A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021
Dear colleagues,
First of all, we would like to wish you and your family a very warm, happy, healthy prosperous and safe new year 2021. We have just completed one of the toughest calendar year 2020 with a completely different aspect of life in last nine months. The challenges were not only about changed living conditions and new normal but safety of human being across the world due to pandemic of covid-19 but it was also about growth and viability of our beloved organisation, BSNL. AIGETOA pursued, struggled and reached out to every platform for a government backed revival package for BSNL to safeguard it from its dwindling future, which is at its lowest due to policy decision and predatory pricing in Telecom Sector. Fortunately, Government introduced BSNL Revival Package to get it implemented in 2020 and it became a hope to all employees that the organisation will again be a safe, secure and flourished company in future through various arms of the program. But unfortunately, except VRS and Sovereign Guaranteed Bond of Rs 8500 Cr, no other arms could get much headway and specially much hyped 4G couldn’t be roll out in 2020 in spite of all efforts by the CMD and BSNL Board of Directors, which seriously inflicted damage to the financial health of BSNL. The tender for procurement of equipment for 50K 4G sites was canceled on the direction of the DoT and altogether a new concept of home grown core taken the centre stage in 2020, giving serious blow to early and industry standard roll out of the premium wireless data service by BSNL in near future. After a series of meetings between the BSNL management and various functionaries of the government, the PoC roll of 4G is being contemplated with indigenous equipment, raising serious question mark about the future growth in revenue and expansion in one of the core business of wireless segment by BSNL. But we will have to fight in this situation for early rollout of the 4G Service or Government should suitably compensate the company and its employees by extending the related benefits including implementation of 3rd PRC in BSNL, full 30% SAB for BSNL Recruited Employees and standard pay scale of E2 and E3 for JTO/JAO and SDE/AO equivalent grade irrespective of the financial health of the organisation.
As far as the association is concerned, it was a year of growth and accomplishment for the platform of AIGETOA (All India Gradate Engineers & Telecom Officers Association), which rises to its tremendous glory with the blessing of all executives by securing first position in recently concluded 2nd Membership Verification of Executives Association leaving behind legacy associations SNEA and AIBSNLEA. The AIGETOA became Majority Recognised Representative Association of Executives of BSNL in its first ever election contested in BSNL and we will use this opportunity for the welfare of the executives honestly. We once again extend our deep gratitude to all executives for showing faith and believe in the platform, which we will nurture forever and use for the betterment and inclusive growth of executive fraternity always.
On the other side, Year 2020 was another year of setback, frustration and depression to executive’s fraternity due to non-settlement of their long pending issues of Pay, Promotion, Pension and Prosperity. BSNL Management has completely failed to rise to the occasion to address the issues of executive with same zeal as these employees taken the additional responsibility in field after VRS and didn’t allowed the things to slipped away from the hand even after reduction of 78K employees from the organisation through VRS, Severe financial & resource constraints and spread of pandemic of Covid-19. These warriors fought with full dedication and motivation without caring for their life and family and in the process many of them attained supreme sacrifice. AIGETOA salute our warriors and assure that their sacrifice will not go waste and we will ensure justice to each and every executives and employees of BSNL.
We look forward for a hard battle ahead in 2021 both for the cadre as well as the organisation. The promotions were missed in preceding year have to be attained in all grades and streams in a time frame manner, starting with issuance of the JTO to SDE Promotion without further delay. The pay losses faced by executives have to be compensated and the superannuation benefits have to attain 30% as recommended in 2nd PRC. The association will have to fight for implementation of 3rd PRC in BSNL, Health Insurance for all executives in BSNL and other issues of the executives in the year 2021. These are tight targets but very significant for our cadre survival and motivation of the executives to give their best for our beloved organisation BSNL. We are behaving responsibly and extending all cooperation to the management in the larger interest of BSNL but now our patience is also running out due to failure of every timeline. If the management didn’t come up with decisions and orders, the association will not shy away to stretch its other arms for accomplishment of vital issues of the executives. Hence we have to gear up for challenges ahead and so we call our members and executive fraternities to start gearing up for the larger battle ahead. We also request one and all that let us take pledge on this New Year to extend hands of cooperation instead of digging the path of others. We can sail through even in this tough time with togetherness and so have faith and support in each other.
At the end we once again wish a wonderful, happy, healthy, prosperous and safe New Year 2021 to all of you with your loved ones. Happy New Year 2021.
Team AIGETOA !