BSNLEU has given a call to hold Dharna on 26-06-2020.  The important demands put forward are;

Immediate implmentation of BSNL Revival Package declared by the government .Though VRS was implemented in a time bound maner, no  sincere effors are seen in launching 4G, issuing sovreign bonds and monetisation of BSNL assets.

Timely payment of salary to BSNL employees

Payment of wage arrears to BSNL Contract workers

Resumption of negotiation for pay revision of BSNL Employees

Withdraw the order reducing the ceiling of outdoor treatment from 23 days pay to 15 days pay.

.AIBDPA extends solidarity and calls upon all its units to support the Dharna according to local condition in the wake of alarming spread of Covid-19 and the elders being most vulnerable.

AIBDPA/ BSNL MRS/2020                                                                                               13th June, 2020

To,

Shri P.K. Purwar

CMD, BSNL

Bharat Sanchar Bhawan,

Janpath, New Delhi – 110 001

Sir,

Sub:  –    Medical Allowance and Medical Reimbursement – Allotment of Funds etc. – reg.

Ref:  –   (1) BSNL CO No.BSNL /Admn-1/15-12/18 dated 08-05-2020.

             (2) This Association letter No.AIBDPA/BSNL MRS/2020 dated 13-05-2020.

             (3) This Association letter No. AIBDPA/BSNL MRS/ 2020 dated 19-05-2020.

             (4) This Association letter No, AIBDPA/BSNL MRS/2020 dated 4^th June 2020.

We are thankful that BSNL has issued orders dated 10th June 2020 extending the date for submission of option for outdoor medical facilities by the retirees up to 30-06-2020 as assured earlier.

There are certain other major issues which are yet to be settled as given below:

1. Neither the Medical Allowance since the 2^nd quarter of 2018 nor the payment with voucher since April 2019 has been received by the BSNL Pensioners. As you are fully aware, most of the pensioners are having various ailments and are fully depending upon the above payments. These may be paid at the earliest by allotting sufficient funds to the circles.
2. Regarding the option to be furnished by the pensioners, there is a lot of confusion, including whether every pensioner, old and new, is to submit the option. In our opinion, there need not be any fresh option if the pensioner wants to continue with the option given earlier. In such cases, unless a fresh option is given, it can be taken that the official wants to continue with the earlier option.
3. Another issue is about the submitting of the option itself. Many of the pensioners are residing in far off villages / places away from the divisional headquarters. During the Covid period, there is much difficulty in getting transport. Many of the pensioners are unable to undertake journey due to various ailments. There should be some arrangements for collecting option from such pensioners.
4. We had requested for extension of the date up to 30-06-2020 and you have been kind enough to accept the same. But on a second check-up, we find out that in many states, the Lock Down is extended as also restrictions on travel etc. continue. There is no immediate scope of the covid situation ending. Under the circumstances, we request that the last date of option may be extended up to 30^th September 2020. The Central government has given such extension up to 30^th September for similar issues.

We request you to look in these matters and issue necessary orders early.

Thanking you, 

Yours sincerely,

K G Jayaraj

General Secretary.

Copy to: (1) Shri Arvind Vadnerkar, Director (HR), BSNL.

                 (2) Shri S.K. Gupta, Director (Finance), BSNL.

                 (3) Shri A.M. Gupta, GM (SR), BSNL CO.

<<VIEW LETTER>>

<<View letter>>

NCCPA consulted the JCM Staff Side Secretary and also the President of NCCPA that we have to write to the Government on the problems of CGHS during Covid-19. I am reproducting the letter written by the Secretary Staff Side JCM National Council to the Health Secretary in this issue: KKN SG NCCPA 

Ph:23382286

National Council (Staff Side)

Joint Consultative Machinery

For Central Government Employees

13C, Feroze Shah Road, New Delhi 110001

E Mail: nc.jcm.np@gmail.com

Shiva Gopal Mishra

Secretary

No.NC-JCM-2020/Health                                                                                                                             May,20, 2020

To

The Secretary,

Government of India,

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare,

Nirman Bhawan,

New Delhi. 110001

Dear Sir,

                Sub: health care facilities for the Central Government Employees and pensioners – problems and difficulties During lock down period – redressal  regarding.

                It has been brought to our notice by various Federations/organizations of Central Government employees and Pensioners that they face serious problems in accessing the health care related facilities during the lockdown period throughout the country.  As you are aware that since 24^th March, 2020, the whole country has been placed under lock down to combat the spread of the pandemic COVID.19.  The employees and especially the pensioners are not allowed to stir out of their homes.  In the case of employees, they are allowed to go only to the places where they are assigned specific jobs.  This apart, the CGHS dispensaries themselves had been functioning with little staff and virtually they were open for name- sake only.  Neither the medicines were available nor the doctor.   In the case of those employees, who are entitled for the benefit of CCS(MA) rules, the situation was much more precarious in as much as no private clinic was allowed to be open and the AMAs were not allowed private practice.  The Government hospitals in most of the cases had been declared as exclusive  Covid 19 hospitals  where other treatments are  declared impermissible. 

                Initially everybody thought that the situation would be a passing phase and would improve once the pandemic  spread is arrested.  However, despite the lock down and other measures, the spread of the disease had been on increase in many parts of the country, with the result the lock down had to be extended to the fourth phase.   In the situation in which we are placed, it is difficult to bring about normalcy in the near future.  Perhaps till  the anti virus vaccine is developed or medicine to cure the disease is invented,  the world will have to live with certain restrictions to contain the deadly nature of the disease.  In the circumstances, we are afraid that the Government will have to think in terms of alternative methods of providing the health care facilities for the employees and pensioners keeping the present rules and regulations  under suspension.

                We, therefore, make the following suggestions to have hassle free alternate arrangements till  normalcy is restored or travel restrictions are eased.

When in patient treatment becomes necessary:

(i)CGHS beneficiaries(including pensioners):  may be allowed to undergo treatment any private hospital nearby their residence.  The cost of treatment will be reimbursed by the concerned department in the case of employees and CGHS in the case of pensioners  The Govt. may direct all hospitals to provide treatment to all CGEs and CG pensioners and they might be told that the rates stipulated by AIIMS  Delhi must be the basis of billing. The hospitals may be asked to submit the bills to the concerned department/Addl.Director, CGHS as the case may  be for payment.

(ii)The treatment has to be based on the production of the CGHS card.

Non-CGHS patients:

(i)They may also avail the same facility as the CGHS beneficiaries. i.e.in any hospitals near their residence. Their admission will be based on the basis of a certificate of identity issued by the department in which he/she is employed.

Out-patient treatment.

(i)Out patient treatment for employees may be provided by the private hospitals  on the basis of a pre determined rate of consultation.

(ii)The employees will submit the bills and get the cost reimbursed

Pensioners. (out patient treatment)

(i)In the case of pensioners who require outpatient treatment, they may be permitted to avail either the CGHS facilities, if it is nearby their residence or in any private hospitals, which is near to their residence.  Those who avail the private hospital facilities may submit their bills to the additional director pension for reimbursement. The private hospitals throughout the country  may be asked to provide the O.P. treatment to CG employees and pensioners on the basis of a predetermined consultation fees and stipulated charges for pathological tests.

We request you to kindly consider these suggestion and issue necessary orders.

Thanking you, 

Yours faithfully,

Sd/-

(Shiva Gopal Mishra)

Secretary

Draft sent to Comrade Quim Boix GS TUI (P&R) on 7.6.2020 by NCCPA
The TUI (P&R) of WFTU strives to unite the entirety of pensioners and retirees of the world under its revolutionary banner to focus the attention of a powerful struggle against capitalist globalization. The pensioners and retirees of Asia also like their counterparts are under the direct attack of forces of liberalization. The countries of Asia are generally developing or under-developed countries and after embracing globalization have intensified the attacks on pensioners and retired.

Most of the Governments in Asian countries , having adopted the  neo  liberal economic policies at the behest of IMF have already replaced the statutory defined benefit pension schemes with the defined contributory one, whereby the employees under these governments have lost a viable social security for ever.  In India, the new scheme was introduced by the  Federal Govt. in 2004 and has now been adopted by almost all provincial governments except the State of West Bengal, where a communist led government was in existence  at the relevant point of time.   The main objective of the switch over the new contributory scheme was to create a huge pension fund controlled by the private sector to which a sizable amount will flow periodically and make it available for corporate bodies  at a cheap rate to maximise profit.  Presently the employees who retire after 30-40 years of active service are not even guaranteed a minimum pension.
The privatization spree of Government and Public Sector Services in India is removing the social security guarantees that existed hitherto. Almost this is the general trend in other Asian countries too.
As part of the increasing attacks on pension and social security, the rulers have started to severely attack and snatch the hard won rights of Trade Unions.

Another important aspect of the neo liberal policies is the increasing attack on labour related rights and privileges obtained through long and sustained struggles. The labour welfare le enactments are being annulled one after another.  Minimum wage concept is being discarded.  The facilities like health care, housing, social security, recreational etc. which were mandatory under the rules have been made optional at the mercy of the employer.  The unions in many of the Asian countries have been resisting  these onslaughts through struggles, the details of which are to be catalogued for a better and wider movement to take shape.  In India, the Pensioners organisations under the NCCPA (National coordination committee of Pensioners Associations) have been taking part in all the resistance movements organised by the workers.

Now, taking advantage of Corona, these pro liberalization governments are imposing new economic offensives on us. All workers and pensioners joint protests are impossible in the traditional forms at present as large assemblies are banned. Therefore the Central and State Governments find it convenient to tighten labour laws. Layoffs and unemployment are increasing. Migrant labourers are under heavy stress. Work hour protection is likely to be removed. Pensioners and Employees are facing compulsory Dearness Allowance cuts for several months in addition to wage cuts. But there is no control over spiralling prices of essentials. Wage and pension cuts have been employed freely by the Federal Government as also most of the State Governments  in India in the name of combating the financial difficulties caused by the lockdown on account of Corona disease.    Similar actions must have been initiated by other countries too .  In India, where the wages and pension is meagre,  the cut in entitlements has caused untold miseries especially for those who are in the lower wage group.  In the case of pensioners the agony caused by such inhuman approach is tremendous as the pensioners are compelled to bear additional expenditure due to the lock down for day to day existence and especially for health related difficulties. This is the general suffocation.

Lack of sufficient public health infrastructure is another common problem in almost all countries of Asia. Senior Citizens are more vulnerable. Roofless and jobless migrants are also more vulnerable. There is no proper methodology to extend financial help to the seriously affected. Asian countries because of thick and heavy populations are getting the brunt of attack by this calamity.
New forms of protests are required. The usage of all platforms of social media should be increased by our pensioners organizations and their members against all injustices and machinations of pro corporate ruling classes. A wider and strong public opinion has to be created by exposing the discriminatory actions of rulers in all countries.

We therefore strongly demand by raising our TUI banner:

1. Stop all attacks on pensioners and workers.

5. Stop privatization of Government and Public Sector institutions and strengthen them as they are the only guarantee against crisis.

K.Ragavendran

TUI (P&R) Coordinator for Asia

VIEW THE ORDER >Claim with the latest prescription

CHQ is getting many quries whether the order is applicable to BSNL retirees as there is no mention in this respect in order. But all the orders of BSNL MRS are applicable to BSNL retirees if not specifically mentioned otherwise.

AIBDPA/ DOT-VRS/2020                                                                                          8th June,2020

To,

Shri Anshu Prakash

Secretary,

Department of Telecommunications

Sanchar Bhawan

New Delhi-110001

Sir,

Sub: –    Delay in payment of the of ex-gratia to the VRS retirees- reg.

We wish to bring the following issue for your kind intervention and necessary favourable action.

When VRS was implemented in BSNL, a large number of BSNL employees (78,569) opted it, attracted by financial benefits, mainly the ex-gratia. They hoped to settle the debit and do something with the balance. It was assured by the government that ex-gratia will be paid in two equal instalments; first in March,2020 and the second in June,2020.

But contrary to the assurance only 33.33% was paid in March,2020 instead of 50 per cent. And all the amounts of future instalments towards HBA, bank loans, society loan, car loan etc were recovered from 33.3 per cent of ex-gratia paid. Most of the VRS retirees got very meagre amount after the recoveries. There is still uncertainty as to when the balance will be paid though the second instalment also has become due. This situation has put the VRS retirees into much disappointment and distress.

Therefore, we request your intervention to cause necessary action for the payment of 66.67 per cent of ex-gratia at the earliest but before 30-06-2020.

Delay in issuing the PPOs to the VRS retirees. 

While we appreciate the commendable job by some of the CCAs like Assam, Gujarat, NE, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala for having already issued the PPOs and sure to complete by 30-06-2020, we give below the CCAs lagging far behind.

• Tamil Nadu & Chennai Telephones.

Tamil Nadu out of 8761 only 2750 PPOs issued.

Chennai Telephones- out of 2671,1300 issued.

• Maharashtra – Only 4466 PPOs issued out of 9997.

• UP (West) – Only 550 PPOs issued against 2227.

These figures warrant immediate intervention of the higher authorities with constant monitoring. As far as the retirees are concerned, PPO is the most important document and they will be worried until they get the PPO.

We sincerely hope that you will do the needful at the earliest.

Thanking you, 

Yours sincerely,

K G Jayaraj

General Secretary.

CC: Shri P.K.Sinha, Member (Finance), Department of Telecommunications Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi-110001.

<<<View Letter>>