BSNL employee unions call for nationwide hunger strike today
   Date :24-Feb-2020

BSNL employee unions call
 
 
Business Bureau :
 
STATE-RUNtelecomfirm BSNL’s employee unions have called for a nationwide hunger strike on Monday, to protest against delay in execution of the Rs 69,000- crorerevivalpackageannounced by the Government. “The All Unions and Associations of BSNL (AUAB) is organisingacountry-widehunger strike on February 24, 2020. This hunger strike is being organised to demand the expeditious implementation of the Union Cabinet’s revival package in respect of BSNL, as well as to demand settlement of the grievances of the employees,”AUAB said in a statement.
 
In October 2019, the central Government approved a Rs 68,751-crore revival package for loss-making BSNL and MTNL, including 4G spectrum allocation and voluntary retirement scheme (VRS), as well as their merger. AUAB, said the salient feature of the revival package is the allotment of 4G spectrum, the issuing of sovereign guarantee for raising funds to the tune of Rs 15,000 crore, with share of BSNL at Rs 8,500 crore and Rs 6,500 crore for MTNL, by way of issuing long-term bonds, monetisation of assets and implementation of a VRS.
 
“Only VRS has been implemented, through which 78,569 BSNL employees have been sent home. It is extremelydisturbingtonotethat, even after the lapse of nearly 4 months, 4G spectrum has not been allotted to BSNL,” it said.