BSNL employees in Tamil Nadu begin two day strike

CHENNAI: Pressing for various demands, including upgradation of basic facilities, around 22,000 BSNL employees in Tamil Nadu began a two day strike today.

The employees raised slogans asking the management to upgrade the facilities and enhance the services of the telecom major on par with private telecom operators.

"Around 18 employees' unions are participating in the strike. Basically our demands are better facilities for BSNL, upgradation of services and to enhance BSNL to be on par with othe telecom operators," BSNL Employees' Union president M Kanniappan told here.

He said there was a shortage even in providing GSM SIM cards to subscribers. "For issues like these, we are unable to provide better service to customers".

"Secondly, Government allows private operators to buy equipment from Chinese manufacturers to provide services, but does not allow us to do so citing security reasons," he said.

Kaniappan alleged BSNL was also suffering substantial revenue loss as private telecom operators were not paying Access Deficit Charge to them as they used to earlier.

He claimed that several service centres in Chennai and Tamil Nadu remained closed due to the strike and the situation would be the same tomorrow.

However a top BSNL official who did not wish to be named denied there was any disruption in services and said the employees were on strike to express their views.

"We are providing the service to customers," he said.