February 12, 2019
Nadimul Haque speaks on the distress of contract workers of BSNL
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Hon. Chairman Sir, thousands of contract workers at BSNL in different telephone circles across the country are in distress. Sir, they are facing acute hardship due to non-payment or irregular payment of wages. They are also facing loss of livelihood because of certain decisions made by the management of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited.
Sir, in the Kolkata circle alone, 4500 workers have not been paid wages for the last three months and in West Bengal circle 1500 workers are suffering because they have not been paid their wages for the last five months. Sir, these workers have not been paid wages because ostensibly the reason is lack of funds.
Sir, even if the wages are being paid they are not been dispersed in a time bound manner and they are often even less than the minimum wage limit. Sir, the management is now planning to change the contract workers to curb the expenses of the organisation.
Sir, this has led to the dual problem of job insecurity and non-payment of wages. So, such kind of treatment meted out to the workers is both disheartening and demoralising. It will have cascatic effect not only on them but on the dependant’s family members also.
Sir, there is no doubt that BSNL is facing a cash crunch should cut down on expenditure but Sir, this exercise of retrenchment should not be extended to the contract labourers.
As in 2015 and in 2017, Sir, on the intervention of Trinamool Congress Sir, the wages were brought up to date. I would request the government to bring the wages upto date immediately for the workers.
And Sir, on one side the Prime Minister is saying ‘we are all going for Digital India’ but the BSNL employees who are behind this ‘Digital India’ are suffering the most. I would urge the government to take immediate steps so that their wages are paid and made upto date.
