BSNLEU writes to CMD for salary overdues

The BSNL Employees Union has written to PK Purwar, CMD, BSNL and other Directors of the BSNL Board drawing their attention to the PSU’s failure to pay salary to employees on time and total failure of the Management in restoring the financial health of the company.

Extracts of the letter:
“During the whole of 2020, salary has not been disbursed to the employees of BSNL on the due date. BSNLEU has repeatedly drawn the attention of the Management in this regard, vide the many letters cited under reference. But, the appeals of BSNLEU have fallen on deaf ears. It is a tragedy that, the Management is pushing the employees to come to the streets every month and agitate, to get disbursement of their salary.

Presently, the monthly revenue collection of the company stands at Rs.1,500 crores per month. Whereas, the expenditure for the payment of net salary to the employees comes to only to Rs.450 crores. Still, the employees don’t get disbursement of salary on time because, it has become the last priority of the Management. Beyond any doubt, this betrays the anti-employee mind-set of the present day Management.

The government has already allotted 4G spectrum free of cost to BSNL. Further, the government has also extended Sovereign Guarantee to BSNL, for raising Rs.8,500 crores from the market, by way of issuing bonds. Above all, the monthly salary expenditure of the company has already been cut down by 50%, by way of the retirement of around 80,000 employees, through the VRS-2019. Despite all these factors, the financial condition of the company has not shown much improvement. This only shows the total failure of the Management in implementing the revival package announced by the government of India in October, 2019.

The Union Cabinet took decision on 23rd October, 2019, for the allotment of 4G spectrum to BSNL. As per this, the 4G spectrum was made available to the company in April, 2020. In between, there was a ‘Golden Period’ of six months, which could have been effectively utilised for the upgradation of BSNL’s 49,300 4G compatible BTSs. Even if the lockdown period is ignored, still, the Management had a period of five months. Had this opportunity been properly utilised by the Management, the company could have launched it’\s 4G service eight months ago, at the pan India level.

It is nothing but a bitter truth, that the BSNL Management, under your stewardship, has utterly failed on this count. As a result, BSNL’s 4G launching still remains a distant dream. Since, BSNL has not been able to launch its 4G service till date, the company is not able to make inroads into the mobile segment. Disenchanted with the inability of the company to start it’s 4G service till date, BSNL’s existing customers have started porting out to other 4G service providers. Who is to be held responsible for this fiasco?

In the landline and broadband segments also, BSNL is faring poorly. After the exodus of nearly 80,000 employees under VRS, there is acute shortage of manpower at the field level. In such a situation, no prudent leadership would have taken the decision to send home the existing contract workers also. However, you are stubbornly adamant in retrenching the contract workers, after delaying payment of their wages for more than a year.

This ill-advised decision has drastically affected the operation and maintenance of BSNL’s landline and broadband networks. The much tom- tommed outsourcing of works, through the SLA system, is a total failure, apart from draining the coffers of the company. Lakhs of landline and broadband customers are leaving BSNL every month, due to the deterioration of the services.

The BSNL Management’s HR policy is a total disaster. On the one hand, the employees are totally demoralised and demotivated due to the non-disbursement of salary on time. On the other hand, even the HR issues which do not involve any expenditure to the company, have not been settled for more than one and half years.

For example, the Group Term Insurance (GTI) has not been implemented for the Non-Executives for the past one and half years, even though it’s implementation will not cost even a naya paisa to the Company. The non-holding of the various Internal Competitive Examinations for the last one and half years, has not only deprived the company of getting bright hands for manning it’s vital networks, but has also demotivated a pivotal section of the employees.

Undoubtedly, BSNL is having one of the most dedicated workforces among all the PSUs. In the past, this workforce has immensely contributed for the improvement of the quality of BSNL’s services and thereby in increasing the market share of the company. It is important to mention that, this work force has even worked beyond duty hours and without expecting any extra remuneration, to implement movements like “Customer Delight Year”, “Service With A Smile”, etc., called on by the All Unions and Associations of BSNL (AUAB).

However, it is distressing to note that, the BSNL Management does not want to involve the unions and associations, representing this work force, for the implementation of the Revival Plan announced by the government. Unlike your predecessors, you are not holding periodical interactions with the unions and associations, to explore how best the work force can be involved in the early financial revival of the Company. We have reason to believe that, you are having a mindset, according to which the employees as considered as ‘coolies’ and their unions and associations are viewed as ‘parasites’.

After having watched the performance of your leadership for more than a year, we have been prompted to express our views openly, only with the fond hope that, the Management would do some course correction at least at this juncture. From our side, we pledge our fullest cooperation once again for the better utilisation of the workforce, for an early revival of our beloved company.”
CT Bureau