Consultant Go Back – Protest by Ordnance Factory Employees

In the back drop of Government decision to Corporatize the Ordnance Factories, the
government have appointed M/s.KPMG Advisory Services Pvt. ltd., with M/S.Khaitan &; Co. Ltd.,
as consortium Member as the Consultancy Agency for the said project. The Department of
Defence Production in a letter dtd. 08/10/2020, addressed to Chairman of the OFB, have
directed that OFB may nominate a Nodal Officer at OFB Hqrs., and also in all the Ordnance
Factories who would be single point of contact for any support required to the Consultancy
Agency. The Federations of the Employees of Ordnance Factories have given a Strike Notice for
indefinite Strike from 12/10/2020 and when the preparation of the strike was spearheading in all
the 41 Factories the Chief Labour Commissioner (C), intervened and a settlement was reached
on 09/10/2020, that till a settlement is reached with the Government, the Government will not
proceed further for implementation of the Corporatisation decision in accordance with Sec. 33(1)
of the ID Act 1947.

The Federations in a Joint Letter dtd. 15/10/2020 have protested against the DDP letter
dtd. 08/10/2020 and have demanded that in accordance with the agreement the entire action on
Corporatisation should be kept on hold. However on 20/10/2020 the representatives of the
Consultancy Firms planned to visit the Bengal Group of Ordnance Factories consisting of RFI,
MSF, GSF & OF Dum Dum. When they landed at Ishapore they were welcomed by a huge
gathering of workers led by their Unions with the placard “Go back Consultant”. The workers
were in very much agitative mood, since according to them the Govt. has violated the settlement
reached on 09/10/2020. Seeing the opposition and aggressive mood of the workers, and their
Unions, the Consultants went back without visiting the Factory.
The three Federations immediately shooted a letter today to the CLC(C) and to the
Secretary/Defence Production. The letter jointly issued by AIDEF, INDWF & BPMS expresses
their concern and have informed the DDP that in case the DDP continue to violate the
settlement, then they will be left with no other option than to resort to agitational programmes
including restoration of the deferred strike and further legal action.

The contents of the Joint Letter dtd. 20/10/2020 is given below

SUB: BLATANT VIOLATION OF THE SETTLEMENT REACHED IN THE CONCILITION
PROCEEDINGS WITH THE RECOGNISED FEDERATIONS AND THE MOD IN THE
PRESENCE OF THE CLC(C) ON 09/10/2020 BY THE DDP.

REF: 1) Conciliation proceedings dated 9-10-2020 circulated vide Ministry of Labour and
Employment, Office of The Chief Labour Commissioner (C) vide letter dated 9-10-
2020.

2) AIDEF, INDWF and BPMS Joint Letter No.54/AIDEF/INDWF/BPMS/20, dtd. 15/10/2020.
It is most unfortunate that the DDP is repeatedly violating the settlement reached with the
Federations under the Provision of ID Act 1947 in the conciliation proceedings held on
09/10/2020 under the chairmanship of CLC(C) on our Strike Demands given in the Strike Notice
dtd. 04/08/2020. It is expected that the Government as a Model Employer instead of setting high
moral standards for ethics and fair play to implement the legal settlement reached is deliberately
violating the same, by going ahead with certain activities which are totally against the spirit of the
decision taken in the conciliation proceedings, to further vitiate the fragile already strained
Industrial relations between the Employer and the workmen. We have already registered our
protest in this regard vide our letter at (2) above, when the Govt. issued a letter dtd. 08/10/2020
with regard to the functioning of the consultancy firm. Instead of withholding all the process
relating to Corporatisation of OFB in accordance with Sec.33(1) of the ID Act 1947, which is
binding on the Employer as per the settlement , the DDP by completely ignoring and violating the
settlement has now directed the consultant appointed by them to visit various Ordnance
Factories. Today (20/10/2020) the consultant were planning to visit the Bengal Group of Factories
and which has unnecessarily provoked the workers resulting in a very serious unrest in the
concerned Factories, for which the DDP alone is responsible.

It is once again requested that the DDP may honour the settlement reached in the
conciliation proceedings held on 09/10/2020 and not to proceed any further in the matter of
corporatisation of OFB including the activities of the Consultant. In case the DDP continue to
violate the settlement, then we will be left with no other option than to resort to agitational
programmes including restoration of the deferred strike and further legal action. Hope you will
consider the entire matter in its true spirit and implement the settlement reached honestly without
any deviation and violation.