Will Secretaries Now Meet Trade Unions After Cabinet Secretary’s Advisory? Asks AIDEF’s C. Srikumar

Dr. T.V. Somanathan, Cabinet Secretary, recently issued a significant DO letter dated July 9, 2025, to all Secretaries of the Government of India, addressing a growing concern: the reluctance of Secretaries and senior officials to meet individuals who are not government officials, including representatives of recognized trade unions and federations.

In the letter, the Cabinet Secretary emphasized the importance of engaging with people from various sections of society, including trade union leaders. Such engagement, he noted, offers key insights into ground realities, helps clarify misunderstandings about government policies, and creates space for new ideas and course corrections.

Reacting to this positive move, C. Srikumar, General Secretary of AIDEF (All India Defence Employees Federation), expressed cautious optimism. He remarked that in his 43 years of service as a trade union leader representing central government and defence civilian employees, this is the first time he has seen such widespread reluctance from Secretaries and senior officials to meet even recognized union representatives.

“In the past, Cabinet Secretaries and senior bureaucrats such as T.N. Seshan, N.N. Vohra, T.S.R. Subramaniam, and R.K. Singh were always receptive. Even informal, unscheduled meetings often helped in resolving long-pending employee issues,” said Srikumar. He further pointed out that the Secretaries also serve as Chairpersons of the Departmental Council under the Joint Consultative Machinery (JCM) for central government employees and are duty-bound to hold meetings at least thrice a year.

The absence of these meetings, he said, has led to an erosion of employee faith in the consultation mechanism. Red-tapism continues to flourish, and issues remain unresolved for years, forcing employees to seek expensive legal remedies. “Even when employees win in court, the government often drags cases to the Supreme Court. Judgments are implemented only for the petitioners, leading to multiplicity of litigation on identical matters,” he said.

One of the recent grievances highlighted by Srikumar is the denial of Compassionate Appointments in the post-corporatization era of the Ordnance Factories. Despite repeated assurances, no concrete orders have been issued in the last one year, he alleged.

He also pointed out that since 2016, no meeting of the Departmental Council JCM has been convened in the Ministry of Defence, despite repeated requests. This apathy, he said, has extended to ministers too, who once used to play an active role in facilitating dialogue between unions and bureaucrats.

“It is not only serving employees who are affected. Pensioners are also facing severe issues related to pension, terminal benefits, and CGHS medical facilities,” he added.

Srikumar warned that unless regular meetings are held, many unresolved issues will burden the 8th Central Pay Commission when it begins its work. “We hope that the Secretaries heed the advice of the Cabinet Secretary and initiate regular consultations with Trade Union Federations so that grievances can be addressed in a timely manner,” he concluded.