Annexure-IT
ALL INDIA DEFENCE EMPLOYEES’ FEDERATION
INDIAN NATIONAL DEFENCE WORKERS’ FEDERATION
BHARTIYA PRATIRAKSHA MAZDOOR SANGH
(RECOGNIZED FEDERATIONS OF DEFENCE CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES)
Ref. No. : 02/AIDEF/INDWF/BPMS/20 Date :17.05.2020
To,
Shri. Rajnath Singhji
Hon'ble Defence Minister
Government of India,
South Block, New Delhi - 110 001.
Respected Sir,
The 82 thousand Defence Civilian Employees working in the 41 Indian Ordnance
Factories and its Headquarters formation are very much shocked, disturbed and upset
over the arbitrary decision of the Government announced by the Hon'ble Finance
Minister in her presentation of details of the 4" Tranche of the Rs.20 Lakh Crore
financial relief to meet the COVID-19 economic crisis under “Atmanirbhar Bharat
Abiyan”. We fail to understand how the Corporatisation of Ordnance Factories have
become a part of the COVID-19 Relief Package.
Sir, you will appreciate that there are written agreements in the past with the
Recognised Employees Federations and Government of India that Ordnance Factories
will not be corporatized. All these agreements are being totally ignored and blatantly
violated. When the Government has brought the issue of Corporatisation of Ordnance
Factories in its 100 days Agenda last year, the three Recognised Federations and the
Trade Unions of Ordnance Factory Employees issued a Notice of Strike for observing
‘one month strike demanding to withdraw the decision of the Government Since there
was no negotiation and settlement, the strike commenced in the month of Aug. 2019
and in the midst of the Strike based on the direction of the Chief Labour Commissioner,
the then Secretary(DP) held series of discussion with the Federations and an
agreement was reached that the Government has not yet taken any decision of
Corporatising the Ordnance Factories and that a High Level Official Committee will be
constituted by the Government to address the concerns of the Federations in this
regard. Based on this agreement the strike was deferred. Subsequently a High Level
Official Committee (HLOC) was constituted with the then Addl. Secretary(DP) as
1Contd. Annexure-II
Chairman. Even though the Federations were not in agreement with the Terms of
Reference given to the Committee, we cooperated with the Committee. Two meetings
of the Committee were held and there after no meeting was held with the Federations.
We are not aware whether the Committee has submitted its report or not. In case the
Committee has submitted the report to the Government we have not been given the
copy of the same. In the mean time, the pandemic danger of spread of COVID-19 Virus
came as a major threat to the country and the country went for a National lockdown..
i ma :
The Government of India instead of recognizing the services of the employees
who are basically Central Government Employees have hitted on their stomach by
converting them as Employees of a Corporation, drastically changing their service
conditions and appointment order. A democratically elected Government cannot be so
much insensitive and thankless. When the negotiations with the Federations on a Strike
notice was pending with the Government in a democracy by ignoring the concerned
Trade Unions and arbitrarily deciding to convert the Ordnance Factories the oldest
Industrial setup in our country and listing It in the Share Market is not at all acceptable.
We are not in a position to believe that how the Government take advantage of the
COVID-19 lockdown situation and in the name of giving economic rellef to the affected
people, making a policy announcement to convert a Government Department in to a
Corporation and changing the service conditions of the 82 Thousand Employees. This is
nothing but a breach of trust and back stabbing. The decision is taken in such a
manner, reminding the work force the emergency days of 1976.
It is pertinent to mention here that when the then Secretary / Defence
Production told us that Ordnance Factories should reach a Production target level of Rs.
30,000 crores within next 5 years, the three Federations accepted the challenge and
we requested him that the Government should allow the Ordnance Factories to function
in the present setup as a Government Department and the required facilities such as
Modern Plant and Machinery, additional manpower etc. may be provided to the
Ordnance Factories and the workforce will fulfill the challenge. When this is the fact, we
fall to understand that why the Government instead of accepting our challenge has
arbitrarily taken the decision to corporatize the Ordnance Factories.
2Contd. Annexure-II
Your decision is arbitrary, illegal, unfair, undemocratic and unjustified. The 82
thousand workforce of the Indian Ordnance Factories out right rejects the decision of
the Government and take this opportunity to appeal to your honour to put on hold this
decision of Corporatisation of Ordnance Factories and to start discussions with the
Federations after normalcy is restored in the country. We are confident that the
Government will consider the above facts in its true spirit and also that good sense will
prevail with the decision makers and a positive decision will be taken in this regard by
the Government.
In case the Government is not conceding to our request then the 82
thousand employees will be left with no other option than to commence an
Indefinite Strike apart from other Trade Union actions in the coming days.
Awaiting for your earlier and favourable decision please.
Thanking you,
Yours Sincerely,
net
(C. SRTKUMAR) (R. SRINIVASAN) (MUKESH SINGH)
GENERAL SECRETARY GENERAL SECRETARY GENERAL SECRETARY
AIDEF INDWF BPMS
09444080885 09444125799 09335621629
defempfed@gmail.com indwfrsrinivasan@gmail.com gensecbpms@yahoo.co.in
Copy to:
1) Shri.Narendra Modiji,
Hon'ble Prime Minister
Government of India,
South Block, New Delhi.
2) Smt. Nirmala Sitharamanji,
Hon'ble Finance Minister
Government of India,
North Block, New Delhi
3) The Defence Secretary,
Government of Trdia, For kind information
South Block, New Delhi. and favourable action
4) The Secretary (DP) please.
Department of Defence Production,
South Block, New Delhi.
5) The DGOF & Chairman
‘Ordnance Factory Board,
10-A, S.K.Bose Road,
Kolkata - 700 001.
6) ‘The Chief Labour Commissioner
Shram Shakthi Bhawan,
New Delhi.