NEW DELHI / AGARTALA, Nov 25 (TIWN): BSNL employee unions have alleged that the management is forcing personnel to opt for voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) by creating a fear psychosis and have gone pan-India hunger strike. However, Tripura BSNL employees said that the local management didn’t give them permission for hunger strike, thus today they have skipped their lunch in protest.

The unions, representing more than half of BSNL employees, have alleged that the management is threatening employees of reduction in retirement age to 58 years and far away postings if the employees don't opt for VRS, All India Unions and Associations of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (AUAB) member said.

"We are not opposing VRS. Those who want and think it is beneficial for them should opt for it. It is not beneficial for lower level employees and they are being threatened to take VRS, else retirement age will be reduced to 58. It is a forced retirement scheme, therefore we are going on a hunger strike on Monday," an employee said said.

The unions, in a notice for hunger strike, have alleged that those opting for VRS will not be able to apply for pension commutation, which is one-third of pension amount payable over 15 years in advance, only after attaining the age of 60 years.

"In case of any casualty, a person will not be able to apply for pension commutation. His family will get only family pension which is very less. Those who opt for VRS will not be able to claim benefit of the third pay revision. ... With 4G services starting soon and the proposed tariff hike in the sector, BSNL will become eligible for the third pay revision," he said.

He alleged that banks few years back offered better VRS compared to the scheme offered by BSNL, which is not lucrative.

"If management stops threatening employees, the number of employees opting for VRS will significantly come down," the employee said.

According to BSNL Chairman and Managing Director P K Purwar, over 77,000 out of around 1.6 lakh employees of the loss-making telecom firm have opted for VRS.