BSNL staffers to remain on strike

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) employees under the banner of ‘All Unions and Associations of BSNL’ (AUAB) have declared to remain on strike till February 20 to pursue long pending demands against Department of Telecommunications (DOT) and the central government. They held a demonstration at the BSNL office in Mohali on Monday.

AUAB members said BSNL is operating on its own from the day of its formation in the year 2000 without any financial support from the government or public-sector banks and expanded its mobile and landline services pan-India having employee base of 1.74 lakh.

AUAB Mohali president, Pritpal Singh said it is also notable that BSNL is providing services in every nook and corner of the country irrespective of profitability, either in naxal areas or areas affected with natural calamities. BSNL has always fulfilled its duties as a social obligation, whereas private operators are giving services only for profitability.

Singh added, “Private telecom operators are having huge loan liability from PSB and private institutions to the tune of Rs 5.5 lakh crore and BSNL is only having loan of Rs 15,000 crore. Every telecom company is feeling heat in the shape of losses in the present scenario of cut-throat competition.”

It is also notable that during third quarter, the mobile base of BSNL has increased although BSNL didn’t have 4G spectrum as compared to private operators, he said.

While listing their demands, members of AUAB said they demand allotment of 4G spectrum to BSNL as per proposal submitted by the them; issue letter of comfort for BSNL’s proposal for taking soft loan from banks; implementation of 3rd pay revision; payment of pension contribution by BSNL as per government rule and settlement of left out issues of 2nd Pay Revision Committee.

AUAB further said non-allotment of 4G spectrum, non-approval of land monetisation proposal submitted by BSNL in May 2018, denial of permission to BSNL to avail bank loans for expansion of networks, non-filling of BSNL director posts and so on are deliberate attempts of the government to destabilise BSNL.