" About 40,000 Indian telecom workers called off their work to rule yesterday after reaching an agreement with the government." officials and leaders said. The employees of the department of telecommunication services launched their action on Friday in protest against plans to covert the department into a company, and the recent appointment of a non-technical official as a department head. Banks, major companies and long-distance customers were hit by the work to rule which involves obeying minor regulations only so as to slow down the workflow.