Recently read in news paper that the bank employees will be going on a strike for four days in a couple of days. This news brought back the memories of telephone department strikes that happened frequently in the early 2000s. I was a PG student in Anna University in Chennai. Since I got admission in REC Trichy, I wanted to discontinue my course there and wanted to the join REC in Trichy. I had to convey some important info about this to my Dad. We had a land-line phone in our home in native. It was a Saturday and morning at 8:30, after having breakfast in the hostel mess, I walked out to the main gate where was a telephone booth. Those were the days prior to the mobile phones. Only a very few had mobile phones. I was surprised to know that the phone booth was closed.
Then, I went out side of the university campus through the main gate hoping to find a open phone booth, through which I can make a call to native. A couple of phone booths on the front side were closed. Since it was a Saturday, I thought that they will open after sometime. So, I entered into the university campus and went out again through the side gate. In those days there used to be a small gate near the library building that opens out to the Kotturpuram Road. I started walking along the Kotturpuram Road. I found a small phone booth. Not a proper booth, just a phone was kept on the table. A man was sitting near that phone. I told him that I wanted to make a phone call to Trichy. He smiled and said that its not possible, since the telephone department was on strike that day. He said that I can make local calls. Also I could call to some districts.
He thought for a while and told me that I can call to Madurai if I know someone there. I was wondering how the telephone network worked in some district and didn't work in some other. He continued to insist me to call someone in Madurai and convey the news to them. I remembered that one of my college mate was in Madurai. But what is the point in calling them, how will they in-turn call to Trichy, with the network blocked in Trichy. I understood that the man wanted to have business through me, and so I left that place. I still continued my search, assuming that someone could show me some way to call to my home land line number in Trichy. I roamed around the roads till 12:30 in the afternoon (remember the search started at 8:30 in the morning). I understood that there was no way that I could call home, and hence returned to hostel. After having lunch in the mess, suddenly decided to take up Pallavan (Express) and go in person to my native, which is what finally I did.
The telephone employees could have striked by keeping their exchanges switched on. When I was studying in 8th standard, I happened to visit a telephone exchange in a rural area. One of my distant uncle was working as a technician there. I was astonished to find that almost everything was automated. I saw huge racks with all sorts of machines, with computer monitors embedded in them, and some message was continuously scrolling in them. No manual intervention was required. They worked on their own. My uncle told me that no manual intervention is required, and periodically the machines in those racks will be maintained, one rack at a time, while the machines in the other rack continued to work. That is, there was no down time.
So, in the telephone department strike, I understood that the employees have intentionally switched off the mains of their exchanges to go on strike. Had they walked out without switching them off, those machines would have continued to work for weeks or even months without their intervention. That made me realize that a day will come, when they no could no longer go on any strike, because, by then, the machines would have over-taken them.
Slowly the telephone exchange was privatized (or partially-privatized???) , and also many private players came in, and slowly the days of telephone employees strikes came to an end. Now I don't think that they can go on strike anymore, and even if they go, there wont be any big impact (in my opinion and understanding).
I also vaguely remember the strike by the postal department employees. After the wide spread use of telephone and mobile phones, the strike by the postal department employees didn't have any major impact on the common man, only thing being that the letters will be reaching a bit late. After the arrival of private couriers, it will be big joke, if the postal department decides to go on strike now.
Recently the employees of the Information Technology sector also have started going on strike. Working in private sector, I know very well how those striking employees can be targeted and made to leave the company on their own. Its all a matter of time. Similarly, there is a very high chance that the same will happen to the private bank employees who are joining the public sector (striking) bank employees.
Keeping my likes and dis-likes aside, let me wish the striking bankers "good luck" in their mission.
- SPGR.
Then, I went out side of the university campus through the main gate hoping to find a open phone booth, through which I can make a call to native. A couple of phone booths on the front side were closed. Since it was a Saturday, I thought that they will open after sometime. So, I entered into the university campus and went out again through the side gate. In those days there used to be a small gate near the library building that opens out to the Kotturpuram Road. I started walking along the Kotturpuram Road. I found a small phone booth. Not a proper booth, just a phone was kept on the table. A man was sitting near that phone. I told him that I wanted to make a phone call to Trichy. He smiled and said that its not possible, since the telephone department was on strike that day. He said that I can make local calls. Also I could call to some districts.
He thought for a while and told me that I can call to Madurai if I know someone there. I was wondering how the telephone network worked in some district and didn't work in some other. He continued to insist me to call someone in Madurai and convey the news to them. I remembered that one of my college mate was in Madurai. But what is the point in calling them, how will they in-turn call to Trichy, with the network blocked in Trichy. I understood that the man wanted to have business through me, and so I left that place. I still continued my search, assuming that someone could show me some way to call to my home land line number in Trichy. I roamed around the roads till 12:30 in the afternoon (remember the search started at 8:30 in the morning). I understood that there was no way that I could call home, and hence returned to hostel. After having lunch in the mess, suddenly decided to take up Pallavan (Express) and go in person to my native, which is what finally I did.
The telephone employees could have striked by keeping their exchanges switched on. When I was studying in 8th standard, I happened to visit a telephone exchange in a rural area. One of my distant uncle was working as a technician there. I was astonished to find that almost everything was automated. I saw huge racks with all sorts of machines, with computer monitors embedded in them, and some message was continuously scrolling in them. No manual intervention was required. They worked on their own. My uncle told me that no manual intervention is required, and periodically the machines in those racks will be maintained, one rack at a time, while the machines in the other rack continued to work. That is, there was no down time.
So, in the telephone department strike, I understood that the employees have intentionally switched off the mains of their exchanges to go on strike. Had they walked out without switching them off, those machines would have continued to work for weeks or even months without their intervention. That made me realize that a day will come, when they no could no longer go on any strike, because, by then, the machines would have over-taken them.
Slowly the telephone exchange was privatized (or partially-privatized???) , and also many private players came in, and slowly the days of telephone employees strikes came to an end. Now I don't think that they can go on strike anymore, and even if they go, there wont be any big impact (in my opinion and understanding).
I also vaguely remember the strike by the postal department employees. After the wide spread use of telephone and mobile phones, the strike by the postal department employees didn't have any major impact on the common man, only thing being that the letters will be reaching a bit late. After the arrival of private couriers, it will be big joke, if the postal department decides to go on strike now.
Recently the employees of the Information Technology sector also have started going on strike. Working in private sector, I know very well how those striking employees can be targeted and made to leave the company on their own. Its all a matter of time. Similarly, there is a very high chance that the same will happen to the private bank employees who are joining the public sector (striking) bank employees.
Keeping my likes and dis-likes aside, let me wish the striking bankers "good luck" in their mission.
- SPGR.
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