DMK MP & Defence Standing Committee Member Writes To Raksha Mantri On Post Corporatization Issues Of Ordnance Factory Employees

Dr. Kalanidhi Veeraswamy, DMK Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Chennai North in Tamil Nadu, who is also member of the Defence Standing Committee, has written a letter to Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh expressing concerns and raising issues of Ordnance Factory Employees, post corporatization of the Ordnance Factories of the country.

The letter is reproduced below for the benefit of the viewers of www.indianpsu.com –

Dear Shri. Rajnath Singh ji,

I thankfully acknowledge the receipt of your letter No.50(47)/2021-D(Estt)/NG/1936NIP/F/21, dtd.19th Aug 2021 on the subject of Corporatisation of Ordnance Factories and Essential Defence Services Act 2021. After the implementation of the Cabinet decision to Corporatise the Ordnance Factories in to 7 Companies w.e.f. 01/10/2021, the employees of all the 41 Ordnance Factories, even though they are still Central Govt. employees and on deemed deputation are facing many difficulties and problems due to the decisions being unilaterally taken by the Management of these 7 Corporations in violation of the Cabinet decision and the DDP OM dtd. 24/09/2021 with regard to the protection in the service conditions given to the employees as Central Government employees. Due to this there is an unrest and discontentment amongst the 76000 employees working in the 41 Factories. In this regard I was told that the Federations of the Defence Civilian Employees have already represented to the Secretary(DP) bringing to his notice the various issues affecting the employees on deemed deputation. Some of the issues which they have represented is given below for your kind reference :

1) Unilateral change in the Weekly working ‘hours of the employees of Ordnance Factories

2) Overtime wages/Overtime Allowance is an inseparable part of the Wages of Ordnance Factory Employees and hence the same cannot be stopped abruptly thereby reducing the wages of the employees by 10 to 20%.

3) Arbitrary withdrawal of piece work profit ceiling limit by TCL & Yantra India Ltd.

4) Disturbances in the Medical facilities and patient care services in Ordnance Factories

5) Difficulties in GPF withdrawals

6) Compassionate Grounds appointment

7) Inter Factory / Inter Directorate transfer cases

8) Standstill of Industrial Relation Machineries

I was also told that two Court cases are already pending before the High Courts on Corporatisation and about the status of the employees. In this situation I request you to kindly intervene in the matter and kindly arrange to issue instructions to the Authorities that they should strictly abide by the Cabinet decision on Service matters and no decision on service matters should be taken by the Corporations, since the employees are Central Govt. Employees. I also request you to kindly activate all the Industrial Relation Machineries functioning in the Ordnance Factories as on 30/09/2021, so as to maintain harmonious Industrial relations and to gain the confidence of the employees.
With kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

DR. KALANIDHI VEERASWAMY