PANJIM: Around 750 Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) employees across Goa, including executives and non-executives, went on a day’s strike on Thursday opposing the Central government’s proposal to form a subsidiary for its cell towers across India.
Addressing the media, Sanchar Nigam Executive Association (SNEA), Secretary, Saguirodin Aga said, around 2,20,000 BSNL employees across India have joined together to oppose the government’s proposal.
“Within BSNL the government is thinking to form a subsidiary for its cell towers across India, which they claim will be entirely managed by the parent company. If BSNL will manage the company what is the need to go ahead with such a proposal? Currently it’s BSNL who is managing these towers and it is not required to form a new company which will again be managed by BSNL,” said Aga.
“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 the 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,” he said.
Stating that the government’s intension is to privatise the subsidiary company and not for the benefit of BSNL, he said that if the government fails to stop this proposal, all the employees would go on an indefinite strike.
BSNL employees have clarified that none of its subscribers will be affected with this strike and all employees are there to cater to any emergency services.
