BSNL is one of the biggest public sector undertakings in the country with 2,40,000 employees, providing telecommunication services even in the remotest parts of the country. Since its inception in the year 2000, successive governments have tried their best to ruin this company so as to enable private telecom firms to mint money by looting the people. However, united struggles led by BSNL Employees Union (BSNLEU) have frustrated their attempts. Nevertheless, BSNL has been considerably weakened and is lagging behind in competition with the private companies. Concrete proposals have been placed before the government by the united trade union movement of BSNL for the financial revival of the company. But, the Modi government is in no mood to consider there proposals. As a result, another round of serious struggle is brewing in BSNL. It was in this backdrop, the 7th All India Conference of BSNLEU was successfully held in Kolkata from November 6 to November 9. The whole country has started realising how the goons of the ruling Trinamool Congress are adopting semi-fascist methods to weaken the working class movement in West Bengal. BSNLEU has always stood in the forefront to expose these atrocities. Tele-Crusader, the journal of BSNLEU, has carried many articles in this regard. The circle unions of BSNLEU have conducted many protest actions in West Bengal, condemning the attacks on working class, women, etc. Perhaps, with the view to take revenge for this, the Trinamool goons tried to disrupt BSNLEU's All India Conference. The Reception Committee of the All India Conference decided to hold the Conference on the premises of BSNL's Telecom Factory, located at Alipore in Kolkata, for which approval of the management had been taken. But as the erection of the pandal started one week before the Conference, scores of Trinamool Congress goons went to the spot and forcibly stopped the work. They also went to the Chief General Manager of the Telecom Factory, made threat to his life and got the permission for the Conference cancelled. The police remained mute spectators when a complaint was made to them. Left with no other option, the Reception Committee decided to shift the venue, barely two days before the Conference. The West Bengal comrades took the challenge and made the impossible to happen within the two days. When the Conference started at 10:00 AM on November 6, the delegates wondered at the arrangements that have been made for the Conference. CITU president A K Padmanabhan inaugurated the Conference. He praised the West Bengal comrades for successfully facing the challenge thrown by the Trinamool Congress goons. He congratulated BSNLEU for continuing to retain the status of the Major Recognised Representative Union in BSNL, and also for steadfastly taking part in all the struggles called by the Central Trade Unions. While coming down heavily on the anti-people measures being adopted by the Modi government, Padmanabhan declared that the Central Trade Unions would continue to fight against the neo-liberal policies of the government, irrespective of who is the Prime Minister and which is the ruling party. The inaugural session was also addressed by Telecom Employees Association of Nepal (TEAN) president Raj Bahadur Rawal, Confederation of Central Government Employees general secretary M Krishnan, All India Insurance Employees Association (AIIEA) general secretary V Ramesh, and All India BSNL DOT (Department of Telecommunications) Pensioners’ Association general secretary K G Jayaraj. Despite the terror unleashed in West Bengal by the Trinamool Congress goons, BSNL Employees Union conducted a massive rally and a public meeting in the evening of the first day. More than 4,000 employees took part in the rally which culminated in a public meeting at Rani Rashmoni Avenue. CITU general secretary Tapan Sen, CITU West Bengal unit president Shyamal Chakraborty and many other leaders addressed the public meeting. A successful women’s convention was held on the second day of the Conference. It was attended by a large number of women comrades and ten of them participated in the discussion, in which the problems being faced by the women employees of BSNL were brought into focus. The convention was addressed by All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) general secretary Jagmati Sangwan. In her speech, Sangwan highlighted the problems being faced by working women in this era of globalisation. She called upon the workers to fight against the pro-corporate policies of the government and the communal forces’ attempt to create divide among the people. A seminar on the revival of BSNL was organised on the third day, which was presided over by Union president V A N Namboodiri. It was addressed by trade union leaders of BSNL. Two directors of the BSNL Board represented the management. BSNLEU general secretary P Abhimanyu delivered the key note address, in which he gave an account on how BSNL’s equipment procurement was systematically scuttled for the past six years by the government, which led to the present crises being faced by BSNL. He also placed before the gathering the concrete proposals for the revival of BSNL. A very good debate followed the key note address, which exposed the anti-PSU policies of the government, as well as the inefficiency of the top management. The leaders also strongly advocated for an improved work culture among the employees. A total of 1,710 delegates and observers attended the Conference from 35 circles. Union President Namboodiri presided over the delegates’ session. Abhimanyu presented the report on the Union’s activities. After the last All India Conference, BSNLEU has once again won in the membership verification with 48 percent votes and has retained its status as the Major Recognised Representative Union in BSNL. Due to the efforts taken by BSNLEU, 14 unions and associations in BSNL joined the two-day general strike, held in February 2013. The Union has played a major role in uniting all the unions and settling revised wage revision, based on 78.2% IDA merger, which has greatly benefited the 2.4 lakh work force, in terms of higher wages and also higher pension for the retirees. It has also organised massive conventions in all circles on neo-liberal policies, communal harmony and the 10 point charter of demands of the Central Trade Unions. Eighty-seven delegates participated in the deliberations. Most of the delegates expressed their concerns about the deteriorating quality of BSNL's services, as well as its dwindling market share. They urged upon the leadership to take appropriate steps to save the Company before it is too late. After summing up of the discussions by the general secretary, the report was adopted unanimously. The Conference decided to successfully organise one day’s strike on November 27 demanding settlement of the long pending problems of the employees, as well as an indefinite strike from February 3, 2015 on demands connected with the revival of BSNL. The Conference has unanimously passed resolutions for joining the National Protest Day on December 5, opposing amendments to the labour laws and on many other important issues. Finally, election of office-bearers took place unanimously. Balbir Singh (Punjab), P Abhimanyu (Tamil Nadu), Swapan Chakraborty (Tripura) and Saibal Sengupta (Kolkata) were elected as president, general secretary, deputy general secretary and treasurer, respectively. With this, the Conference concluded successfully. Undoubtedly, the Conference has instilled new hope and enthusiasm in the organisation and the workers for safeguarding and strengthening BSNL. (END) Non-Executive BSNL Employees’ Strike: THE 1,86,000 non-executive employees of BSNL are going on a one-day strike on November 27. The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the non-executive employees’ unions and associations have given the strike call, seeking redressal of the long-pending and burning problems of the employees. Ninety percent of the lowest paid employees of BSNL, who are in the cadres of Regular Mazdoor and Group-D, are not getting annual increment for many years, since they have reached stagnation. Similarly, thousands of employees, who were appointed on or after January 1, 2007, are losing a substantial amount of their pay every month due to wrong fixation of pay. The non-executive employees are suffering from many such serious problems. The JAC issued the strike notice on October 8, but it is unfortunate that even after the lapse of one-and-a-half months, the management did not even bother to call it for talks.