Karnagappally Area Convention was held on 05-08-2016 under the presidenship of Com.M.D.Rajan, District President. Com. M. Sobhana, Chairperson, Municipal Council, Karunagappally inaugurated. Com. R. Aravindakshan Nair, CHQ Treasurer delivered the keynote address. Com.N.Sasidharan Nair, District Secretary also addressed.

Let us now analyse what would have been the case, had 50% of Dearness Allowance / Dearness Relief been merged with pay / pension with effect from 01-11-2011. DA merger had taken place before implementation of 5th and 6th CPC Recommendations. Though we had demanded it this time also, it was not agreed to. Whether enough organizational pressure was there to get the demand accepted is now an academic issue for discussion only. The DA / DR was 51% in January 2011. The percentage rates of DA/DR were 58, 65, 72, 80, 90, 100 107, 113, 119 and 125 during subsequent six monthly periods up to January 2016. Now we shall workout the financial implication of the 50% DA/DR merger notionally. A person with a basic pay / pension of Rs. 10,000/- would have got Rs. 1,06,500/- as difference in DA/DR for the period 01-01-2011 to 31-12-2015. That is the notional loss. It is easy to workout. For every 1,000 rupee as pay / pension, the benefit would have been Rs. 10650/- We cannot even dream of such an amount as pay revision “bonanza”.The 7th CPC submitted its report in November 2015.The Empowered Committee of Secretaries blocked it for 7 long months. Finally the cabinet approved the report without any modification, The Gazette Notification on the pay and allowances of employees was issued on 25-07-2016. The same minimum pay of Rs.18000/- The same multiplication factor of 2.57. Absolutely no change.

Multiplication factor would have increased to 3 instead of 2.57

The pay + DA of the lowest paid employee who was drawing Rs. 7,000/- (5,200 +1,800). On 01-01-2016 would have been Rs. 1,8375/- In that case, no Pay Commission would have dared to recommend Rs. 18000/- as minimum pay as it would have been less than the actual pay + DA drawn by the employee. Even if we accept the 14.29% increase recommended by the 7th CPC, the minimum pay would have been Rs. 21,000/- and so the multiplication factor would have increased to 3 instead of 2.57. Employees and pensioners would have been benefitted significantly.

We were after the euphoria of a Pay Commission. We thought the CPC and the Government will deliver us good. It was a folly on our part in not clinching the demand of merger of 50% DA with effect from 01-01-2011. We shall blame ourselves for that. This is a lesson for us to be cautious in future.

A largely attended meeting of AIBDPA was held at Ludhiana on 04-08-2016 at conference Hall. Com.Satpal Baddhan Circle President presided. Coms.Balbir Singh,CHQ President & Circle Secretary BSNLEU, Tarsem Singh, Circle Secretary, AIBDPA, S.K.Thamman, Dist. President, Jaswant Singh Dist Secretary AIBDPA, Avtar Singh Jhandey, Dist. Secretary BSNLEU, P.Chand, Acting Secretary, S.P.Singh, Secretary Co-OP. Society and other leaders addressed. Dy.GM Sukhvinder Singh greeted the delegates. Com.Gurcharan Singh, senior leader and former Vice President of E.III Union was also present. 

Com.VA.N.Namboodiri, Advisor AIBDPA, Patron BSNLEU and President BSNLCCWF addressed the meeting and spoke on all issues of Pensioners, workers and contract workers. He narrated the sustained struggles organised for settlement of 78.2% IDA fixation and annulment of 60:40 condition.

Com.Namboodiri was honoured by draping shawl and presents. The meeting decided to conduct Circle Conference on December 18^th tentatively. Punjab Comrades under the leadership of Com. Balbir Singh is strengthening all the three unions, BSNLEU, AIBDPA and BSNLCCWF. Congratulations to Punjab Comrades!

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The bimonthly meeting of Hubli District Branch was held at Conference Hall, Sanchar Bhawan, Hubli on 03-08-2016. Com.Anthonisami, District President presided. Inaugurating the meeting Com. G.G.Patil, AGS spoke elaborately on settlement of 78.2% IDA fixation and annulment of 60:40 condition. He also narrated the sustained struggles conducted by AIBDPA and two strikes by the employees which were crucial to settle the issues.Com.Shivashankappa, District Secretary, BSNLEU addressed the meeting. Com.A.D.Kulkarni, District Secretary presented the report and Com.Shalgar, Treasurer placed the accounts and were adopted.

Office bearers were elected unanimously with Com.Anthonisamy (President), Com.A.D.Kulkarni (District Secretary) Com.R.Y. Shsalgar (Treasurer)

The meeting decided to host the next Circle Executive Committee meeting at Hubli.

AIBDPA and BSNLEU WB Circle gave a call to observe Victory Day on 27.7.16 in connection with achievement of 78.2% IDA merger along with withdrawal of 60:40 condition for payment of pension. Accordingly a meeting was held with massive gathering at CTO Institute Hall, Kolkata controlled by a Presidium consisting of Coms Dipak Mitra, Swapan Chanda and Pankaj Saha. The main speaker of the meeting was our beloved and respected leader Com. VAN Namboodiri who vividly explained the sustained and uninterrupted battle rendered by the leaders, workers and Pensioners to achieve the demands. He warned the audience in respect of the anti people and anti workers policies pursued by the Central Government and advised them to rise to the occasion to foil the detrimental attempt of the Government. Other speakers were Coms Susanta Ghosh CS AIBDPA and Animesh Mitra CS BSNLEU.

The Branch Conference of Sainthia under Suri District in West Bengal was held on 31-07-2016 successfully under the presidentship of Ramkrishna Pal, Branch President. After adopting the report and accounts office bearers were elected unanimously with the following important functionaries.

President : Com. Ramkrishna Pal , Branch Secretary : Com. Riska Kisku and Treasurer : Com. Mahadeb Baxi.