MTNL strike deferred

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JULY 10. In response to an appeal by the Union Communications Minister, Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited employees today put off their proposed indefinite strike from tomorrow.

The Minister assured representatives of the employees at a meeting late this evening that outstanding issues regarding the wages and perquisites of the staff would be resolved by July 21.

It was decided that the MTNL Board would meet by July 15 to resolve the issues. Negotiations, if required, between the unions and the MTNL Board will also be completed before the Board takes a final decision in the matter.

Earlier in the day, the MTNL unions had announced at a joint press conference that they were firm in their resolve to go on strike.

The Delhi High Court, meanwhile, had asked the Government to take firm action against any attempts to disrupt the telecom services during the strike.

A Division Bench of the court comprising the Chief Justice, Mr. Justice Arijit Pasayat, and Mr. D. K. Jain passed the order on a petition by the Movement for the Improvement of Landscape Environment and Society (MILES), a non-governmental organisation. The petitioner had urged the court to ask the Government to prevent the employees from going on strike.

The management had the power and finances to give a special increase of Rs. 3,000 to Group A and B officers, yet to be absorbed by the Nigam, but had none to approve the Pay Commission recommendations for Group C and D employees though it had been four months since the management agreed to implement them in March this year, it was contended.

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