Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (RD)

Mangalore, Mar 18: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) junior staff in the city began hunger-protest on Tuesday March 18 morning, in front of the office of general manager, urging higher officers in order to discontinue discretionary promotions, grant promotions to junior staff also besides redress their several issues.

B P Narayan, Dakshina Kannada district president of BSNL, addressing the protesters said that the efforts of junior staff are undermined by discretionary policy followed by higher officers of BSNL who were availing the promotional benefits for every 4 years of their service while it was not applicable to junior staff that has led to the hunger-protest, he alleged.  

Meanwhile, he threatened of aggravated protest if the higher officers at BSNL does not heed to their hunger-protest which is in progress.

The agitating BSNL junior staff urged higher officers to grant 5 increments which were due to them at the earliest, besides to grant at least 10 percent increment on basic salaries of SC/ST employees which are permissible under reserved category of FR 22 (1). 

BSNL Employees’ Union and National Union of BSNL Workers (FNTO) office bearers Venugopal Nambiar, V Timmappa, Balakrishna are leading the hunger-strike along with hundreds of their colleagues.