07.08.2022

ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY HON’BLE MINISTER SIR

The recent utterances of the CMD BSNL and the Hon’ble MOC have pained the rank and file in the BSNL. Instead of boosting the morale of the BSNL employees, the CMD BSNL and also the Hon’ble MOC are demotivating the employees.  Lakhs of employees from the lowest strata to the higher echelons in BSNL and its original avatar i.e. DOT have toiled day and night to run the system as smooth as they could.

The actions of the Political bosses and external management have often resulted in chaotic conditions in the company. The right hand did not know what the left hand was doing. We were thrust into the company against our will. The company made huge profits upto 2004 and what hapened next was history. Inept politicians played their dirty games with the company and the staff. Expansion of the network was deliberately stalled, 3G roll out was delayed, spares were scarce to get. External management who have no say in the company ruled us enjoying all the benefits at the cost of the company employees. HR policies took a back seat.  4G tender was twice cancelled.

History was created in the world in June 2007, when the entire lot of employees stuck work for a day demanding supply of equipment to run the company.

The towers of BSNL are as meagre as its acronym.  It is perhaps the only PSU in the country wherein the employees pay from their salaries to get the system running. Every month all most all the employees from the JE level to the DE level spend huge sums of money with the fond hope that the BSNL would one day regain its lost glory. Lakhs of rupees of the employees are held   up for years together and most of them have lost hope of reiumbursement. Many have retired without being paid.

The main reasons for the failure of the company to a larger extent could be due to :

a) Poor marketing strategies

b) No proper HR management

c) outdated equipment

d) Lack of functional autonomy

e) Interference of the administrative ministry and politicos.

f) External management.

Finding fault with the employees and threatening them with dire consequences is only a knee jerk reaction and would be counter productive in the long run. Instead the reasons of the sorry state of affairs should be thoroughly analysed and concrete solutions be found so that the BSNL would regain its lost glory.