Both recognised Non-Executive Unions, BSNLEU and NFTE, represented by Com. Animesh Mitra, President and Com. John Verghese, Acting General Secretary of BSNLEU and Com. C Singh, GS of NFTE BSNL, met CMD BSNL Shri Robert Jerard Ravi on a courtesy visit. They emphasised the urgent need to address the pending 3^rd PRC and Stagnation issues. CMD BSNL responded positively, indicating a commitment to resolving these critical concerns for the workforce.

We are pleased to share that the General Secretaries and CHQ office bearers of BSNLEU, NFTE, SNEA, AIGETOA, BTEU, SEWA, and AIBSNLEA warmly welcomed our new CMD, Shri Robert Jerard Ravi. During the meeting, Mr. Ravi emphasised BSNL’s role in servicing MTNL areas, particularly in Mumbai and Delhi, which generate the highest revenue. He set an ambitious target of capturing a 25% market share and ensuring company viability by March, addressing HR and 3rd PRC issues. Union representatives expressed full support but stressed the importance of resolving pending HR issues including 3^rd PRC. Mr. Ravi assured that Management is open to settling the 3^rd PRC and related issues. Under Mr. Ravi's leadership, we are confident that BSNL will reach new heights. Com. Animesh Mitra, President and Com. John Verghese, Acting General Secretary, represented BSNLEU.

The DPE has issued order for IDA increase w.e.f 01-07-2024. As already informed by BSNLEU, the new IDA rate payable w.e.f 01-07-2024 is 217.8%. Copy of the DPE letter is enclosed for the information of the comrades.

The Circle Executive Committee meeting of NE-I was held online on 20-07-2024. Com. M.V. Mawkhiew, Circle Vice President, presided over the meeting. Com. Shivjee Ray, Circle Secretary, welcomed everyone and presented the report on activities. Com. John Verghese, Acting General Secretary, addressed the meeting and discussed several important current issues, including:

• Wage Revision
• New Promotion Policy
• Revival of BSNL
• Issues related to Rule-8 of DR JEs

Members deliberated on various issues such as the 3rd PRC, IDA freezing during the COVID period, stagnation, and the 16th February Strike. After thorough discussion, it was unanimously decided to hold the next Circle Conference jointly with NE-I, NE-II, and Assam Circle.

To protect the interests of the Executives and Non-Executives working in BSNL, the leaders of the recognised Unions / Associations i.e., BSNLEU, NFTE BSNL, SNEA, AIGETOA, and who were part of official negotiations, have identified a superior GHI Policy option. This comes in response to the high premium rates of the BSNL-approved GHI policy from M/s Oriental Insurance Company, which also includes stringent conditions.

Today, the 20.07.2024, newly appointed CMD BSNL, Shri Ravi A Robert Jerald, addressed the Chennai Telephones Circle and Tamil Nadu Circle officers at Anna Road Inspiration Hall, Chennai. He then met with union representatives to receive a memorandum. On behalf of BSNLEU, Com. S. Basha, Circle President and Com. A. Ruban Vijayakumar, Circle Organising Secretary, submitted a memorandum requesting 4G towers for Chennai, free calls for serving and retired employees, and a problem-free Sanchar Aadhaar app.

It has come to our attention that, unlike BSNL, all other telecom operators provide seamless SIM replacement services on an all-India basis. For example, an Airtel customer from Odisha can replace a damaged or lost SIM anywhere in Maharashtra. In contrast, a BSNL customer from Andhra Pradesh cannot replace their SIM in Uttar Pradesh. Moreover, all private operators offer incoming SMS in international roaming without any additional subscription for their prepaid services. Unfortunately, BSNL customers need to subscribe to this service separately. These disparities put BSNL at a significant disadvantage compared to private operators. To remain competitive and meet customer expectations, it is crucial for BSNL to offer nationwide SIM replacement and free incoming SMS during international roaming for prepaid customers.

Com. S. Rajagopal, Junior Engineer, Tirunelveli, retired on superannuation on 30.06.2024. He joined the Department of Telecommunications as a Casual Mazdoor in 1983, was regularized as RM in 1993, and later promoted to TT and JE. Currently, he serves as the Circle Organising Secretary of BSNLEU, Tamil Nadu Circle, and the District Secretary of TNTCWU, Tirunelveli SSA. On his retirement, he generously donated Rs.5,000/- to the CHQ. The CHQ extends its best wishes for a happy and peaceful retired life to Com. S. Rajagopal.

BSNLEU never involves in backbiting. However, in the interest of the Company and its employees, certain things have to be discussed openly. During the last 5 years, decisions were taken by only one person, i.e., the CMD BSNL. It is the opinion of BSNLEU that, the Board of Directors were not able to function freely. The erstwhile Director(HR) sympathised with the employees on some issues, but could not settle them. Small issue or big issue, the final decision could be taken only by the CMD BSNL. For example, Temporary transfer of officials is a very small issue. Earlier, the power to grant temporary transfer rested with the Director (HR). However, this power was taken away and many stringent conditions were imposed by the CMD BSNL.  Ultimate sufferers are only the employees. Further, being a finance officer, Shri P.K.Purwar himself functioned as the “de facto” Director (Finance). His decision was final on money matters.

BSNL’s manpower is its biggest asset. The Non-Executives and Executives have voluntarily contributed in improving the quality of service and also in boosting the Company’s sales and marketing. Many campaigns such as “Customer Delight Year”, “Service With A Smile” have been voluntarily organised by the AUAB to improve the quality of services. Shri Anupam Srivastava, former CMD BSNL himself inaugurated the “Service With A Smile” campaign. Corporate Office used to issue instructions to the CGMs, for coordinating with the AUAB to successfully implement those campaigns. But, such things did not happen during the past five years. The CMD BSNL believed in extracting work by issuing stern warnings. The Director(CM), Director(CFA) and the Director(EB) should have played pro-active role in motivating and involving the employees for the betterment of services. But, it did not happen. BSNL and employees have suffered due to the one man show. It must end now.

बीएसएनएल निदेशक मंडल को स्वतंत्र रूप से काम करना चाहिए - अब एक व्यक्ति का शो बंद होना चाहिए।

BSNLEU कभी भी चुगली नहीं करता। हालांकि, कंपनी और उसके कर्मचारियों के हित में कुछ बातों पर खुलकर चर्चा होनी चाहिए। पिछले 5 वर्षों के दौरान, केवल एक व्यक्ति यानी सीएमडी बीएसएनएल द्वारा निर्णय लिए गए। BSNLEU का मानना ​​है कि, निदेशक मंडल स्वतंत्र रूप से काम करने में सक्षम नहीं था। तत्कालीन निदेशक (मानव संसाधन) ने कुछ मुद्दों पर कर्मचारियों के साथ सहानुभूति व्यक्त की, लेकिन उनका समाधान नहीं कर सके। छोटा मुद्दा हो या बड़ा, अंतिम निर्णय केवल सीएमडी बीएसएनएल द्वारा ही लिया जा सकता था। उदाहरण के लिए, अधिकारियों का अस्थायी स्थानांतरण एक बहुत छोटा मुद्दा है। पहले, अस्थायी स्थानांतरण देने का अधिकार निदेशक (मानव संसाधन) के पास था। हालाँकि, यह अधिकार छीन लिया गया और सीएमडी बीएसएनएल द्वारा कई कठोर शर्तें लगा दी गईं। अंत में पीड़ित केवल कर्मचारी हैं। इसके अलावा, एक वित्त अधिकारी होने के नाते, श्री पी.के.पुरवार स्वयं "वास्तविक" निदेशक (वित्त) के रूप में कार्य करते थे। उनका निर्णय धन संबंधी मामलों में अंतिम होता था।

बीएसएनएल की सबसे बड़ी पूंजी उसके मानव संसाधन है। नोन एक्ज़िक्यूटिव्स और एक्ज़िक्यूटिव्स ने सेवा की गुणवत्ता सुधारने और कंपनी की बिक्री और विपणन को बढ़ावा देने में स्वेच्छा से योगदान दिया है। सेवाओं की गुणवत्ता सुधारने के लिए एयूएबी द्वारा स्वैच्छिक रूप से "कस्टमर डिलाइट यर", "सर्विस विद अ स्माइल" जैसे कई अभियान आयोजित किए गए हैं। बीएसएनएल के पूर्व सीएमडी श्री अनुपम श्रीवास्तव ने स्वयं "सर्विस विद अ स्माइल" अभियान का उद्घाटन किया था। इन अभियानों को सफलतापूर्वक लागू करने के लिए एयूएबी के साथ समन्वय करने के लिए कॉर्पोरेट ऑफिस चीफ जनरल मैनेजर को निर्देश जारी करता था। लेकिन, पिछले पांच वर्षों के दौरान ऐसा कुछ नहीं हुआ। सीएमडी बीएसएनएल कड़ी चेतावनी जारी करके काम निकालने में विश्वास रखते थे। निदेशक (सीएम), निदेशक (सीएफए) और निदेशक (ईबी) को सेवाओं की बेहतरी के लिए कर्मचारियों को प्रेरित करने और शामिल करने में सक्रिय भूमिका निभानी चाहिए थी। लेकिन, ऐसा नहीं हुआ। एक व्यक्ति के प्रदर्शन के कारण बीएसएनएल और कर्मचारियों को नुकसान उठाना पड़ा है। यह अब बंद होना चाहिए।

We are writing to highlight critical issues in the BSNL Sanchar Aadhaar app, causing significant inconvenience to our users and adversely impacting our service delivery, including the porting process. Given the app's importance in our digital strategy and customer service operations, it is imperative these issues are resolved promptly. We have received numerous complaints regarding app crashes, slow performance, and difficulties accessing key features, all hampering our efficiency and customer satisfaction. We request your esteemed office to intervene and direct the concerned vendor to rectify these issues immediately. A prompt resolution is essential to ensure seamless functionality and restore user confidence.

BSNLEU lodges a strong protest against the arbitrary implementation of the new Group Health Insurance (GHI) policy by Oriental Insurance Company. This decision was made without consulting any recognized unions or associations, despite their unanimous opposition. The new GHI policy, effective from 25/07/2024, imposes abnormally high premiums and stringent conditions, disregarding the medical needs of BSNL employees and undermining union efforts for fair insurance. We suspect undue influence within the admin section, eager to renew the policy at any cost. We urge all employees to critically assess this biased policy and demand immediate corrective action from Director (HR).

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and the DoT have issued orders for entrusting additional charge to Shri Robert Ravi, DDG(SRI), DoT, as the CMD BSNL for 6 months, until 14-01-2025. He is also given additional charge as the CMD MTNL and CMD BBNL for a period of 6 months.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has also rejected the extension of service for Shri P.K.Purwar.as the CMD BSNL. 

श्री रॉबर्ट रवि, डीडीजी (एसआरआई), दूरसंचार विभाग, को 14-01-2025 तक बीएसएनएल के सीएमडी के रूप में अतिरिक्त प्रभार दिया गया।

मंत्रिमंडल और दूरसंचार विभाग की नियुक्ति समिति ने श्री रॉबर्ट रवि, डीडीजी (एसआरआई), दूरसंचार विभाग को 14-01-2025 तक बीएसएनएल के सीएमडी के रूप में 6 महीने के लिए अतिरिक्त प्रभार सौंपने के आदेश जारी किए हैं। उन्हें 6 महीने की अवधि के लिए एमटीएनएल के सीएमडी और बीबीएनएल के सीएमडी के रूप में भी अतिरिक्त प्रभार दिया गया है।

मंत्रिमंडल की नियुक्ति समिति ने बीएसएनएल के सीएमडी के रूप में श्री पी.के.पुरवार के सेवा विस्तार को भी अस्वीकार कर दिया है।

The WWCC Convention was held on 12.07.2024 in Kolhapur surpassed all expectations. Distinguished speakers included Com. Nageshkumar Nalawade, Circle President, Smt. Arundhati Mahadik, President Bhagirath Mahila Udyog, Shri Arvind Patil, PGM Kolhapur, Com. Mohammad Jakati, CS AIBDPA, Com. Ganesh Hinge, CS BSNLEU, and Com. Madhuri Patil, Circle Org. Secretary. The event saw enthusiastic participation from WWCC members from all over Maharashtra, as well as many local participants from Kolhapur. Commendable organisation was ensured by Com. Vijayanand Mane, DP Kolhapur, Com.Nitin Deshpande, DS Kolhapur, Com. Bapu Kamble, District Executive, Com. Jayakumar Kharwade, District Executive, and their team. Special thanks to the BSNL Kolhapur administration for their invaluable support. Kudos to WWCC Convenor Com. Sucheta Patankar and Co-Convenor Com. Manjusha Lachke for their tireless efforts in making the event a grand success.

Corporate Office has implemented the Voluntary Group Health Insurance Policy for BSNL employees w.e.f. 25.07.2024, vide their letter dated 12.07.2024. Details of the GHI are appended herewith.

The last date for submission of Membership change over forms is on 15th July. It is reported to CHQ that in many circles, the circle and district unions are busy in meeting with the general members in collecting the membership form in favour of BSNLEU. In a few circles, special meetings are taking place to approach the members and to collect the membership form for our union. Circle Unions are requested to make all out efforts by organizing programmes in order to see that the common members are contacted and membership form is collected. The Circle and district secretaries are also requested to submit the duly filled in membership forms are submitted to respective accounts officers, latest before the closure of working hours on 15^th July 2024. Please send the report on newly enrolled membership by 16^th July, to CHQ.

As per Consumer Price Index numbers released by Labour Bureau on 10.07.2024, IDA for the 2007 Pay Scales and Pension is expected to increase from 216.8% to 217.8%, w.e.f 01-07-2024. The net IDA increase will be 1.0%. This will be payable after DPE issuing the order.

[ With inputs from Com.Mihir Dasgupta, former AGS.]