BSNL employees seek redressal to various issues

KOHIMA— The Joint Forum of Non-executive Unions and Association of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) on June 14 submitted a memorandum pertaining to the non-settlement of various issues such wage revision, inordinate delay in launching BSNL’s 4G and 5G services and new promotion policy.

The letter was addressed to PK Purwar, chairman and managing director of BSNL, and K Rajaraman, secretary of Telecom, department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, through the Governor of Nagaland. The unions and associations of BSNL have sought their intervention for the settlement of the burning issues of BSNL employees and that of the company.

It stated that the BSNL employees are suffering due to the non-settlement of the wage revision, which was due from January 1, 2017. They claimed out of the 30,000 non-executives (Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ employees) of BSNL, around 12,000 employees are suffering from stoppage of annual increment due to stagnation.

“The BSNL management has no power to cut down the pay scales of the executives so as to reduce the pension contribution on the new pay scales,” the letter stated.

The non-executive employees of the BSNL have demanded that the wage revision should be settled without further delay.

While pointing out that the private operators have already launched their 5G service, it stated that BSNL has not even been able to launch its 4G service. They have attributed delay due to the roadblocks created by the government in BSNL’s 4G launch.

“Due to these roadblocks created by the DoT/ government, BSNL is handicapped from launching its 4G service on time,” the letter added.

It alleged that due to the non-availability of high speed data service with BSNL, 77 lakh customers have left the company in the year 2022 alone adding lakh of customers are leaving BSNL due to the delay in BSNL’s launching of 4G and 5G services. It added that the exodus of BSNL customers is causing irreparable damage to the company.

The aggrieved employees have demanded that all out efforts should be made for immediate launch of BSNL’s 4G and 5G services.

The non-executives BSNL employees alleged that they are being discriminated in the matter of promotions. Stating that Non-Executive Promotion Policy (NEPP) is sufficiently old and out-dated, the aggrieved employees have asked the authority review the same and implement a new promotion policy for the non-executive employees.