At a time when the nation is swept by Jio mania, and the subsequent battle among telecom operators, state-run BSNL has been quietly fighting their own battle, and to increase their user base.And if based on March reports, it is clear that BSNL has clearly staged a coup here.As per reports coming in, BSNL has successfully activated 2.95 million new pre-paid connections in the month of March 2017, which is quite a feat in itself. Especially because April was the month Jio started offering their paid Prime subscriptions. This clearly means that BSNL has attracted a niche user base of their own, based on attractive plans and offerings, which were mainly launched to counter the onslaught of Jio, Airtel and other private telcos.

(courtesy: BSNLEU website)

Com.Sanjib Banerjee, Circle Secretary inaugurated the West Branch District conference held on 17-04-2017 at Sibpur Telephone Exchange, Howrah. Com.Ranjit Das, District President presided over the conference.

Coms. Supriya Mitra, CHQ Vice President & Circle President, D.Basu, Asst.General Secretary, Biplab Datta Roy, N.N.Das, Swastika Dasgupta, CHQ Organising Secretary were the other eminent speakers.

Coms. Ranjit Das (President), Ajit De Sarkar (District Secretary) and Jagabandhu Konai (Treasurer) were elected unanimously.

A well attended meeting of the retirees and pensioners of ALTTC was held at Ghaziabad ALTTC on 18.04.2017, presided over by Com. Sukla. Com. R.S. Chauhan, Circle President, welcomed all. Com. V.A.N. Namboodiri, Advisor, AIBDPA inaugurated the meeting and spoke about the formation of AIBDPA, issues of pensioners, the demand raised and struggles organised by AIBDPA etc. Com. Upendar Singh Teotia, Circle Secretary, BSNLEU, UP(West), R.S. Sagar, Circle Secretary, BSNLEU, ALTTC and other leaders addressed. A good number of workers of BSNLEU & BSNLCCWF were also present.

The AIBDPA circle union has formed with Coms. Virendra Kumar (President), R.S. Sagar (Circle Secretary) and Ram Chandra Bhat (Treasurer).

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Balasore District Branch has held a special generalbody meeting at GMTD office, Balasore on 16-04-2017. A large number of BSNl and DoT pensioners participated. Com.Sahdev Biswal, inaugurating the meeting explained the decisions of the Mysuru Central Executive Committee meeting and exhorted to make the agitational program a great success. Com.Gadadar Panda, District President was in the chair. Com.Purusottam Pradhan, District Secreatry welcomed all and placed a brief report.

Shri.P.K.Mohapatra, General Manager, BSNL, Balasore addressed the meeting and praised the functioning of AIBDPA and assured early settlement of pensioners issues at his level. Com.P.K.Nayak, District Secretary & All India Assistant Treasurer, BSNLEU and Com.A.Dhupal also addressed. A printed broucher of activiteies  of AIBDPA was released in the meeting.

All the AIBDPA units are requested to observe the CALL ATTENTION DAY on 20-04-2017 with maximum participation of pensioners. The Mysuru Central Executive Committee meeting had identified 18 demands of the BSNL_DOT pensioners for the struggle. Out of these, two issues are partially settled; Restoration of Medical Allowance and Free Night Call facility to pensioners.

But all the others demands are also important and needs to be resolved. particularly the main demands, Mandatory Pension Revision from 01-01-2017, Implementation of Option 1 for DoT pensioners. The employees organisations have already started the agitation for Pay/Pension Revision from 01-01-2017 by observing a Call Attention Day on 5th April, 2017 in which AIBDPA also participated. The pensioners separate agitations are to supplement and strengthen the struggles of the employees to achieve the demands.

Organise mass demonstration at maximum centres and explain the demands by the leaders.

AIBDPA has written to Com.K.K.N.Kutty, Secretary General, NCCPA to take up the following two issues in National Concil (JCM) for early settlement.

NOTES ON ITEMS TO BE TAKEN UP IN JCM(NATIONAL COUNCIL)

(1).Pension be 50% of last pay drawn to the pre 2006 pensioners.

The central government vide OM No.38/86/03-P & PW (A) dated 29-08-2008, as recommended by the 6^th Pay Commission, had extended full pension, ie 50% of the last pay drawn or 50% of the average of last ten months pay, whichever is beneficial to the retiring employee. And in the same para of the said order, the condition of 33 years service was reduced to 20 years, for those retired after 01-01-2006. Later the government, based on judgments of the courts, issued orders delinking of 33 years service to the pre 2006 pensioners also, but arbitrarily limited the pension as 50% of the MINIMUM of the pay to the pre 2006 pensioners. This has created a serious anomaly that one who retired after 01-01-2006 with a qualifying service of ten years is granted 50% of last pay as his pension where as  another retired before 01-01-2006,even with 40 years of service, is denied the same benefit. This is a great injustice and against the verdict of the supreme court in Nakara case, wherein, the apex court has stated that pensioner cannot be discriminated on the basis of date of retirement.

(2). Restore CGHS facilities to the pensioners retired from Department of Telecom.

Central government pensioners, residing out side the CGHS areas, are eligible to avail the CGHS facilities. But, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued an order in August, 1996 denying P&T retirees from availing the CGHS facilities, quite arbitrarily. Pensioners organizations and many individuals approached the courts of law against this unjustified order and also got favourable judgments. But the order in question was not revised or cancelled. Now, the 7^th Pay Commission has recommended  that “ All Postal pensioners , irrespective of their participation in CGHS, while in service, should be covered under CGHS, like all other central government retirees”. (Para 9.5.18 of 7^th CPC). However the Pay Commission has missed to include the pensioners of the Department of Telecom, presumably with the understanding that telecom was converted to BSNL on 01-10-2000. But the fact remains that there are thousands of pensioners retired prior to formation of BSNL. And these pensioners should not be discriminated, any more.