COM.K.G.JAYARAJ, GENERAL SECRETARY HAS CONTACTED THE DEPARTMENT OF EXPENDITURE TODAY, THE 24TH JULY, 2015. AS THE HIGHER OFFICERS WERE NOT AVAILABLE HE SPOKE TO THE CONCERNED UNDER SECRETARY WHO TOLD HIM THAT THE FILE IS PUT UP TO THE JOINT SECRETARY AND BEING CONSIDERED. WHEN GENERAL SECRETARY POINTED OUT THAT THE ISSUE HAS GOT DELAYED TOO MUCH AND THE PENSIONERS HAVE BECOME RESTIVE,THE UNDER SECRETARY REPLIED THAT HE EXPECTED THE FILE BACK ON 27TH OR 28TH JULY.
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GLOBAL MOBILE DATA TRAFFIC TO GROW 59 PER CENT IN 2015.
NEW DELHI: Global mobile data traffic is set to reach 52 million terabytes (TB) in 2015, an increase of 59 per cent from 2014, research firm Gartner today said.
The rapid growth is set to continue through 2018, when mobile data levels are estimated to reach 173 million TB, Gartner said in a statement.
“Mobile data traffic is soaring worldwide, more than tripling by 2018. New, fast mobile data connections (3G and 4G) will grow more slowly, from 3.8 billion in 2015 to 5.1 billion in 2018, as users switch from slower 2G connections and consume more mobile data,” Gartner Research Director Jessica Ekholm said.
Communication service providers (CSPs) must create and sell data plans with higher caps to increase their share of this growing market.
“With video usage as a percentage of total data usage set to rise from 50 per cent now to 60 per cent by 2018, we should expect CSPs to offer the best-of-breed video experience to consumers,” Ekholm said.
This involves using video optimisation technologies and caching content closer to the consumer, she added.
“Contract plans that single out video traffic to allow users to reach a certain cap (without touching their contract data cap) will increase usage and revenue for CSPs and meet consumer demand for more mobile video,” Ekholm said.
( Courtesy: Economic Times)
TRAI LIKELY TO ABSOLVE TELECOS FOR RISE IN CALL DROPS.
NEW DELHI: The telecom regulator appears to have absolved telecom companies for the increasing instances of call drops, citing instead radiation fears and local laws as the biggest reasons carriers are unable to put up adequate cell sites, which are key to providing quality services.
According to data collected by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in a random check, 523 sites in Delhi and 801 sites in Mumbai were shut down in the past six months due to ‘radiation scare’ even in areas where the affluent and educated live or issues with municipalities. As many as 25 towers are shut down each week in Mumbai over radiation fears, according to information with Trai, “How can we blame telecom operators for these? Sealing of one site can affect about four neighbouring sites, leading to rising incidence of call drops,” a senior Trai official told ET.
“They failed to achieve the benchmarks due to high block call rate, high drop call rate, low call setup success rate and poor quality,” the report said. On investigation, Trai found the biggest reason for deteriorating quality of service was the inability of telecom operators to proportionately increase the number of telecom towers. “Putting new towers is very difficult and landlords aren’t renewing their leases because of the radiation scare,” DS Rawat, managing director and CEO of Bharti Infratel, the tower arm of Bharti Airtel, told ET.
It wasn’t possible to impose penalty only on operators when the main fault lay elsewhere, a second official said. “We are discussing ways the operators can optimise their networks but there is only so much they can do,” the official said. Trai feels the telecom minister’s attempt to dispel fears regarding radiation and proposal to allow telecom companies to install towers on government buildings were steps in the right direction.
“One of the worst areas in Delhi was Moti Bagh, followed by Lodhi Road. We are told that even the most affluent and educated people fear radiation. It is a mindset issue,” the second official said, adding that there were other issues too.
(courtesy: Economic Times)
WEST BENGAL CIRCLE HELD THE RELAY HUNGER FAST WITH HUGE PARTICIPATION.
West Bengal Circle has conducted the Relay Hunger Fast on 22-23,July, 2015 due to some local inconveniences.The relay hunger fast was launched in two places, Kolkata CCA office participated by the 4 south district branches and GM office ,Siliguri by the north district branches.
The fast started at 10AM on 22nd July before the CCA office and Com.Dilip Das Circle Vice President presided . Com.Susanta Ghosh, CHQ Vice President and Circle Secretary inaugurated explaining the demands in detail and the efforts taken by AIBDPA.Com.Pijush Chakraborty, ACS, Com.Amitava Chatterjee, ACS, BSNLEU, Com.Pankaj Saha, Circle Vice President, BSNL CMU, Com.Madan Ghosh, Dist Secretary, Suri, Com. Lakshmikant Bag, Dist Secretary,Purulia, Com.D.K.Lai, Dist Secretary, Bankura and Com. Anupam Saha, Dist Secretary, Kharagpur.
On the second day Com.Dipak Mitra, Circle President controlled the proceedings. Com.Susanta Ghosh, Circle Secretary, Com.Mridul Chatterjee, Dist Secretary,Asansol, Com. Amalendu Mukharjee, Vice President, Bardhman, Com.O.K.Banerjee, President,Durgapur, Com.Asoke Banerjee, Dist Secretary,Krishnanagar addressed. BSNLEU, West Bengal Circle came in a procession in solidarity of the struggling AIBDPA comrades. Com.Animesh Mitra( Circle Secretary,BSNLEU,West Bengal),Com.Tapas Ghosh (Circle Secretary,BSNL CMU-WB) and Com.Samir Nandy (BSNLEU,CGMT Office,WB) greeted.
A delegation consisting Coms.Susanta Ghosh, Pijush Chakraborty, Ajit Nandan and P.K.Nandi met the Deputy CCA in the absence of the CCA and submitted a memorandum containing the demands. Another memorandum for reinstatement of the retrenched casual mazdoors from the CCA office was also handed over.
An amount of Rs.12,000 was collected from the participants towards donation to the struggle aid fund of the casual mazddoors.
At Siliguri GM office,the Relay Hunger Fast was held on both days and Com.Bipul Chand Roy presided. Com.Ram Keder Yadav, ACS and Dist Secretary,Siliguri) inaugurated. Coms. Nilakanta Roy (DS,Lalpaiguri) Lalu Rai (DS,Gangtok) Moni Chetri (DS,Darjeeling) Samarendra Pathak (ADS, Coochbehar) and Nirmal Dey (DS,Malda) addressed
The mass participation of pensioners at both Kolkata and Siliguri was quite encouraging.
BAD LOANS (NPA) OF PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS REACHES Rs. 2.67 LAKH CRORE.
As per the reply given in the Parliament by Minister of State for Finance, Jayant Sinha, the NPA( Non-Performing Assets)or the bad loans of the Public Sector Banks have reached Rs. 2.67 lakh crore by the end of March 2015. Last year it was Rs. 2.16 lakh crore.
The interesting fact is that these bad loans are mostly loans taken by the big corporate and business houses and have not been repaid. Due to their influence on the government and political parties, strong action is not taken for recovery.
At the same time, extra-special efforts are being made to recover from the common people and legal action is taken. But not in the case of big guns. Even if some action is taken, they defend it with Senior Advocates, who manages to stop and delay action.
The Bank Unions have been demanding for the recovery of these bad loans from the big business and corporates, but without results.
TEMPORARY JOLT TO GOVERNMENT MOVE- LABOUR LAWS TO BE ENACTED AFTER APPROVAL OF TRIPARTIE BODY-ILC.
The 46th Indian Labour Conference held on 20- 21st July 2015 at New Delhi has decided that the labour laws to be enacted should be first approved by the tripartite body of Government, employers’ organisations and trade unions. The Labour Minister, Bandaru Dattathreya, who presided over the meeting stated that such tripartite conference will be held shortly.
In this scenario, the labour bills proposed by the government like Wage Code Bill, Small Factories Act, Industries Code Bill, Factories Act, Child Labour Bill etc. will have to be discussed in the tripartite body, before they are presented in the Parliament.
With regard to the increase in the Bonus, no decision could be taken due to the strong opposition from the employers.
DAY/ NIGHT DHARNA BY BSNLEU, KERALA IN SUPPORT OF BSNL CCLU STRUGGLE.
The casual contract workers in BSNL, Kerala Circle are on an agitation from 22nd June, 2015. Then they started an indefinite hunger fast before the CGMT office from 6th July,2015 as there has been no positive response from the Circle administration to settle the genuine demands. The leaders of the BSNL CCLU , Kerala Circle are participating in the fast. Though a conciliation meeting was held at the initiative of the Chief Labour Commissioner, Kerala, the talk failed as the Circle administration failed to send a responsible officer with proper authority to the said meeting. The CGMT is playing a hide and seek game in the agitation by his conspicuous absence in the office most of the period. At the same time he is making all sort of provocations by issuing memos virtually banning the agitation. He has also dared to victimize the BSNLEU leaders including the Circle Secretary alleging participation in the agitation.
It is in this background that BSNLEU Circle Union was compelled to call for a day/night dharna at all SSAs in Kerala on 22-23 July, 2015 demanding immediate intervention of the CGMT to settle CCLU agitation. The mass day/night Dharna before the CGMT office, Thiruvananthapuram was inaugurated by Com.Raju Abraham M L A on 22nd morning. Com.K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary, AIBDPA, Com.P.V. Chandrasekharan, All India Patron, AIBDPA and a host of leaders addressed the dharna and offered support.
WFTU EXTENDS SOLIDARITY TO THE WORKERS OF SWAN GARMENT IN BANGLADESH.
Swan Garment factory is one of the factories which are situated in Dhaka city, capital of Bangladesh. This Factory is owned by a Chinese owner. Around 1300 workers worked in this factory, among them 80% are young women. On last 10 April the owner, all of a sudden, declared the closure of the factory, without giving the salaries and other benefits due to the workers.
The workers, with their struggle, forced the the owner to give them the salary of the month of March and he promised to give other financial benefits which are due to them, but until now he didn’t.
Now the Workers have been continuously sitting day and night, even amidst heavy rain, in front of the National Press Club by the side of one of the main roads, at the center of the city. The government is ignoring the protest and the stage of workers and does not take any step to meet the most genuine legal demand to pay the arrears.
The World Federation of Trade Unions representing 92 million workers in 126 countries fully supports the demands of Garment Workers’ Trade Union Centre:
- Immediately arrears and bonus should be paid
- The factory, which is illegally closed, should be reopened
- The false charges and cases should be withdrawn.
TWO DAYS RELAY HUNGER FAST HELD SUCCESSFULLY IN MADHYA PRADESH.
The two days Relay Hunge Fast has been successfully held before the CCA office, Bhopal very successfully. The fast started at 10AM on 21st July, 2015 was participated by members of Bhopal District Branch. Com. S.C. Shrivastav, CHQ Vice President inaugurated. Com.H.S.Thakur, Circle Secretary in his address explained the demands of 78.2% IDA merger and restoration of medical allowance in detail.
On the second day the fast was participated by pensioners from all the district branches and inaugurated by Com. Jagadish Singh, AGS, BSNLEU . Com. B.S.Raghuvamshi, Circle President, BSNLEU, H.S.N.Chauhan, District President ans Com. N.L.Patel,,Treasurer, Jabalpur, Sheel Chand Jain and Mallayya both from Sagar. T.S.Raghuvamshi & Atiram fro Gwalior, Malavya Mazumdar, Jabalpur Civil, Thothar,Bhopal, B.K.Parsai,ACS,BSNLEU and Salmath Ali, District Secretary etc addressed and concluded at 5PM.
KOLKATA CIRCLE RELAY HUNGER FAST BEING HELD ON 22-23, JULY, 2015.
The two days Relay Hunger Fast in Kolkata Circle was rescheduled to 22-23,July,2015 due to some local compulsions. It started at 10AM on 22nd July before the PCCA office, Kolkata Telephones with massive participation of pensioners with much enthusiasm. A large number of lady comrades also participated along with CORTO members. Com.Sanjib Banerjee, Circle Secretary conducted the proceedings. Com.Anata Kr Bhattacharjee, All India President inaugurated the fast with an elaborate and enthusiastic speech.
Com.D.Basu, CHQ AGS, Com.Supriya Mitra, CHQ Vice President, com. Prabhir Dutta, CHQ Vice President, Com.Swastika Dasgupta, CHQ Org Secretary, Com.Biplab Das, General Secretary, BSNL Co-ordination committee, Com. Subhasis Roy, Acting Circle Secretary, BSNLEU, Com.Mihir Dasgupta, Asst Circle Secretary, and the following comrades from district branches; Biplab Dutta Roy, Ashu Sen, Ajit De Sarkar and Dipak Dutta addressed.