MADURAI
BSNL customer service centres at Tallakulam and Ellis Nagar here remained closed on Monday as various employees’ unions, including BSNL Employees’ Union, National Federation of Telecom Employees (NFTE), Telecom Employees’ Progressive Union (TEPU), joined a three-day strike pressing for introduction of 4G SIM, implementation of the third pay revision, which should have been implemented in 2017, and other demands, C. Radhakrishnan, district joint secretary, TEPU, said.
A BSNL official said close to 150 exchanges were functioning with about 1,500 employees under Madurai Secondary Switching Area, covering Madurai, Dindigul and Theni districts.
Around 500 customers visited each customer service centre every day on an average and the strike had affected normal activities, the official said.
Extending their support to the strike, All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) members joined the demonstration staged in front of the BSNL office at Tamukkam and at the GM’s office.
The striking employees said BSNL services might be further affected in rural and semi-urban areas from Tuesday due to the absence of maintenance of generators.