Organisational Interest Of OFB Should Be Top Priority Of Senior Officials Rather Than Individual Cadre Interest
www.indianpsu.com was the first platform to break the news about the Government decision to appoint CMD’s and functional directors to the newly created 7 Corporations which has been carved out from the existing Ordnance Factory Board setup. www.indianpsu.com was also the first platform to break the news of all 41 OFBs going on indefinite strike. We have received many reactions on these articles from different stakeholders. Due to paucity of place we are not in a position to publish all those reactions here. However, we thought it is prudent that we should publish the comments of one former Chairman of OFB and one former member of OFB who are in their eighty plus and have seen the functioning of OFB inside out. Their names are being withheld as they have spoken to www.indianpsu.com on condition of anonymity.
Views of a former Chairman OFB
The 7 PSU’s cannot function on its own as the facilities are by and large product specific. It is ridiculous to pay a hefty consultancy fee for just breaking and renaming the organisation. I fail to understand about the assurance of RM that the entire service conditions of all the employees would be protected in the new corporation. Government needs to clarify this. Unfortunately the people in the OFB are looking at the events based on an individual or a group of individuals unmindful of the serious, adverse implications on the organisation as a whole. Without a coordinating agency to monitor, control and ensure equity among the different groups is a recipe for a systematic and planned dismembering and disintegration of the organisation. Its a matter of time, the doors of the temples of Defence preparedness would be shut for ever. Unless the organisation stands as one man, vicious elements would capitalise on the differences and achieve their objective. A large can be said to contest the untimely and ill conceived proposal but then would achieve if the attitude of the people in harness is what it is. They would be watching like spectators with different subjective thoughts but no one, it looks would ever look at it as downfall of a great organisation with it, the reputation of those in service would get a knock on their head. The employees are fighting a valiant battle but some of them are crossing floor for meet their personal ends. People
should not now waste their time and energy on their cadre protection, they should jointly come forward to save the OFB organisation, that should be on the top of their agenda. The proposal of DDP for selection of CMD’s and Directors to the new 7 Corporations as I could see is a fraught with legal infirmities and if implemented would be a basket of kichidies. The Officers community of OFB should understand that the uniformed personnel and private agencies are waiting to take over their position. I pray god save OFB.
Views of a former Member OFB
I see it as a unprecedented jolt to the IOFS. The Government will say that service conditions of the Officers are not being altered. These are new positions created outside the ambit of the recruitment rules of IOFS. Only those who are willing to switchover to the new regime is to be covered by a new setup guidelines. I hope Government is not forcing them. If they don’t apply they will continue in their existing position like other employees. May be Government may ask to take VRS and quit. I don’t think the IOFS can legally fighting it out. Government will argue that nothing is being taken away in terms of pay, perks and pension. I can only say the Government decision is nothing but a colossal tragedy. It is in the interest of Defence of our country the OFB should remain as a single organisation. Already the Indian Army seems to be confused about their future requirements especially with regard to the requirement of battle tanks. We cannot afford to have too much variety in our tank fleet. We should not blindly depend on Russia, since they have made as more dependent on them. We should plan our tank fleet according to our threat perception rather than aim for unattainable ambitious super technical features with a dead line, which our Armoured Vehicle division in the OFB is capable of. This is possible only if OFB remains as a single Defence production organisation. All employees should focus on that direction.
www.indianpsu.com, at this juncture, would like to thanks all our viewers who are reading and reacting on our articles on Corporatisation of OFB.
Highly placed sources told www.indianpsu.com tht the federations are expected to communicate their decision of going on Indefinite strike against Corporatisation of OFB, tomorrow to the Defence Ministry. As and when we come to know about this we will publish the same and till then, the big debate continues…..
