view of the fact that many of these employees are having certain serious problems such as examinations of their children, etc. The Director (HR) took a sympathetic view of the demand, and assured to look into it.

BSNL is in the midst of a serious financial problem. To overcome this, the Management is curtailing the existing facilities of the employees. As a matter of fact, a lot of wasteful expenditures are taking place at the All India, circle and district levels. These wasteful expenditures have got to be weeded out, so as to strengthen the financial condition of the Company. BSNLEU is taking the initiative on this account also. Soon a meeting will be held between the Director (Finance) and the unions and associations. Hence, CHQ calls upon our CEC members, district secretaries and all the interested comrades, to take out some time to find out what are all the wasteful expenditures that are taking place around us. CHQ requests the comrades to inform about such wasteful expenditures on the e-mail ID [email protected], through letters and through Whatsapp to the General Secretary.

It is a very sad development that, after 65 years of it’s nationalisation, the Air India is all set to be privatised. The government has finalised the terms and conditions for it’s privatisation. Accordingly, 76% shares of Air India, Air India-Express and Air India-SATS will be sold to the potential buyer. The buyer has to take over Rs.24,576 crore of Air India’s total debt of Rs.50,000 crore and the entire Rs.8,816 crore of current liabilities. The Air India is having 11,214 permanent employees ; 7,486 casual workers and 2,913 contract workers. According to the road-map of the government the successful bidder will be chosen in the month of September, 2018.

[Source: Times of India dated 29.03.2018]

As it has been already announced, Vodafone, India’s second biggest telecom company and Idea India’s third biggest mobile company are getting merged. According to the information given by Ms. Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, DoT, the Idea – Vodafone merger is in the final stages of approval. After merger, the merged entity will become the biggest telecom company of India with 42% customer market share (410 million customers) and with 37% of revenue market share.

Ms. Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, DoT, has informed that, India wants to take a lead position in introducing the 5G technology. She told media persons that a high level committee on 5G, which includes global experts, industry experts, IITs and IISC is already on the job, and that it has covered considerable ground. The committee would also look into the spectrum policy, pilot programme, etc. said the Secretary, DoT.

[Source: The Hindu dated 28.03.2018]    

B.N. Singh, the notorious ITS officer who got involved in huge corruptions and who also victimised BSNLEU’s Jamshedpur district secretary, Com. Ram Naresh Prasad, by imposing the punishment of compulsory retirement, has finally landed in jail. A Jamshedpur court has given him the punishment of 6 months in jail and Rs.10,000/- fine, for maligning the character of the widow of a deceased employee. Shri Anil Kumar, Telecom Mechanic, Jamshedpur, died in October, 2015. His wife, applied for extension of time for vacating the quarters in which the deceased employee was living. However, B.N. Singh rejected her request. While doing so, the arrogant B.N. Singh recorded on the file that, the wife of the deceased employee “is a characterless woman”. Insulted by the remark made by B.N. Singh on record, the widow of the deceased employee approached the court for justice. The court has rightly given the punishment of 6 months in jail to the rogue officer. Together with him, another retired DE, by name Marshal Topno, is also sentenced to 6 months in jail and Rs.10,000/- fine. BSNLEU heartily thanks the court for giving justice to the wife of the deceased employee and sending the rogue officer to the right place.