BSNL News: Significant Threat to Telecom Stability from Young Executive Exodus

The recent wave of resignations of young executives at Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is alarming and posing a significant threat to the operational stability and future growth of the government-owned telecom PSU, an employees' association has said. Ravi Shil Verma, General Secretary of the All India Graduate Engineers & Telecom Officers Association (AIGETOA), in a letter dated August 30, 2024, to Robert J Ravi, CMD of BSNL, attributed the exodus of these executives to a systemic issue within BSNL HR policies.

“We express our deep concern over the recent wave of resignations from BSNL. A large number of talented young executives have recently resigned, opting to join the Airports Authority of India,” Verma noted. The officers who have left, or those who are in the process of leaving, have been the pillars of strength for BSNL.

ETTelecom has previously reported that the state-run telecom carrier urged the Centre to resolve employee-related grievances pending since 2007. A significant delay in implementing a comprehensive promotion policy has left many deserving executives without clear career growth opportunities.

Verma pointed out that technically qualified, trained, and performing executives are extended only a single promotion in their service tenure of over 20 years. The association also highlighted a huge demotivating factor with management envisaging the recruitment of freshers at higher levels.

AIGETOA has called for urgent reforms, including the scrapping of certain recruitment rules and the restoration of promotional quotas.