Despite a decline in its revenue over the past couple of years, the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has decided to introduce pay revision across the board.
Owing to stiff competition from the private players in the telecom sector, BSNL had been recording a decline in its revenue over the last couple of years. During the last fiscal, BSNL had suffered a decline of Rs 2,000 crore in its revenue. The figure is likely to go up in the current fiscal.
Amidst this situation, a hike of nearly 50 percent has been effected for BSNL employees, that too with retrospective effect from January 2007. Highly placed sources in BSNL told ‘Express’ that the additional amount required in view of the implementation of the new pay scale was yet to be worked out. Moreover, 40 percent of the arrears will have to be paid during this month. This payment will also cause huge financial burden to the public sector undertaking at the end of the financial year.
The decision to give huge hike to BSNL employees has raised many an eyebrow. “BSNL employees may wholeheartedly welcome the hike. But in the long run, it will weaken the financial position of the organisation,” said a BSNL official.
Many leading companies are now resorting to cost cut measures such as downsizing and slash in wages owing to the global recession. BSNL giving huge hike to the employees at this point reflects its unprofessional management.
However, BSNL employees point out that a pay revision is being implemented after a decade. They said that the pay revision could be treated only as a genuine one.
BSNL has earlier formed three sub committee comprising of Management and staff side members to study in detail about pay scales, perks and allowances and pension and welfare issues provided to non executives in other Central PSU s. The committees are to submit their report by 25th March and hopefully a decision of wage hike will be taken soon after.
BSNL Executives’ Salary Hiked
BSNL has already hiked the salary of the executives on 5th March 2009 with retrospective effect from 01.01.2007. The arrear from 01.01.2007 to 28.02.2009 will be paid in two installments like the Central Govt. - 40% in this Financial Year and the balabce 60% in 2009-10.
