Withdraw Decision To Corporatise Ordnance Factories : Federations To Raksha Mantri

Ultimately the axe has fallen on the 220 years old India’s Premier Defence Industry the 41 Indian Ordnance Factories. The Modi Government has completely ignored the representations and agitations of the Trade Unions of the Defence Civilian Employees of these Ordnance Factories. The Ordnance Factories were initially under the Directorate General of Ordnance Factories. Subsequently to strengthen and empower the Ordnance Factories the Government of India partially implemented the recommendations of the Rajyadhyaksha Committee and converted the DGOF in to ordnance Factory Board during Jan. 1979. Unfortunately the recommendations of the Rajyadhyaksha Committee to empower the OFB with autonomy, merger of Accounts and Finance functioning of the OFB was never implemented by the Government.

The Government which has so speedily, implemented the Corporatization from 1st Oct. 2021, has never bothered to approve the various proposals and recommendations of the OFB to strengthen and develop itself. All the proposals and recommendations of the OFB were either rejected or kept in cold storage for years together. The insensitive bureaucrats sitting in the South Block only utilized Ordnance Factory Board for their benefits and never bothered to encourage the growth of Ordnance Factories. Added to this the vested interested private lobbies, retired Army officers ruthlessly started criticizing the Ordnance Factories and defaming them. On all these ill designed criticism the DDP remained as a silent spectator. In fact one of the Federation of Defence Civilian Employees the AIDEF served a Lawyer Notice on a retired General for such false writings and thereafter he stopped maligning the Ordnance Factories.

The Employees of the Ordnance Factories are continuing their agitations. They have already gone to the Court against the Government decision. They have also conducted a Referendum in all the 41 Ordnance Factories and OFB Headquarters., to ascertain the mind of the employees on Corporatization. Today they have forwarded the result of the Referendum to Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, and other Ministers in the EGoM Committee on Corporatization of Ordnance Factories. More than 99% of the employees who participated in the Referendum have voted against the Govt. decision. The Federations have therefore appealed to the Defence Minister to respect the Referendum and to withdraw the Govt. decision. They also informed the Defence Minister that the day when the new 7 Corporations come in to existence i.e. on 1st Oct. 2021 they will observe Black Day and all the 76000 Employees will boycott the lunch to register their protest in a Gandhian manner. www.indianpsu.com accessed a copy of the joint letter dated 29/09/2021 addressed to Rajnath Singh. The contents of the same is published here for the benefit of the viewers of www.indianpsu.com –

Sub: Forwarding of the result of the Referendum held in 41 Ordnance Factories and OFB Hqrs., on Corporatisation of Ordnance Factories – Employees of Ordnance Factories to observe Black Day on 01/10/2021 by boycotting lunch.

In the meeting held with the Secretary(DP) on 27th Aug. 2021, the representatives of the Federations of the Defence Civilian Employees of Ordnance Factories have stoutly refused to buy the decision of the Government of India to Corporatise the all weather, dependable and time tested lifeline of the Indian Armed Forces, that is the Indian Ordnance Factories. The Government of India must have thought that by getting the support of INDWF the workers can be easily divided, since in the meeting held with the Hon’ble RM on 16/07/2021, the INDWF President openly made a statement supporting the Government decision to Corporatise the Ordnance Factories. MoD is aware that betrayal by any individual or any organisation can’t be taken as a guiding factor to assess/understand the views of the employees. Therefore in the meeting held with the Secretary(DP) on 27th Aug. 2021, the Federations requested the Secretary(DP) to order for a referendum on the issue amongst its State holders i.e. the employees of Ordnance Factories, to know their mind before proceeding with this ill advised move of the Government.

Since no action was forthcoming from the office of the Secretary(DP) on our request, we the Federations and CDRA have decided to conduct a Referendum on the issue in a most transparent manner. Accordingly a Referendum was held from 13/09/2021 to 25/09/2021 in all the 41 Ordnance Factories and OFB Hqrs., on the issue of Corporatisation of Ordnance Factories and the Factory wise result of the same is enclosed with this letter for your kind ready reference.

99.41% of the employees who participated in the Referendum have voted against the Govt. decision to Corporatise the Ordnance Factories. Out of 61564 employees who participated in the Referendum 61199 employees have voted against the Government’s decision. Only 365 employees have voted in support of the Corporatisation. This gives a crystal clear picture that inspite of the support extended by the INDWF to Corporatise the Ordnance Factories, even their own members have rejected their decision.

From the outcome of the referendum, it is amply clear that the ill advised move of the Government to Corporatise the Ordnance Factories in to 7 non-viable Companies does not have the mandate of the major stake holders of the Ordnance Factories, i.e. the employees who have overwhelmingly rejected the same. Under these circumstances we once again request the Government through your august office to please weigh the sentiments expressed by the employees through the Referendum on the issue before taking any further action on corporatisation of Ordnance Factories, in the overall interest of the Nation and its security in this unpredictable situation in our borders.

Employees of Ordnance Factories to observe Black Day on 01/10/2021 by boycotting lunch.

On 01/10/2021 the day when Government implement the operation of 7 non-viable Corporations of Ordnance Factories, the entire workforce of Ordnance Factories will observe Black Day and they will boycott their lunch on 01/10/2021 in protest against the unilateral decision of the Government.