5th AIBDPA Triennial Conference at Coimbatore.

The 5th Triennial Conference of the All India BSNL DOT Pensioners Association (AIBDPA), held today at Coimbatore, emerged as a strong platform of resistance against the Government’s sustained attacks on pensions, social security and public sector workers. The conference reaffirmed that the assault on pensions is not accidental, but part of a deliberate neo-liberal agenda aimed at weakening public sector undertakings, denying workers their rightful retirement security and pushing lakhs of employees and pensioners into uncertainty. Com.Animesh Mitra, General Secretary, BSNLEU, gave a clear call for united struggle. He stated that the Government is consciously undermining the pension system through policy manipulation and delay and stressed that pension can be defended only through iron-clad unity of serving employees, pensioners and CCWF. He firmly asserted that pension is a deferred wage, not charity and any attempt to dilute it will be resisted collectively. Com.K.G. Jayaraj, General Secretary, AIBDPA, exposed the continuous betrayal of BSNL pensioners through policy paralysis and neglect. He highlighted the denial of pension revision, medical benefits and statutory guarantees and declared that AIBDPA will fight relentlessly for the legitimate rights of pensioners, strengthening coordination with BSNLEU and CCWF. Com.V.A.N. Namboodiri, Veteran leader, reminded the delegates that pensions were won through decades of militant struggle and not granted by benevolent governments. He cautioned that retreat or silence would only embolden anti-worker forces and called for transforming resistance into organised mass struggle. Com.Vijaykumar, President, BSNLEU (CHQ), reaffirmed the union’s unconditional support to pensioners. He asserted that BSNLEU will oppose every attempt to weaken BSNL and push it towards privatisation, and will build united actions from SSA to national level, declaring that an attack on pensioners is an attack on the entire BSNL workforce.