BSNL executives seek redressal of pay issues

State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) executives sought a redressal of multiple human resource (HR) issues such as pay scale standard, derailed promotions and superannuation benefits, and are planning to apprise the Minister of Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw, before further intensifying protests.

In a letter to BSNL chairman, All India Graduate Engineers & Telecom Officers Association (AIGETOA), dated July 11, said that nearly 13000 executives recruited and promoted by BSNL from 2009 to 2020 were suffering with severe losses in their total emoluments due to non-approval of standard scale.

“It is important to note that on one hand about 30,000 BSNL executives are struggling with pay issues and denying all legitimate dues on the name of financial crunch and other side senior managers are enjoying all pay and perks of the 7th pay revision,” the letter said, and added that the equal treatment to executives or engineers has not been extended by company’s management.

Further, the executives group alleged that the management was completely failing in its duty to ensure social security to its employees.

In recent times, hundreds of BSNL employees departed due to Covid-19 and many families are in complete lurch as no proper support exists with insufficient pension, the serving executives pointed out.

The Delhi-based body is planning to hand over memorandum to Minister of Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, and Secretary of the Department of Telecommunications K Rajaraman next week, and further wearing of black badges and indefinite strike unless their demands are met.

Further, the group said that their efforts to break the stalemate through dialogue went futile since the telco’s management failed to keep up their own words.

Last year, BSNL provided ex-gratia on the account of voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to 78,569 employees who opted for early retirement.

Following the VRS approval as a part of revival package in October 2019, the 1,53,000 employee strength was reduced to 50%. The measure was, however, initiated to save the massive salary outgo.

The public sector service provider is expected to foray into the much-awaited next generation or 4G network together with Mumbai-based Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)-backed consortium, and the commercial service launch is estimated to swell its revenue by more than 20%. SmallNews