Employees of the two ordnance factories in Tiruchi are understood to have decided to extend their fullest cooperation to the protest announced by trade unions next month to highlight the difficulties they have been facing post-corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board.
Earlier this month, the All India Defence Employees' Federation, Bharatiya Pratiraksha Mazdoor Sangh and Confederation of Defence Recognised Federations communicated to the Secretary - Defence Production, the notice for observance of protest from December 8-10 by employees of 41 ordnance factories through demonstrations and wearing black badges.
“The Cabinet decision to protect the service conditions of the employees and applicability of all extant rules and regulations which are applicable to Central government employees, including related to their pay scales, allowances, leave, medical facilities career progression and other service conditions, is blatantly being violated by the seven Corporations,” AIDEF general secretary C. Srikumar said.
The first of the charter of 20 demands calls for restraining the seven corporations from “unilaterally and whimsically” altering service conditions of the employees of ordnance factories in violation of the Cabinet decision.
The trade unions have emphasised on proper functioning of all industrial relation machineries.
If employees are deployed for additional work, in addition to the normal working hours of 44 3/4 hours per week, they should be paid overtime allowance/wages. The overtime payment must cover industrial employees deployed on piece work system, Mr. Srikumar said.
The other demands of the federations include continuance of medical facilities for employees, ensuring regular payment of General Provident Fund withdrawals, granting compassionate appointment to dependent of deceased employees without further delay, settlement of all pending inter-factory/inter-directorate transfer cases, granting promotions in accordance with government instructions and recruitment rules, carrying out cadre restructuring in consultation with the federations and desisting from dismissing contract workers.
