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BSNL employees to strike on January 5

Special Correspondent

Employee unions demand full autonomy sfor telecom company

Pondicherry: Employees and officers of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in Pondicherry will go on a day's strike on January 5 in response to the nation-wide call given by the joint action forum of the unions of the employees.

A. Murugayyan, convener of the joint action committee, told newsmen here on Monday that 3.5 lakh employees would strike to ensure that the BSNL was granted full autonomy to operate and implement decisions without delay. He said the organisation should be strengthened and protected against privatisation.

Deputy general secretary of the BSNL Employees Union Abhimanyu said the Central Government's decision to let 74 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the telecom sector (against the present ceiling of 49 per cent) would result in telecommunications falling into the hands of multinational investors.

The employees unions also felt that the BSNL should be brought under the umbrella of `navaratnas' as there was absolutely no autonomy for it to take decisions and implement them. The assent of the Central Government was necessary before taking decisions and consequently BSNL could not withstand the competition posed by private players in the telecom sector.

Expansion of services was also facing roadblocks because of lack of autonomy.

Conferring the `navaratna' status on BSNL would give it autonomy.

Involving private players through "franchising" and "contract" systems to carry out plans of the BSNL was a step in the wrong direction.

The BSNL management could fully utilise the capability of its 3.5-lakh employees.

Infrastructure

If the BSNL was allowed to install the necessary infrastructures in mobile phone sector as many as 14 lakh aspirants now waitlisted could be served without delay.

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BSNL employees to strike on January 5

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