Today, Team AIGETOA met with the BSNL Management to discuss the implications of the recent judgment pronounced by the Hon’ble High Court of Chandigarh concerning LICE promotions, in the case filed by MTs.

During the meeting, Team AIGETOA conveyed its deep concerns regarding the stay order and its impact on the ongoing and upcoming LICE promotions. We emphasized the uncertainty it has created among executives and demanded clarity on the future course of action. We sought clear answers from BSNL on how the management plans to move forward in light of the judgment and the nature of the stay granted by the High Court.

AIGETOA expressed its anguish on the way the whole matter was handled by the Management. AIGETOA demanded an enquiry into the whole episode and fixing of responsibility for the persons responsible for the lapses. It was pointed out that when a caveat was filed, why the issue was not handled appropriately; when the appeal was filed, why the nodal circle as well as the nodal section of BSNL CO could not hire a senior advocate to defend the case. We have demanded an enquiry and fixing of responsibility for the lapses. Director HR has assured that the issue will be given due consideration and the matter shall be enquired into, and responsibility shall be fixed if anyone is found guilty of any lapses.

It was also demanded that when MTs have challenged their own recruitment process against the MSRR, their process should also be put on hold and all of them must be reverted to their substantive cadres before the exam. The additional protections given to them must immediately be withdrawn. It was told that the issues raised by AIGETOA shall be examined.

On Court orders, PGM (Pers) informed that there are currently two interpretations being considered internally by BSNL:

First Opinion: There is no explicit stay on the LICE promotions, and BSNL may proceed with the promotion exercise along with necessary modifications as earlier discussed. Only the CAT decision dismissing the plea of the MTs has been dismissed.

Second Opinion: The High Court judgment implies a complete stay on the CAT Chandigarh order, thereby restricting any further promotional activity.

It was further informed that BSNL is in the process of obtaining a definitive legal opinion on the matter. Based on this legal advice, the management will finalize its official stance. A clear position from BSNL is expected by tomorrow.

The timing of the listing of the case after so long, when the appeal was filed in the first week itself, raises many questions:

The caveator did not follow up the appeal. Only after AIGETOA got this information and alerted management, the on-panel advocate attended the hearing. This smells of conspiracy within the system of BSNL.

The listing of the case only after the conclusion of an important event of one association also raises a question. Why was the case filed in the first week listed only after the conclusion of their big event?

Why has the some corners of BSNL gone out of the way to help them? Whether some vested interests are involved?

Questions are many, and answers need to be found out.

With respect to the discrepancies on the transfer posting and modification of LICE posting, it was informed that cases highlighted and submitted by association side and the policy issues raised are being examined and same decision shall be taken maximum by next week. The new transfer policy shall also be issued by next week.

AIGETOA will continue to follow up proactively and ensure that the interests of executives are safeguarded at every step. We reaffirm our commitment to protect the promotional avenues of all eligible executives and will not allow any injustice to prevail.

We appeal to all members to stay united and be assured that AIGETOA is leaving no stone unturned to ensure justice and timely resolution.

United We Stand, Together We Will Succeed.

In response to the resumption of notice served by Bharatiya Doorsanchar Manch (BDM) dated 20.05.2025, SR Cell BSNL has called a meeting of BDM under the chairmanship of Director HR on 15.00pm on 29.05.2025.

Click here for letter

A huge decision impacting the existing functional designations of the executives was being contemplated by Management. Today PGM Restg informed team AIGETOA that there is a proposal to change the designation of executives as stated below:

JTOs – ENGINEER

SDE – Sr. ENGINEER/SPECIALIST

AGM – MANAGER

DGM – Sr. MANAGER/PROJECT MANAGER

Jt. GM/Addl. GM/GM/PGM – UNIT HEAD, BA HEAD etc.

Once the proposal came into the knowledge of team AIGETOA, the same was strongly opposed. Just imagine a JTO being degraded from an officer post to Engineer post which is normally offered to freshers, an SDO post being changed to Sr. Engineer which is normally offered to Engineers with 2-3 years of experience. Similarly AGM/DE level post being degraded to Manager which is basically an E-3 level post, and A DGM being called Sr. Manager.

However, the good part is that after strong discussions, management finally relented and agreed for not changing the nomenclature of posts.

FINALLY, WITH THE EFFORTS OF TEAM AIGETOA, THE PROPOSAL WAS SCRAPPED AT THE INITIAL STAGE ITSELF.

GS AIGETOA writes to CMD BSNL Shri A Robert J Ravi emphasizing the urgent need for provision of dedicated vehicles in field units for safeguarding Telecom Infrastructure and supporting operational excellence thereby protecting crores of rupees investments in infrastructure and drive revenue growth and coverage convergence.

📎 Click here for the Letter

The absence of reliable transportation severely hampers BSNL’s ability to safeguard its vast telecom infrastructure, respond to emergencies, maintain service quality, and effectively engage with enterprise customers. The lack of vehicles affects the specific operational challenges :

1] Maintenance of critical infrastructure and site visits.

2] Monitoring of OLTEs, 4G saturation, and Project IX.2.

3] Field marketing and outreach in remote areas.

4] Timely coordination with municipal and civil authorities.

5] Attending VIP visits, public programs, and emergencies at odd hours.

6] Enterprise Business engagements and revenue exploration.

AIGETOA has proposed the immediate deployment of rented cab services (like Ola/Uber) where available, and contracted vehicles in other areas. It needs to acknowledge that vehicle provision is not a luxury but a critical operational necessity to protect crores of rupees worth of infrastructure and ensure BSNL’s growth trajectory.

Bharatiya Doorsanchar Manch (BDM) resumes the Organisational Action Programs in view of non-resolution of the crucial issues related to BSNL Revival and Survival by Management leading to the complete frustration in the employees and breach of trust in resolving the long pending HR issues despite firm assurance by BSNL to the extent that even minutes of the meeting has not been issued in line with the discussions and resolutions taken.

Click here for Organizational Notice

Earlier, BDM had unilaterally postponed its scheduled protest programs from 16th May 2025, keeping in mind the sensitive national situation arising from a war-like scenario. Prioritizing national interest and operational continuity of BSNL – a critical telecom infrastructure – the forum had acted with utmost responsibility to avoid any disruption in essential services.

However, even during this critical period, BSNL Management acted insensitively, choosing to initiate actions that seemed aimed at provoking rather than resolving the deadlock. Despite repeated efforts from BDM to reach an amicable solution, management failed to uphold its own assurances, including non-issuance of corrected minutes of the conciliatory meeting held on 5th May 2025.

In the absence of any confidence-building measures, and in light of continued provocative actions, BDM has announced the resumption of its agitational programs from 2nd June 2025 onwards. The detailed schedule of activities and demands as below

A] BSNL’s viability Issues:

• Enquiry into the circumstances leading to the failure of BSNL to launch full-fledged 4G and 5G services PAN India under Atma Nirbhar Bharat. Issuance of white paper on the actions taken by BSNL to resolve the problems in smooth rollout of the 4G services (Voice fine tuning issues etc.) and to arrest the growing customer dis-satisfaction.
• Implementation of recommendations given by the Committee of Public undertakings (COPU) in its 6th Report for BSNL dated 18th December 2024 submitted to the 18th Loksabha.
• Overhauling and strengthening of backhaul and other fibre network of BSNL. Alternate mechanism to arrest the frequent media outage leading to consistent problems in backhaul and low network availability.
• Provisioning of adequate resources to the field officers for Network and FTTH maintenance, including tools and mobile handsets for field staff.
• Issuance of white paper on the assets of BSNL which has been taken by DoT after 01.10.2000 without providing adequate compensation to BSNL and transferring its ownership back to BSNL as envisaged in the terms and conditions formulated while incorporating BSNL.
• White paper on utilisation of various “Revival Packages” by BSNL vis-à-vis the investment made and its associated outcome.
• White Paper on the outcome of the Consultant appointed for Organisation Transformation in Strategic Area vis-à-vis the expenditure made.
• Posting of a Regular CMD, CGMs and BA heads at the earliest in BSNL for continuity in the implementation of the various decisions/projects and telecom objectives of the government especially that of Atma Nirbhar Bharat in Telecom.

B] Resolution of Long Pending HR Issues:

• Implementation of 3rd PRC in BSNL for executives by waiving of the affordability clause in view of the BSNL’s status as strategic PSU and its involvement in the “Make in India” initiative for development of Swadeshi 4G/5G Technology. Finalization of Wage negotiation for non-executives.
• Delinking of Pension Revision with Profitability of BSNL. Pension Revision of BSNL/MTNL Pensioners at par with Central Government Pensioners and implementation of Hon’ble PBCAT judgement.
• “One Company – One Policy” for all Employee in BSNL. The disparity in the Pay, Perks & allowances and Promotional avenues of those on deputation and those Recruited/absorbed in BSNL must be removed and equal rights must be given to all.
• Settlement of residuals of 2nd PRC recommendation, including:
• Issuance of revised presidential order for replacement of the initial two scales E2 (20,600-3%-46,500) for JTO/JAO/Equivalent grades and E3 (24,900-3%-50,500) for SDE/AO/Equivalent grades, which was approved by the BSNL full board in May 2016 and sent to DoT.
• 30% defined contribution towards Superannuation Benefit as per DPE guidelines.
• Creating the mandatory Post-Retirement Medical Benefit Fund (PRMB) for BSNL recruits as per DPE guidelines.
• Settlement of Pay Loss issues of JTOs/JAOs recruited post 1.1.2007 due to wrongful implementation of 2nd PRC benefits for BSNL Recruits (22820/-, E1+5 increments, Pay fixation of DR JE to JTO, JE period Pay Loss)
• Fixing the appropriate JE pay scale and Review of NEPP to extend sufficient career progression to the non-executives.
• Redressal of stagnation issues pertaining to the employees of BSNL.
• Restoration of Medical Coverage (Indoor + Outdoor) as per initial BSNLMRS.
• Extension of Perks & Allowances (Transport, Children Education Allowance, TA/DA etc) and restoration of All India LTC etc.
• Promotions for all eligible executives and non-executives across all streams/cadres and providing smooth career progression with minimum span of years to the employees of BSNL by provisioning of sufficient promotional posts through restructuring review. Settlement of all pending seniority issues. Review of deficit and surplus circle transfer policy to enable inter circle, rule-8, Spouse, PWD and Medical cases transfer. Immediate issuance of all pending promotions.
• Implementation of E1 instead of NE-12 scale for the non-executives at par with MTNL.

All the Office Bearers and Members are requested to give a wide publicity to the program and ensure for its success to vent your resentment as expressed from time to time. BDM sincerely believes and quite hopeful that management will take necessary & immediate action on BSNL Revival and Survival and also seize the opportunity to address the lost trust and ensure immediate settlement of our long pending HR issues and address our serious concerns as stated above to maintain Employees-Employer relationship healthy and in a state of motivation for higher growth of the organisation.

Flash News:

As the situation has normalized and hence a discussion on the resumption of organizational action notice took place between the constituents of the Bharatiya Doorsanchar Manch. The matter was also discussed at the level of Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh.

It is decided to serve the organizational action notice Tomorrow.

Team AIGETOA CHQ

Congratulations to all the LICE-passed AGMs, one major hurdle has been removed. Finally, we succeeded in convincing management to extend the joining period in line with the DoP&T orders and precedence available in BSNL. Ever since the LICE promotion orders were issued, the AIGETOA team has been on its toes to set things in the right perspective. Today, also our team, led by All India President Shri Veerabhadra Rao, All India Convener Shri A A Khan, and Deputy GS Shri Pavan Akhand, has been consistently following up on these matters. Our team was stationed at BSNL CO until 9:30pm to ensure that the agreed-upon letter would be issued. The persistent efforts succeeded, and finally, the joining time has been extended. The other submissions from AIGETOA regarding discrepancies are also being examined, and we request everyone to be patient. The long-standing discrepancies have also been submitted and are being followed up.

While others have been active on Whatsapp and misguiding everyone, our team has been working with factual updates. We once again assure everyone that AIGETOA will address all the issues. We remain committed to resolving all the concerns.

We extend our thanks to PGM (Pers), Director (HR) for their positive role and persuasion, and to Hon’ble CMD BSNL for finally understanding the pain of the promoted executives. Hopefully, in the same manner, other submissions will also be considered positively.

Click here for the orders

✊ Team AIGETOA – Committed to the Cause