Team Herald

PANJIM: Around 80 percent of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) employees across Goa, including executives and non-executives, are on a two day strike from Tuesday opposing the Central government’s proposal to form a subsidiary for its cell towers across India.

The employees are also demanding settlement of their third pay revision and also the revision of all their allowances.

Addressing the media, Sanchar Nigam Executive Association (SNEA), Secretary, Saguirodin Aga said, “Within BSNL the government is thinking of forming a subsidiary for its cell towers, which they claim will be entirely managed by the parent company. If BSNL will manage the company what is the need for such a proposal? Currently BSNL is managing these towers and it is not required to form a new company which will again be managed by BSNL,”Aga said.

He added, “BSNL hosts around 65,000 cell towers across India and around 200 in Goa. If a subsidiary is formed, it’s again BSNL that will have to pay rent for the towers causing loss. Forming of a subsidiary is part of the plan to weaken the public sector in spite of BSNL being in profit for the last four years. If the subsidiary company is formed majority of the employees will lose jobs.”

Stating that the government’s intention is to privatise the subsidiary company and not for the benefit of BSNL, he said that if the government fails to stop this proposal, employees would go on an indefinite strike.

“We are also demanding that government should settle revision of allowances and settlement of third pay revision and other allowances,” he added

BSNL employees clarified that subscribers will not be affected by this strike. “We care for our customer and in event of disruption, services will be restored even during the strike period,” Aga said.