Court directs DoT to pay BSNL, MTNL officers wages, arrears by December 5.

Source – telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has on Friday directed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to pay salaries and arrears to more than 500 officers of the Indian Telecommunication Services (ITS) working in Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) by December 5, 2019.

“During the course of hearing, the learned ASG on instructions submits that the entire arrears of salary and other dues for the current month of November 2019 be cleared by 5th of December 2019 irrespective of the fact as to the source of funds for the purpose,” Justice AK Chawla in the verdict said.

The 550 Group – A officers presently serving in the two public sector telcos— BSNL and MTNL were not paid salaries for October and November in addition to other statutory payments on their behalf.

In the contempt case, filed by the Indian Telecommunication Services Association (ITSA), a Delhi-based group that represents 1650 Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)-recruited officers, Justice Chawla, referring to dues, further said, “Let it be strictly ensured.” The next hearing is fixed for December 13.

The additional solicitor general Maninder Acharya representing the DoT argued that there was a crisis in the public sector telecom carriers following the financial stress due to which the companies were not able to disburse timely wages.

“The irony is that besides a two-month outstanding salary, BSNL has not fulfilled statutory requirements including the General Provident Fund (GPF), pension contribution and income tax deduction since March this year,” ITSA president PK Jain told ETT.

The total outgo including arrears and wages for two months is expected to come at around Rs 60 crore.

Jain further said that the officers were forcefully asked to serve state-run telecom companies despite written instructions of a divisional bench asking the department to repatriate and deploy officers within the Central government.

Some of the ITS officers, according to him, have been made to work in public sector firms for more than 15 years as against a maximum of a 5-year term norm.