Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) federations threaten indefinite strike

The three primary recognised federations of defence civilian workers of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) have threatened to go on an indefinite strike towards the Union Cabinet determination to separate the organisation into seven company entities.

They have collectively written a letter to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Secretary Defence Production (DP) Raj Kumar protesting towards the “arbitrary, one-sided and biased decision” in violation of all of the earlier written agreements and assurances, and demanded or not it’s withdrawn.

“It is astonishing that when negotiations are pending, conciliation process is inconclusive, in the absence of the federations in the conciliation meeting held on June 15, 2021, the Government has taken a hurried decision to corporatise the OFB into seven entities,” the federations stated within the letter dated June 23.

On June 16, the Cabinet accredited the corporatisation plan to show the OFB, which has 41 factories, into seven totally government-owned company entities for higher administration and enchancment of effectivity.

The letter said that the Secretary DP had agreed to rearrange a gathering with the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) shaped to supervise the corporatisation to debate in regards to the alternate proposals given by the federations.

“It is a clear case of betrayal by the Government, because Secretary, DP himself has asked the federations to give a viable alternate and robust proposal to MoD which would be submitted to the EGOM for a discussion with the federations, so that OFB could achieve the higher expectations of its customers, being in the Government set up itself,” it stated.

‘Hasty process’

The federations strongly really feel that the complete course of to corporatise the OFB is “stage-managed, hasty and took in a hurried manner, without any application of mind about the impact of this decision on the defence preparedness of our country and also about the future and service conditions of 76,000 employees”.

The letter famous that workers had been recruited as Central authorities workers, and as per Article 309 of the Constitution, there was no point out of their appointment letters that their standing can be modified through the service interval and must work in Corporation or Public Sector Undertakings (PSU).

Earlier, based mostly on a conciliation settlement reached on October, 09, 2020, the three recognised federations determined to defer the indefinite strike discover given by them.

The letter alleged that “without giving any importance” to the goodwill prolonged by the federations, “total injustice is meted out to the employees of OFB”, as a result of the federal government has “abruptly closed the door for negotiation by arbitrarily” deciding to corporatise the OFB. Due to this, the federations have introduced their plan to go on an indefinite strike.

The federations, in addition to three different associations, have known as for a joint assembly on June 27 for broader unity to combat again towards “the most dangerous decision taken” by the federal government, a joint round issued on June 23 stated.