Ordnance Factories Employees Wish To Retire As Government Employees

The deemed deputation period of the Defence Civilian Employees of 41 Ordnance Factories will be coming to an end by September, 2024. The employees are in tension and anxiety since they do not know what will be their status after September, 2024. Originally during June, 2021, when the Modi Government decided to corporatize the Ordnance Factories, the Government also decided that the Central Government employees who are working in the Ordnance Factories will be on deemed deputation to the new 7 Corporations and all their service conditions and benefits will be protected during the deemed deputation period.

Initially the deemed deputation period was for 2 years and subsequently extended by 1 more year. As per Cabinet decision, the 7 Companies should have finalized their HR policy/Package for the employees to join and get absorbed in the Corporations has Public Sector Employees. So far, no such HR Policies have been notified by the 7 Companies. In this situation what will happen to the future of the employees?

Government and the companies have to either ask for option from the employees whether to join the 7 Companies or to remain in the Government. If that is not done then Government has to further extend the deemed deputation period.

The All India Defence Employees Federation, the major Federation of the Defence Employees has been representing to the Government to publish a notification for retaining the status of the Central Government Employees / Defence Civilian Employees who are on deemed deputation with 7 Ordnance Factories Corporations at par with the employees of Prasar Bharti. However, the Modi Government has not taken a decision in this regard.

Sources from Ministry of Defence said that a decision in this regard can be taken only by the Empowered Group of Ministers Committee chaired by Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister and Amit Shah, Home Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister and other Ministers.

AIDEF have now submitted another representation on 2nd July, 2024 to the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh giving justification from their side and also quoting the assurance given by him in this regard in the meeting held on 16.07.2021 with the Federations.

www.indianpsu.com accessed a copy of AIDEF letter dated.02.07.2024 addressed to Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh the content of the same is published here for the benefit of our viewers.

Respected Sir,

Kindly refer to the Minutes of the Meeting of Hon’ble RM with the Defence Civilian Employees Federations held on 16.07.2021, in the said meeting the representatives of AIDEF have rejected the Government decision of corporatizing the Ordnance Factories and we have requested that the decision may be withdrawn. We have also stated that all the service conditions of the Ordnance Factory Employees must be protected, Post Corporatization, including existing and future benefits / privileges as available to Central Government Employees / Defence Civilian Employees. The Hon’ble RM assured that the interest of the employees would be protected while implementing the decision of OFB Corporatization.

Subsequent, to the above the United Forum of Ordnance Employees in which this Federation is also a part vide Letter dated 18.08.2023 have submitted the following to the Defence Secretary and Secretary (DP).

1) That all the employees of Ordnance Factories as on 01/10/2021 would remain as Government Employees till their retirement in the 7 Ordnance Factory Corporations/DPSUs.
2) That salary, allowances and pension etc should be paid for all the Government employees from Consolidated Fund of India (CFI).
3) The pension contribution of employer in case of all the Government employees covered under New Pension Scheme (NPS) is to be paid from CFI and not from any other fund.
4) The promotion prospects / career progression / medical and all other facilities / service conditions etc., of all the Government employees of Ordnance factories has to remain the same as it was available on 01/10/2021, till the retirement of last of the Government employee of the Ordnance Factories.

At present we are very much shocked to note that the DDP vide Letter referred at 3 above have asked all the 7 DPSUs to intimate the status of service rules / policies in respect of their DPSUs to DDP by 24.06.2024. It is pertinent to mention here that all the employees of Ordnance Factories in a referendum have given their verdict that they want to remain as Central Government Employees / Defence Civilian Employees till their retirement from service from the Ordnance Factories where they are on deemed deputation. In view of the above it is once again requested that as assured by the Hon’ble RM, a notification may be published stating that all the employees of Ordnance Factories as on 01/10/2021 would remain as Government Employees till their retirement in the 7 Ordnance Factory Corporations / DPSUs and that the promotion prospects / career progression / medical and all other facilities / service conditions etc., of all the Government employees of Ordnance factories has to remain the same as it was available on 01/10/2021, till the retirement of last of the government employee of the Ordnance Factories.

It is pertinent to mention that the Government of India has already extended the above benefits in the past to the Government employees of All India Radio and Doordarshan when both these Government Institutions were converted to a corporation, namely- Prasar Bharti.

C. Srikumar, General Secretary, AIDEF, informed www.indianpsu.com that their foremost demand is to withdraw the Corporatization itself since it is a failed experiment. Government itself has appointed another consultant for merger of the Corporations so as to reduce the same from seven to four which proves that the decision of Splintering the Ordnance Factories in to seven Corporations is a wrong decision. Even though the employees of Ordnance Factories continue to remain as Government employees the Corporations are taking attempts to tinker with the existing service conditions and benefit of the employees against which the Federation and the Unions has to fight against such attempts. With the bitter experience of BSNL and SPMCIL employees after getting absorbed in the Corporations why the employees of Ordnance Factories should take any decision which goes against their interest. Government cannot discriminate between the employees of erstwhile All India Radio and Doordarshan employees with the employees of Ordnance Factories. The Government by a notification has allowed all the employees of All India Radio and Doordarshan as Central Government Employees till their retirement in the Prasar Bharati Corporation. We are demanding only for the same.

The Government under the constitution is duty bound to accept our demand otherwise it will be a violation of Article 14 & 16 of the Constitution of India. Therefore, AIDEF will continue its battle till the Government issue a notification for treating the employees of 41 Ordnance Factories as Central Government Employees / Defence Civilian Employees in the Ordnance Factories where ever they are working till their retirement from service. The employees in a referendum have given their verdict that they will not join and get absorbed in the Corporations and hence the Government should not be adamant and the EGOM should come forward to accept our demand concluded C. Srikumar.