Editorial-

Strengthen the organisation of the casual and contract workers.

The struggles of the casual and contact workers are breaking out in many circles, against the inhuman exploitations being meted out to them. The condition of these workers is very pathetic. Even the meager wages fixed by the Ministry of Labour, and which has also been endorsed by the BSNL Corporate Office, are not being paid to the workers in most of the circles. A major portion of the amount being spent by the BSNL Management, towards the wages of these workers, is being swindled by contractors and unscrupulous officers. EPF and ESI amounts are being deducted from the wages of these workers. But, they are never being remitted to the concerned authorities, and are being pocketed by the contractors and the unscrupulous officers. Non- regularisation of the left out casual labourers and the non-revision of their wages based on IDA payscales is another long pending issue. Both, the BSNL Casual and Contract Workers Federation (BSNL C&CWF) as well as the BSNL Employees Union, are continuously taking up the grievences of these workers with the Corporate Management. Instead of taking stringent action against the corrupt elements, the Management allows the exploitation to continue. All that it has done is writing a few letters to the CGMs. But the corrupt elements are least worried about those letters. The Unions have even taken the grievences of the workers to the notice of the Minister of Communications and the Minister of Labour. Despite all these efforts, the exploitation of the workers continue unabated. The denial of justice, even after waiting for many long years, has pushed the casual and contract workers to the brink, and has compelled them to go on struggles. As a result, struggles of these workers are breaking out in many circles. The Management, instead of settling the justified demands of the workers, is retrenching them. The workers who have gone on struggle, demanding justice are being thrown out of jobs. This cannot be allowed to continue. The number of contract workers in BSNL may exceed 1 lakh. They are engaged in doing multifarious jobs from house keeping to maintenance of the networks. If the present policy of the government continues, the day is not far away, when the number of contract workers will exceed the number of regular workers. Their genuine grievences cannot be allowed to continue. At the same time, it is a reality that their problems cannot be solved without forming a strong organisation. At the initiative of the BSNLEU, the BSNL Casual and Contract Workers Federation has been formed. But still it is not yet established in many circles. The Central Executive Committee meeting of BSNLEU, held in the month of July at Kolkata, has called upon the circle unions to organise the BSNLC&CWF in all the circles before the next CEC meeting, which will take place in January 2014. Similarly, the Central Secretariat meeting of BSNLEU, held New Delhi recently, has decided to hold protest demonstrations throughout the country, demanding the Management to stop retrenchment / victimisation of the casual contract workers and also to accept their demands of minimum wages, implementation of EPF, ESI, etc. The circle and district unions of BSNLEU should pay immediate attention and take initiative to strengthen the BSNLC&CWF. Similarly, they should fully support the struggles of casual and contract workers who are fighting against
exploitation and injustice.