BSNL staff protest victimisation of trade union activists

Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, November 17

The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited Employees Union (BSNLEU) led a massive lunch-hour demonstration in front of the GMT office here on the call given by circle headquarters against the victimisation of trade union leaders by GMT, Amritsar.

Addressing workers, BSNLEU circle secretary Balbir Singh said the union had served a trade union action notice on the Chief General Manager Telecom more than three months ago demanding the settlement of pending issues, including settlement of medical claim bills, supply of mobile sets to the line staff, improvement in BSNL services and para-8 transfers. As the management failed to respond to the demand for settlement, the union had to resort to an agitation, he said.

He said likewise the Amritsar unit of the BSNLEU had also served a notice to GMT, Amritsar, against his adamant attitude while also demanding improvement in deteriorating BSNL services at Amritsar.

“In retaliation, GMT suspended the district secretary of BSNLEU, Amritsar, on November 5 and all efforts made by the circle-level trade union leaders to settle the issues through negotiations failed due to the adamant attitude of the management.”

Balbir Singh said employees would hold a three-day hunger strike starting from November 20 in front of CGMT office in Chandigarh to press for the immediate revocation of suspension orders of BSNLEU activist at Amritsar and settlement of all pending issue of employees. In a note of warning to the management, he said if their demands were not met without any further delay, the union would further intensify the agitation throughout Punjab.

BSNLEU district secretary Avtar Singh Jhande called upon workers to stand united to wage a decisive battle against the BSNL management to achieve justice and settlement of all pending demands.

Shingara Singh, assistant circle secretary; Budh Singh, circle treasurer; Amarjit Chander, assistant district secretary; Darshan Singh, district president; Paramjit Singh, vice-president; Gurcharan Singh Chupki, Kashmir Chand, Vijay Verma, Madan Lal besides Satish Kumar Thaman and Jaswant Singh, district president and secretary, respectively, of All-India BSNL DOT Pensioners’ Association spoke at the rally.