AIBDPA/ Circular No.3 /2020                                             16^th April, 2020

To,

All CHQ Office Bearers, Circle Secretaries

District Secretaries and Affiliates.

Dear Comrade,

Continue to be cautious.

I sincerely hope that all of you and your family members are fine and congratulate for overcoming the third phase of lockout in the country. World Health Organisation has warned that the Corona Virus will never go away. Needless to add that we have to be still vigilant against the pandemic, particularly when elders are vulnerable to the dreaded pandemic. Therefore let us continue to be inside the house for some more time to ensure our safety. If at all in unavoidable circumstances you go out, please wear the mask and keep social distance.

PM Cares / CMDRF and Contract Workers Relief Fund.

CHQ had given a call to collect fund from our members towards Prime Minister’s Relief fund or Chief Ministers Relief fund to help the people in distress due to the Covid-19. The amount collected was directed to be sent directly to the PM CARES or CMDRF with intimation to CHQ. In Kerala, the Circle Branch asked the members to make online payment to CMDRF with intimation to the Circle Branch. With the active involvement and initiative of the District Secretaries, about Rs.32 lakhs has already been contributed and still continuing. Tamil Nadu Circle donated Rs.1,22,740 to PM CARES. Karnataka Circle has donated Rs.1,18,500 to PM CARES and Rs.12,500 to CM Relief Fund. Assam Circle Branch has donated Rs.50,000 from it’s own fund to National Health Mission, Assam. Other Circles are requested to send the details. Being senior citizens, it is our bounden duty to help our fellow citizens at this time of  distress.

It was also requested to help the BSNL contract workers who are not being paid their wages for the last one year, by collecting donations and to distribute locally. Tamil Nadu Circle Branch has done extremely well by collecting about Rs.11,04,660 and distributed to the contract workers. Kolkata Telephones Circle has donated Rs. 2,45,000 as on 22-04-2020. Kolkata TF & Stores has donated Rs.25,000 as the first installment. West Bengal Circle has collected about Rs.6,50,000. Karnataka Circle has donated Rs.1,08,602 Consolidated figure of collection made in NE-1 Circle is also to be received. In Andhra Pradesh Circle also has collected Rs.1,15,900. Details of collection from other circles are yet to be furnished. Kindly therefore intimate CHQ the exact position and the circles where no collection is made so far are urged to do it without further delay with due intimation to CHQ.

Filing of Income Tax return.

Finance Ministry has extended the date of filing of income tax return from 31-07-2020 to 30-11-2020.

With warm greetings,

K.G.Jayaraj

General Secretary.

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AIBDPA/ Circular No.2 /2020                                            15^th May,2020

To,

All CHQ Office Bearers, Circle Secretaries

District Secretaries and Affiliates.

Dear Comrade,

During the Covid-19 situation, BSNL management has issued orders curtailing medical reimbursement and medical allowance to pensioners and employees. April 2020 salary for BSNL employees is not paid till date. Contract workers have not been paid wages for about one year. The central government and certain state governments are in the process of increasing working hours from 8 to 12, trampling upon the hard won rights of the workers.

On these issues, BSNL Employees Union has given call to organise Lunch Hour Demonstrations on 21^st May, 2020.

AIBDPA CHQ expresses it full support and solidarity to the progamme.

AIBDPA CHQ calls upon all the Circle, District and Branch units to send the following e-mail to Secretary DOT and CMD BSNL during the week starting with 24th May 2020. Secretary DOT email: secy-dot@nic.in : CMD BSNL email: cmdbsnl@bsnl.co.in

To

The Secretary, DOT, Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi

The CMD BSNL, Bharat Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi

1. Honour the ILO decision. Do not increase working hours from 8 to 12 per day.
2. Immediately disburse salary of BSNL employees for April, 2020.
3. Immediately pay the wage arrears of contract workers. Do not retrench contract workers through outsourcing of works.
4. Withdraw the decision to reduce Outdoor Treatment ceiling from 23 days to 15 days’ pay.

Name of Circle / District / Branch _________________________

Comrades, make the programme a full success.

Yours Fraternally,

K.G.Jayaraj

General Secretary.

AIBDPA/BSNLMRS/2020                                                     May 13, 2020

 To

Shri P. K. Purwar,

CMD, BSNL

Bharat Sanchar Bhawan

Janpath, New Delhi-110 001.

 Sir, 

Sub: – Curtailment of outdoor medical benefits- modification sought- – reg. 

Ref: – BSNL CO Office Order No.BSNL/Admn-1/15-12/18 dated 08-05-2020 on procedure for outdoor medical claim for BSNL Employees (Serving / Retired). 

Medical benefits, outdoor, of BSNL employees and retirees are curtailed drastically vide office order referred to above.

Of course, you had given some hints during our discussion with you on 16-12-2019 that BSNL can’t afford the BSNL MRS in the present form. You had suggested switching over to CGHS and uniform monthly allowance.

We had responded with our reservations on CGHS as the dispensary/ wellness centers are available in limited cities only. However we assured you that maximum pensioners belonging to places where CGHS facilities are available, would be advised to switch over, provided that onetime payment for CGHS membership be reimbursed by BSNL timely. You were quick to reply that those joining CGHS, the amount being paid by the pensioner will be reimbursed next month itself. We are sorry to point out that this assurance is yet to be implemented.

Regarding monthly flat medical allowance, we had demanded Rs.2,000. But as per the above mentioned office order, the monthly allowance of Rs.1000 is quite insufficient to meet the requirements in the wake of higher consultation fee of the doctor and exorbitant prices of the medicines.

Regarding with voucher, the present calculation of 23 day’s pay at the time of retirement is drastically reduced to 15 and worse, the IDA of every corresponding April is changed to IDA at the time of retirement. This amounts to a double blow and gross injustice to the pensioners.

Therefore we seek your kind intervention for necessary modifications in the office order as follows;

Option.

2)  With voucher it should be same as before. No change should be made.

3)  Without voucher monthly medical allowance flat Rs.2,000.

Further, we are constrained to point out that any order would be meaningless, if not implemented in its true sense. We have brought to your notice in person and through a number of letters about the sufferings and distress of the Pensioners due to non payment of medical bills, both indoor and outdoor, quarterly medical allowance  and amount paid for CGHS membership for the last two years. You had assured that fund could be allocated once the financial position improve during the post VRS scenario. But to our dismay, even after three months of VRS, no fund is allotted to mitigate the miseries of the Pensioners. A few of our fellow Pensioners have already lost their lives due to non consumption of life saving medicines. And we are afraid that more lives may be lost particularly during this period of Covid-19 unless relief is extended in the form allocation of sufficient funds to clear the pending medical claims.

Awaiting early positive response and action.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

K G Jayaraj

General Secretary

Department of Posts and BSNL are two institutions which cater to the needs of the people even at times of crises, natural calamities like floods, landslide etc, as also pandemics like COVID, NIPA, etc.  The workers of these essential services are committed to serve the nation at all times.

A cartoon in this connection, about the services maintained by Postmen, is reproduced below: He delivers postal and registered articles, medicines, Savings Bank, IFPB Apps, and Pension etc. Thanks to the Postman for the essential services even during COVID-19.

BSNL Corporate office has issued orders on 08-05-2020 on new norms for medical reimbursement, medical allowance, CGHS etc. AIBDPA has written to CMD BSNL a few days back about the extreme difficulties being  faced by the BSNL pensioners due to the non-payment of medical allowance and reimbursement. <<view order>>

The salary for the month of April 2020 for the 70,000 and odd BSNL employees has not been paid even after almost two weeks have passed since the due date. This is gross injustice to the workers, who are completely on duty even in the midst of corona virus, endangering themselves for the sake of connecting India.

It is to be mentioned that when offering VRS for 80 thousand workers, it was stated that the savings due to less amount of total wage bill after VRS will ensure salary payment in time. Three months are over after the implementation of VRS and the saving will come to about Rs. 1000 crore.

BSNL should ensure that the salary of employees are paid update as also the medical reimbursement and allowance to the pensioners as also wages to the contract labour with arrears.

Today, 12^th May is the International Nurses Day, which is observed on the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing and the icon of nurses all over the world.  This year, it is also her 200^th birth anniversary. The day started being observed since 1974, in her honour.

World Health Organisation (WHO) has selected the theme for International Nurses Day this year as “Nursing the World to Health”.

The day gets more importance this year which comes in during the pandemic of Covid – 19, in which more than three lakh valuable lives have been lost already and more than 40 lakhs are under found positive for it. The entire world is in grip of corona virus and the countries are battling against its spread.

On this day we thank nurses all over the world, the angels who care for the ill and give solace to them!

<<view letter>>

Some of the states like U.P., M.P and Gujarat, ruled by BJP and states like Rajasthan ruled by the Congress are denying/curtailing the trade union rights and social benefits like EPF, ESI etc. utilising the COVID period.  The centre is thinking of increasing the working hours from 8 to 12 hours as demanded by the corporates and big business. An all-out attack on the working class is on the agenda of the BJP governments. The Central Trade Unions have expressed their strong protest.

We express our strong protest and demand the governments not to curtail the rights of the workers.

It is welcome in this scenario that the Labour Minister of Kerala has announced that there will be no curtailment of TU rights in Kerala.