Members of All Unions and Associations of BSNL (AUAB) on Monday staged a hunger strike pressing for a charter of demands including steps for launching the state-owned telecommunication company’s 4G services across the country.
The protesters, led by BSNL Employees’ Union leader A. Samudhrakani, squatted down near the General Manager’s office.
The 4G services were launched by private players in the country in 2016. “But, till date, the public sector telecom operator has not been given 4G licence to compete with its rivals,” Mr. Samudhrakani said.
Stating that 78,569 employees opted for voluntary retirement scheme, he said they were not given any retirement benefits. The government announced that ₹8,500 crore would be mobilised through sovereign guarantee bonds, but that had not been issued so far. Furtehr, the employees had not been paid their salary for January.
The BSNL administration should immediately remit the dues deducted from the salaries of employees to organisations concerned such as insurance and GPF.
Members of various associations for officers and employees took part in the fast.