New Delhi, April 15 (Inditop.com) Telecom services of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) will be affected from Tuesday next as 300,000 of its employees, including executives, will go on an indefinite strike protesting the state-run firm’s disinvestment plan.
The employees unions are against the BSNL management’s decision to accept the Sam Pitroda committee report which has recommended a 30 percent divestment in the company and voluntary retirement for 100,000 employees.
The strike call has been given by a joint forum of unions that has both executives and non-executives as members.
“The management is not paying any attention to our demands. So, we have decided to go on an indefinite strike from April 20,” V.A.N. Namboodiri, the forum convenor, told a press conference Thursday.
The unions are also demanding absorption of the 1,500 Indian Telecom Services (ITS) officers in the company who have been continuing on deputation for the last 10 years.
“The profits of the BSNL are declining as the ITS people working in the management are still on deputation. We demand their absorption as this will make them accountable to BSNL.”
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had set up the Pitroda panel, with HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh and Telecom Secretary P.J. Thomas as members, to review the functioning of the company and suggest ways to improve its financial health.
