BSNL stir called off

Following the  Government’s  assurance  that the disinvestment in the public sector Telecom department would be referred to a Group of Ministers (GoM), the  Bsnl employees' unions on Tuesday called off their strike. The decision to withdraw the strike was taken within hours of launching an indefinite strike by the  Bsnl employee unions.

"We have assured them (unions) that the issue of disinvestment will be referred to a GoM and they would be consulted before taking other decisions with regard to Bsnl," Telecom Minister A Raja told the media.

 A high level panel, headed by Sam Pitroda and banker Deepak Parekh and Telecom Secretary P J Thomas as members, had recommended 30 per cent disinvestment in Bsnl and voluntary retirement to over one lakh employees as part of the steps to improve the financial health of the PSU.

 The apex body of Bsnl unions claimed that over three lakh of its members had joined the strike on Tuesday morning. The joint forum of unions has both executives and non-executives as members.Within hours, Bsnl Chairman Kuldeep Goyal met the Telecom Minister and sought his intervention.

 "As the management has agreed to look into our major demands, we have decided to call-off the indefinite strike," convener of the Joint Action Committee of Bsnl Associations and Unions,VAN Namboodiri said.

 Besides the scrapping of the divestment plan, the unions were also demanding absorption of 1,500 Indian Telecom Services (ITS) officers, who have been continuing on deputation for the last 10 years.