Almost 10,000 BSNL engineers called for an indefinite strike from today calling for a higher wage revision. Seven BSNL unions containing 150,000 non-executive employees will start their strike from Aug 19 midnight to Aug 20 noons.

Some employees of the state-run telecom provider will also quit their works along with BSNL engineers for the next two days. The strike would impact BSNL’s services throughout the country.
   
BSNL union general secretary, V.A.N. Namboodri, said the company management has offered 30% wage revision to workers and 60-70% hike to higher officials.

He added, “We want a better salary hike and the periodicity (of wage revision) to be reduced to five years.”

The union has also demanded to regularize its 4,000 casual employees, who have been working for 5-10 years in the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and BSNL.

Mr. Namboodiri said, “They have been denied regularization, citing a Supreme Court judgment. But other PSUs (public sector undertakings) and government departments have continued to regularize casual laborers.”