BSNL employees on indefinite strike from 20 April 2010

BSNL Executive and Non-Executive employees to go on indefinite strike from 20 April 2010 as a mark of protest against the proposed disinvestment of BSNL, Retrenchment of one lakh workers through VRS and sharing of valuable BSNL infrastructure including cables and towers with private telecom companies. The Unions also termed the recommendations shared by a Committee headed by Sam Pitroda as anti-people and anti-PSU. The Unions have also called for absorption of about 1500 ITS officers in BSNL. According to the Unions, they had to resort to strike since meetings with DoT Secretary and with Minister for Communications & IT did not sort out the issues.

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 strike call has been given by a joint forum of unions that has both executives and non-executives as members. 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.