Officers and employees of State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) began a two-day strike here on Tuesday seeking pay revision and protesting against the move to hiving off its mobile towers into a separate company.
Over 1,300 officials and employees of all cadres were participating in the strike, said convenor of BSNL employees’ union C. Selvin Sathiyaraj.
He said that BSNL administration was not ready to implement pay revision recommended by the 3rd Pay Revision Committee.
The administrative order had already been issued, he said.
All the employees were against the Union Government’s move to bifurcate the BSNL by starting a new company for the 70,000-odd mobile phone towers in the country, he said.
The major revenue generation for the company was only through the mobile operation.
Sanchar Nigam Executive Association functionary S. Nagarajan said that the move was only a step towards privatising the State-run telecom operator.
“It was only after the entry of BSNL into mbile phone operation that the incoming calls became free for the customers. Till then the outgoing calls were charged at the rate of ₹12 and incoming calls at ₹8. As long as BSNL is there in the competition, the customers would be benefited. Otherwise, again the call rates will soar,” he said.
Stating that only the BSNL was in the landline services as it came with high maintenance cost, he said all the private telecom operators were only to make profit from the mobile phone operations.
“If BSNL gives up its 75% revenue generated through mobile operation, it will automatically become sick and face the threat of closure,” he said.
The officials and employees would not attend any faults for the two days, he added.