Telecom employees go on strike, demand job security

But maintenance services were expected to be hit early.

The strike began at 6:00 am (1230 GMT), covering most of the country, but services in New Delhi and Mumbai are not expected to be affected much since they are run by Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd.

K Vallinayagam, secretary-general of the Federation of National Telecom Organisations, said the workers, who include technicians and junior administration staff, were not satisfied by government assurances on Tuesday.

The federation is one of the three unions which control 90 percent of the 325,000 workers in these categories. The department, which will be turned into a government-owned company from October 1, has more than 400,000 employees.

"How can we go by assurances? For the past one year we have been calling off strikes on assurances. Assurance has a meaning when there is a time limit," Vallinayagam said.

Communications Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said after talks with the unions on Tuesday that workers were assured of job security, a flexible pension plan and the financial viability of the new company.

However, eleventh-hour negotiations failed despite a fresh appeal to call off the protest. Paswan told reporters that the government was committed to the corporatisation of the department and to boosting competition in the industry, but was equally committed on the future of workers.

The new company would turn the agency from a bureaucratic department into a state-owned company through the creation of shares. But labour leaders say they have no written clauses to enforce the government assurances before the new company starts.

Vallinayagam said the strike had begun peacefully, and workers were told not to cause disruptions. Union officials had called from Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat to say the strike had begun, he said.

"Immediate disruption will not be there. It will take another couple of days to feel the impact of the strike," he said, adding that no talks were scheduled for Wednesday.

Workers are also agitated over the corporatisation of the department because it is seen as a prelude to privatisation. The government has said there is no plan to shed stakes in the proposed company, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (Indian Communications Corp).

"Anytime there can be disinvestment. Pure privatisation means they will take decisions without consulting us," Vallinayagam said. The unions also want the government to protect the financial future of the agency, and are concerned that its cash reserves may dwindle as it spends money on unviable services to link remote areas in Kashmir and elsewhere.

They are also concerned about a recent decision to end a state monopoly on long-distance services, and say government-owned networks will come under strain by offering connectivity to an unlimited number of new competitors.