Indefinite strike by BSNL employees from Feb 3

Employees are demanding for proactive steps by the govt to revitalise the limping telecom giant

BSNL employees today called an indefinite country-wide strike from February 3 next year to press its demand for proactive steps by the government to revitalise the limping telecom giant.

"Since 2007 roadblocks created by the government have dragged BSNL to losses and are giving way to private sector (telecom companies) to flourish. Forum of BSNL unions and associations have decided to go for indefinite strike from February 3, 2015 demanding government measures for revamping the company," BSNL Employees Union general secretary P Abhimanyu told PTI.

Alleging that BSNL could not enhance its network since 2007 first at the behest of the then telecom minister A Raja who at the last minute cancelled 45 million line equipment, he said another contract for 93 million lines was later scrapped due to home ministry's objection to Chinese vendor. "At the time when government was deliberately choking BSNL, the private telecom players flourished at the cost of the state owned company ... Government negligence has led us here and not for workers," he said.

The NDA government telecom minister too had done nothing nor met the trade unions for suggestions for BSNL's revival, he said on the sidelines of BSNL Employees Union four-day 7th All India Conference here today. BSNL had posted a loss of Rs 7,933 crore on net sales of Rs 25,655 crore during FY13, the latest year for which the numbers are available.

Meanwhile, CITU president A K Padmanavan addressing the 2700 union delegates across the country said the BJP government's slogan Acche din aanewale hai is for handful billionaires of the country.

The new amendments to labour laws will put 80 per cent of the industrial workers out of it, he said. Among those present at the conference were BSNLEU president V A N Namboodiri, general secretary of Confederation of Central Government Employees M Krishnan and joint secretary BSNLEU (Bengal) Saibal Sengupta.