Honour Assurances And Commitments Given To Defence Employees – AIDEF To Raksha Mantri

Recently, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Senior Officials of the Ministry of Defence visited Field Gun Factory, Kanpur one of the Ordnance Factory which is under the AWEIL. During the visit of the Minister the Union representatives met the Defence Minister and expressed their concern about the future of the Ordnance Factories and their service future.

The Defence Minster then and their assured the employees that as already committed to the Federation the interest of the Ordnance Factories and the employees will be protected. Immediately after this, the All India Defence Employees Federation have addressed the representation to the Defence Minister in which they have recalled the assurances given to them by the Defence Minister on 16.07.2021, in a meeting held with them that the service conditions and service related matters including employees welfare will be protected and that regular meetings with the Federation will take place.

The AIDEF, points out that post-corporatization the problems faced by the employees are getting aggravated day by day and that the MoD/DDP is not taking any steps to redress the issues and that no meetings are also being convened by the MoD/DDP despite their innumerable representations. Their main concern is about the Government not publishing notification for retaining the status of the employees as Defence Civilian Employees till their retirement, non-grant of Compassionate ground appointment to the wards of deceased employees, increasing accidents, Unilateral reduction in the Labour Estimates in an unfair manner, Closure of Ordnance Factory Schools, Non-Filling up of vacancies, Contractual appointment, Minimum 30 days Bonus under the Bonus Act etc., www.indianpsu.com accessed a copy of AIDEF Letter dated 04.11.2024, written by its General Secretary C. Srikumar. The contents of the letter is published below for the information of the viewers of www.indianpsu.com –

04/1004/Min/ AIDEF/24 04-11-2024

To
Shri. Rajnath Singh ji
Hon’ble Defence Minister
Government of India,
South Block, New Delhi – 110 001.

Respected Sir,

Sub:- Request for implementation of the repeated assurances being given by Hon’ble RM on the Service related matters and Welfare of the Defence Civilian Employees of 41 Ordnance Factories who are on deemed deputation with 07 Ordnance Factories Corporations – Reg.

Post-Corporatisation of Ordnance Factories, the Hon’ble RM in a meeting held with the Federation on 16.07.2021 have assured us that the service conditions and all the service related matters including employees welfare will be protected and taken care of by the MoD. However, during the past more than 3 years we have submitted innumerable representations to your honor about the various problems / difficulties being faced by the Defence Civilian Employees of Ordnance Factories Post-Corporatisation. Unfortunately even though your honor assured that the Ministry of Defence will hold regular meetings with the Federation to address all the issues pertaining to the employees, no such meeting has taken place in the past 3 years. The following are the major issues which we have been representing to your honor and also to MoD.

1. To publish a notification retaining the status of the Defence Civilian Employees of Ordnance Factories who are on deemed deputation with the 07 Corporations as Central Government Employees / Defence Civilian Employees till their retirement from service as already done in Parashar Bharati. In this regard the DDP have already
   given written assurance in the Hon’ble High Court of Madras and which is recorded in the Judgement in the WP filed by AIDEF.
2. Unending accidents in the Ordnance Factories especially in the MIL Group of Factories resulting in death of Workers due to violation of Safety Norms, unilateral reduction of Labour Estimates, Deployment of Untrained and Contract employees in Chemical Processing and Danger Building etc., Payment of Rs.1 Crore Compensation and immediate appointment to the family members to the employees who made the supreme sacrifice for the Defence of the Country.
3. Grant of Compassionate appointment to the dependents of the deceased employee of Ordnance Factories which is unilaterally stopped by the DDP/MoD.
4. Renewal / Validity of the CSD Canteen Grocery Card for 10 years on every renewal or till the date of their retirement.
5. Nomination of the AIDEF representatives in the IR Mechanism / IR Machinery of AVNL, MIL, AWEIL, & IOL despite the understanding reached in the presence of CLC (C).
6. Periodical meeting with the recognized Federation at the Level of Secretary (DP) and holding of the meeting of Additional Meeting Mechanism under the Chairmanship of JS (LS) of DDP.
7. Restoration of Admission in the Ordnance Factory Schools for the Children / Grand Children of the employees and to continue the functioning of the Schools as a Social responsibility.
8. Continuing the Ordnance Factories Hospital and strengthening the same considering the sensitivity of each of the Ordnance Factory.
9. To dispense with the Contractual appointment of Ex-Apprentices in Skilled Jobs and also in other categories and to fill up the vacancies in all the categories including in Tradesman by following the existing Recruitment Rules.
10. Revision of the Inter-Grade Ratio of the Artisan Staffs / Tradesman and approval of all the pending Cadre Review proposals.
11. Payment of the Minimum Basic Time Wages / Guarantee Wages as per MoD orders and Minimum Wages Act to the Industrial Employees deployed on Piece Work System.
12. Correlation of Hourly Rates at the Skilled Pay Scale of Rs. 19,900/- in the 7th CPC Pay Scales for fixing the Job Rates.
13. In the name of Cost cutting no arbitrary reduction of Labour Estimates.
14. Implementation of various Court Judgements including

(a) Inclusion of HRA / Transport Allowance etc., for calculating Overtime Wages under Factories Act 1948 and Payment of Arrears.

(b) Payment of Night Duty Allowance without Basic Pay Ceiling Limit

(c) Revision of the Pay Scale of the Assistants / OS / PA at par with Central Secretariat

(d) Grant of MACP in the Grade Pay of Rs.4200/- by ignoring the placement from HS Grade to HS-I for the period from 01.01.2006 to 14.06.2010.

(e) Grant of Option to the employees who got Entry Pay benefit to Switch Over to 6th CPC from 01.01.2006. (f) Regularization of the Legal Strike period as “ No Work No Pay” and not Dies- Non.

15. To ensure minimum 30 days Bonus to the employees of the Defence Civilian Employees of Ordnance Factories who are on Deemed deputation in the 07 Corporations and to issue directions to TCL to pay 30 days Bonus instead of 21 days to the employees for the year 2023-24.
16. To settle all the leave related issued of the Industrial Employees of Ordnance Factory which already AIDEF is represented.
17. To allow the Qualified Medical Assistants to become Pharmacist / Lab Technician / Radiographer through a relaxation of the RR/SRO.
18. To convert the employees from NPS to Pension under CCS Pension Rules 1972 (now 2021) to those who were recruited against the vacancies sanctioned by MoD to the Ordnance Factories on 20.05.2003, and also in the vacancies sanctioned for T-90 Project of HVF, Avadi.
19. Promotion / LDCE to Chargeman (T) has been withheld for more than 02 years on the plea of pending Court cases. Steps to be taken for getting the matter settled through the Hon’ble Courts at the earliest so that the concerned employees are benefited.

Sir, all our representations on the above issues are pending with DDP / MoD. In this situations when your honor visited the Field Gun Factory, Kanpur (one of the Ordnance Factory) on 02.11.2024, the employees along with the representatives of Field Gun Factory Mazdoor Union affiliated with this Federation met you in the Shop Floor and expressed their deep concern about the non settlement of the above service related issues of the employees who are on deemed deputation in the Corporations.

Your honor have assured the employees and the Leaders that as assured to the Federation all the service related issues of the employees will be taken care of and will be settled. Your honor further assured that very soon you will hold meeting with the Federation to discuss all the issues / grievance of the Defence Civilian Employees of Ordnance Factories.

In view of the above, we once again request the Hon’ble RM to kindly intervene in the matter and arrange to issue necessary instructions for settling the above outstanding issues of the Defence Civilian Employees who are on deemed deputation with the 07 Corporations.

Awaiting for your favourable response from your honor.

With kindest regards.

Yours sincerely

(C. SRIKUMAR)
General Secretary
Leader/Staff Side

Departmental Council (JCM)
Ministry of Defence.