Staffing problem in the communication sector of Azerbaijan

The USSR disintegration showed that no successes were attainable without professionals on the basis of administrative levers while implementation of technological policy in the branches calls for the use of new principles of regulation, management and training of high-quality personnel.

At the pioneering stage of Azerbaijan"s independence (in 1992), total number of communication operators in the country made up nearly 25, 000 while technologies used are electromechanical and the number of those employed in the communication sector is down one third. But then we are completing the digitalization of the communication sector (with disregard for 20% of Karabakh lands).

It must be said that over 70 years of the Soviet Union communication operators and railroaders have always worked hard with minimum weekends and holidays according to the so-called daily continuous schedule and time. Labor conditions proved to be special: on the one hand, the labor was monotonous, physically hard; on the other hand, it called for technological knowledge and high cultural level, on the other hand.

In all probability, communication operators and railroaders became branches of economy with features of a new industrial type of industry. Thus, workers of telegraphs and telephone stations worked in line with continuous system of day and night duty and flexible schedule of weekends. However, it was required to ensure the rates of message transfer, direct dependence upon apparatus, technologies and shifters. All these led to the nervous, rather physical depletion of specialists, had a negative effect on eyesight and loss of hearing of communication operators (I confirm in my own right).

The above-stated applied largely to the outdated electromechanical system of telecommunications, not today"s digital systems of commutations (DSC).

At present, 12 top-quality specialists are required for the central digital station with a capacity of 100,000 numbers of System-X (England) while 30-40 workers of the station were required for electromechanical ATE with a capacity of 10, 000 numbers in Baku (there were scores of them). Following the introduction of digital ATE (1990s), it was said in the USSR about forthcoming the downsizing of technical personnel networks of the country.

Nowadays the Ministry of Transport, Communication and High Technologies (MTCHT) in the CIS countries employs labor surplus in telecommunications. In so doing, the MTCHT is guided by political considerations (not economic ones) which explains ineffectiveness of the whole sector, especially in the tariff system of communication and as a consequence the crummy salaries of communication operators as compared with Europe.

Our communication sector surely needs 4-stage cycle: education - science - production - operation to be ranked high among world"s developed countries. As far back in the 1990s the telecommunication of Azerbaijan was based on "block technologies" with foreign technologies and purchase of equipment for operation only. However, business problems of the communication sector (planning, projecting, specification, tenders, commerce, construction and operation) cannot be considered in isolation from staff - communication operators which is a specificity of the communication sector.

That"s why the implementation of staff problem in the communication sector calls for strict regularity due to the issue of licenses for services rendered, registration and certification of imported communication technologies to Azerbaijan, and, most important, creation of new principles of projecting, regulation, management, training and retraining of personnel in the communication sector of the country (https://ru.sputnik.az/tech/20131121/299683119.html).

Training of personnel is of particular importance, for the development of transport and communication is dependent upon national personnel which is acknowledged at the highest level as follows: "We feel a need in qualified cadres" (http://minval.az/news/66185).

Availability of sectoral or independent institutions (or universities) of communication would help us train high level specialists on the basis of basic awareness of telecommunications, as was the case with petrochemical branch of the country.

As distinguished from other specialties, communication universities of Russia in charge of telecommunication specialists, their chairs are equipped with present-day communication technologies which are compensated to the full.

It takes a protectionist staff policy in all the branches of Azerbaijan and in the communication sector, in particular, a real statistics on training and retraining of the staff which is usually held by specialized institutions.

Personnel affairs in the telecommunications of Azerbaijan grew into acute crisis due to the introduction of the US-developed Next Generation Network (NGN). Thus, a dozen of technical personnel, central station (with disregard for specialists in linear-cable structure) are required to operate one central station NGN (Soft Switch) based on supporting IP-network to ensure integration of three services: speech transmission, data and multimedia with a capacity of 8 million numbers (sufficient for entire Azerbaijan).

It should be remembered that in the developing countries like Azerbaijan the introduction of digital technologies is not a result of the given communication sector but is due to financial interest of foreign manufacturing firms seeking to obtain maximum profits from introduction of their new engineering development which finally leads to staff reduction.

Hence, we need a scientifically grounded strategy of communication sector development (Мmaster plan of stage-by-stage development of the branch) when adjusted for renovation and restructuring of the telecommunication sector of the country. Pertaining to priority personnel tasks of the communication sector is the structural rearrangement on management of the sector together with identification of necessary technical personnel at all levels of telecommunications. Note that cadres along with opportunity of their scientific potential are a basis of active development of communication.

However, we failed to implement a President"s instruction on the establishment of the University of information technologies (http://www.1news.az/- 01.02.2013). It was initially unclear whether the University will be of sectoral designation (under the Ministry of Communication), take communication and ICT chairs of other technical institutions of Azerbaijan, set up a new university threefer (training, design and research), etc.

To all appearance, this is one of abortive attempts to create a communication institute.

It"d be appropriate to exercise caution and see into communication sector issues when restructuring a communication sector at the MTCHT and drawing cater-cousins from outside, and attract specialists "speaking one professionally distinct language", not a narrow circle of clannishness and officials.

It should be remembered that communications are rather specific, so it is impossible to deal with business and technological issues in isolation from cadre issues of the sector. All new call for high competence of communication experts to thus cast off "paper projects" which are easily forgotten together with millions spent.

In the meanwhile, questions of privatization of telecommunications remain unsettled (since March 29, 2001), so it is to be resolved with due regard for interests of thousands communication operators and consumers.

An eloquent testimony to the crisis situation in the sector is a disgraceful event at the Ministry of Communication in Autumn 2015 when there appeared a series of article "Gangs and Mafia of communication operators", first ever in the history of telecommunications of Azerbaijan over nearly 150 years.

Another problem are "varyagi" invited to work in various sectors of Azerbaijan. It remains unknown why these "varyags" earn several times more money than our specialists who perform the whole work for them. Evidently, it is a well thought-out method of "real bosses" of the said companies who try to erect "invisible ceiling or wall" between themselves and our humbled national personnel.

By erecting these "invisible walls", they incur damage to all our branches without exception failing to insure priority to national personnel of our young and independent republic. It is essential to be caution when inviting specialist abroad who do not receive our national holidays, to say nothing about protectionist cadre policy in the country.

When adjusted for the centralized technical service of NGN system, we are sure to face new mass cadre reduction (it is very painful process), and even despite weighed approach to the issue, we have to reduce communication structure personnel of Azerbaijan to 60%.

It should be remembered that protectionist measures are aimed at reducing the volume of telecommunications funds to the level of national security provided a competitive equipment is created in our own country. Beyond any doubt, this is utterly complex task, however, we should not promote jobs abroad, for it leads to the growth of unemployment, reduction of leaving standards and rise in social tensions in Azerbaijan.http://www.aze.az/news_washington_times_ssha_89569.html

However, there is a way out of impasse. Suffice it to recall that the ICT is in need of a great quantity of specialists, especially as we need a strict program of retraining of technical staff of stations to be employed in the ICT sector of our MTCHT.

The best method for professional orientation of the communication sector is the Azerbaijani Telecommunication Training Center (ATTC) set up as far back as in 1998 (Project - TNAZ 9601, approx. $1 mln) for this objective in line with TACIS program of the European Community under the Azerbaijani Technical University with the participation of the Ministry of Communication of Azerbaijan (titled today as MTCHT). However, in 17 years mass media reported that there was set up "Training center "Electronic government" LTD to operate in accordance of self-financing principal; however there is already a telecommunication training center of EU in line with TACIS program (http://www.trend.az/business/it/2471800.html in 20.12.2015).

Hence, we need continuity of training and retraining of cadres for telecommunications and the ICT which take into account such factors as renovation and restructuring of the communication sector of Azerbaijan.

The last 25 year-long developments in Azerbaijan (loss of 20% of lands and one million of refugees) have to be addressed from a unified point of view on training and retraining of technical cadres for the communication sector of the country.

All things considered, we should work transparently and avoid distributing positions among our friends and relatives. Today Azerbaijan cannot pretend to any technological leadership, as is the case with Ericsson, Siemens, Apple, etc.). Should we have qualified personnel and communication producers, we could co-participate in technological developments and avoid being "mechanical collectors or users".

I wonder how many "people from outside" have been taken up to the communication sector of Azerbaijan over the past 10 years and particularly to the MTCHT apparatus?

We are far from Russia with its tens of sectoral training, scientific, design and production institutions and organizations where many former heads are engaged in the branch to comply with the law of continuity. But we have not a university of transport and communication of Azerbaijan. A question arises: why?

The problems is that it is essential to be aware of the creators of the communication infrastructure of Azerbaijan and I would not be surprised if I am told that just a few people known the elite of our communication sector.

Huseynov Teymur Kuliyevich - Minister of Communication of Azerbaijan, 1952-1969,

Nasrullayev Nasrullu Idayatovich - Minister of Communication, 1969-1974,

Akhundov Bagadur Mamedovich - Minister of Communication, 1984-1990,

Alizade Ali Kurbanovich - Deputy Minister of Communication,

Yusupov Sabir Mamedovich - Deputy Minister of Communication,

Pashayev Aligeydar Sadullayevich - Head of post department of the Ministry of Communication,

Bayramov Isfendiyar Guseynovich - Head of Baku General post-office,

Rustamov Isfendiyar Khudatovich - Head of UMTTC of the Ministry of Commnication,

Lazinskiy Naum Borisovich - Head of UGCTC of the Ministry of Communication,

Gadjiyev Yuriy Nugayevich - Head of technical department of the Ministry of Communication,

Lytnev Michael Alekseyevich - Chief specialist of Baku GTC,

Allahverdiyev Marat Allahverdiyevich - Head of "Azersvyazstroy",

Zeynalov Tofik Pashayevich - Head of TV Center,

Gezalov Ismet Abdullayevich - Head of RUER,

Kuliyev Sarvar Khanguseynovich - Head of RPPS,

Nadjafov Gasan Guseynovich - Head of AMTC,

Ahmedov Nuri Agamirzoyevich - Founder of the joint enterprise AzEuroTel, etc.

It is crucial to take into account the continuity of cadres in the communication sector. To implement the continuity in cadre and technical policy in the communication sector of Azerbaijan calls for professionalism, new principles of design, regulation, management, selection and training of cadres.