BSNL employees want wage hike

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 20

Employees of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited staged a dharna, demanding the revision of wages which they claimed to have been pending since January 1.

A demonstration was held near the GMT office at Bharat Nagar Chowk.

Addressing the demonstration, Avtar Singh Jhande, District Secretary of an employees’ union, said the wage revision committee formed by their Department of Public Sector Enterprises has submitted its report in December last year.

“According to the report, the public sectors which are making profits from the past three financial years can revise the wages from 5 per cent to 15 per cent. Affordability clause is imposed on the loss-making public sectors. According to the clause, there will be no wage revision for loss-making public sector,” he said.

He said Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited was in losses due to the anti-public sector policies of the government. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited was not allowed to expand its network on one pretext or other.

He said for the past two years, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited unions had observed several programmes, including Service with a Smile. As a result of which, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) had been earning operational profit. So the workers deserved revision of the wages.

Protesters demanded wage revision with effect from January 1 and declared complete strike on July 27.