Save My Career in BSNL : Fight For Pay, Promotion & Pension

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Prior to the formation of BSNL, JTO cadre was Group-C and employees having diploma, BSc and even lower qualification were working as JTO. JTO cadre was upgraded to Group-B in year 1999 with minimum qualification of engineering graduate. As per DOP&T instruction whenever any post is upgraded from one group to another higher group all the employees working in lower Group-C cannot be upgraded straight way to higher Group-B without their suitability test.

But just before making direct recruitment of qualified engineers in BSNL to the upgraded JTO Group-B Post, all the employees working in lower JTO Group-C were upgraded without accessing their suitability and all of us direct recruit GE - JTOs were forced to work under the erstwhile JTOs from Group-C cadre as we were made en-bloc junior to the existing JTOs. BSNL management justified the same by saying that they have been upgraded considering their service experience in BSNL which is not less important than qualification. We were compelled to wait for our careers till their retirement. Now BSNL is proposing to recruit equally qualified another direct recruitment in the name of MT just above us ignoring our qualification and vast experience in BSNL. Because of this dual stand of BSNL management, most of us will be forced to retire in operational cadre (up to AGM) without entering in to the higher managerial cadre despite having all the qualification talent and experience.

Similarly, before making outside DGM recruitment, all the ITS officers recruited as ADET were upgraded and direct recruit DGM were placed below all the ITS officers. Apart from this outside candidates having 12 years of experience in any private company were allowed to appear in DGM exam but even more qualified executives having 12-20 years of experience in BSNL itself were not allowed to appear in the examination. In every organization may it be state government, Central government, PSEs or even private companies, internal candidates get extra weightage for such recruitments but our service in BSNL became the reason for not getting eligibility for DGM recruitment.

We, the direct recruits of BSNL, were recruited as GE-JTO at CDA pay scale of Rs 6500/- (E1A + pension in BSNL, Equivalent to E2 in MTNL and other CPSEs). This post of GE-JTO was equivalent to TTA+10 years but now BSNL management is trying to downgrade this post to E1 which is equivalent to TTA+5 years and creating space for new direct recruitment at E3 in the name of MT. Many of us are already working to E3 pay scale (equivalent to E4 in MTNL and other CPSEs) but BSNL has proposed recruitment of MT at E3 in such a way that all of us become junior despite having higher pay scale, higher qualification and much higher service experience.

It is learnt that, BSNL management is also proposing not to make any direct recruitment in JTO cadre in future which means that already recruited JTO are simply dumped in the career path at Par with that created for TTAs. Some of us may think that through MT recruitment we may get our career enhancement but biggest question is how many??? Hardly 20-30 or say 50-100 in a year?? It is not easy to study again the whole syllabus of engineering and management. Most of the CPSEs are making recruitment of engineering graduate as MT at E3 pay scale and pay just double in gross than BSNL. If some of us are thinking of upgrading their careers by qualifying for MT in BSNL then why the same cannot be found in other CPSEs? If we can qualify the MT exam of BSNL then surly we can qualify MT exam of any of the top leading CPSEs of the country. Apart from this, we are qualified and already recruited at feeder cadre of executives which is nothing but equivalent to MT then why shall we appear again for MT.

This MT recruitment in BSNL is totally unwarranted just to carry forward the wrong doings of the past and to justify the so called deployment where BSNL management has submitted before court of law that there are no qualified executives in BSNL who can replace the ITS officers so that their long deputation can be justified.

Direct recruits JTO/JAO are not only deprived in career progression but also deprived in pay and retiral benefits. JTOs recruited after 01-01-2007 are getting gross pay which is even lesser than their pre-revised scale. BSNL management has no option other then upgrading JTO/JAO to minimum E2 pay scale but any direct recruitment at E3 in the name of MT will create further hurdle. Committees are formed to resolve the pay and pension issue in respect of direct recruits but result is yet waited since last 4-5 years.

Overall, some of the HR gurus sitting in senior managerial positions of HR are trying to crush our pay, promotion and pension just to justify the wrongs done in past and they have created an impression that BSNL is in dire need of young blood to occupy the managerial positions in future while in actuality there is no dearth of the executives of all age profiles including the young, Old and middle aged ones. The question arises here is that shall we see our careers getting crushed, degradation of pay and denial of retiral benefits by just sitting idle?? The answer is a BIG NO. .as if it happens then all the persons presently at the level of JTOs, SDEs, Sr. SDEs will remain forever in the operational cadre and any hopes for getting themselves promoted to Higher positions will be diminished forever. Qualified candidates recruited at feeder cadre of executives in CPSEs are successor of top management called MT. so our appointment in BSNL is already as MT and we are the BSNL management. There is no space for another MT above us. We must be given our dues in terms of pay, promotion and pension. There is no space for another direct recruitment above us…