BSNL strike on January 5

The staff of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd is planning to go on a nationwide strike on January 5, 2006 in protest against the government's decision to allow 74 per cent foreign direct investment in the telecom sector and against divestment of BSNL and state-level Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Ltd.

The employees of the public sector giant are demanding a Navaratna status for BSNL.

Speaking to Business Standard, Prakash Chandra Dubey, convenor, joint forum of associations and unions in BSNL, said, "We are a profit-making organisation and maintaining social obligations. Still without any satisfactory reason, the government wants to divest the organisation. We are going to register a strong protest against this. It is important to give BSNL a Navaratna status to allow the organisation flexibility and autonomy to carry out its operations."

He also recalled the promise made by former telecom minister (and the current steel minister) Ram Vilas Paswan in this regard.

"We are the biggest PSU with an authorised capital of Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion) and with a paid up capital of Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 billion). The organisation has been consistently making profits for the last five years and also paid a dividend of Rs 975 crore (Rs 9.75 billion) last year," he said.

"We do not  understand why the government is neglecting such a company and insisting on divestment," Dubay said.