Civilian defence employees decide to hold dharna at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi and at all defence establishments on 2nd August for their demands

Report by Kamgar Ekta Committee (KEC) correspondents

The All India Defence Employees’ Federation (AIDEF) has sent a notice to the Defence Secretary informing that the Office Bearers and National Executive Committee Members of the AIDEF will sit on Dharna at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi and the affiliated Unions will hold dharna in the respective Defence Establishments on 02.08.2024 to press for early resolution of their demands.

Demands:

Withdraw the anti-worker attitude of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) towards the Defence Civilian Employees such as ignoring their issues/grievances and demands and also ignoring their Trade Unions and Federations.
Withdraw the failed experiment/decision of the Government of corporatizing the Ordnance Factories.
Implement the agreement/settlement reached between the Department of Defence Production (DDP) and the 7 Ordnance Factory Corporations with AIDEF in the presence of Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) with regard to the right of nomination of the representatives of AIDEF in the IR / Consultative Mechanism constituted by MIL, AWEIL, AVNL and IOL.
Pending withdrawal of corporatization of Ordnance Factories, a notification may be issued by the Government retaining the status of the Defence Civilian Employees of Ordnance Factories who are on deemed deputation in the 7 Corporations till their retirement from service.
To direct the 7 Ordnance Factory Corporations not to reduce the sanctioned strength of the various categories in the 41 Ordnance Factories as existing on 01.10.2021, since the promotions to the employees in the Ordnance Factories are carried out on the basis of the sanctioned strength.
Stop privatization, outsourcing, abolition of posts, closure of Defence Units, downward revision of the authorization/ceiling of industrial posts in MES without considering the functional requirement and workload and stop contractual/fixed term appointments in the Defence Establishments including in the 7 Ordnance Factory Corporations.
Scrap NPS and restore Pension under CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 (now 2021).
Activate and ensure regular meetings of the Departmental Council (JCM) of MoD, Additional Meeting Mechanism and the JCM-III Level Councils to settle the issues and grievances of the Defence Civilian Employees.
To treat the MoD vide Letter dated 20.05.2003 releasing more than 7,000 vacancies to the Ordnance Factories and MoD Letter dated 15.12.2003 through which vacancies were released to HVF, Avadi for T-90 project should be treated as “Notification” for the purpose of conversion from NPS to Pension under CCS(Pension) Rules, 1972 (now 2021) in accordance with DoP&PW OM dated 03.03.2023 to the Ex-Trade Apprentices who were recruited on batchwise seniority.
No restructuring of DRDO by implementing the adverse recommendations of Prof. Vijaya Raghavan Committee.
No restructuring and shrinking of DGQA.
Fill-up all the 2.5 lakh posts lying vacant in the Defence Establishments.
Immediate constitution of the 8th Central Pay Commission.
Release of the 18 months DA arrears due to the Central Government Employees and Pensioners.
To give one more option to the Central Government Employees to switch over to 7th CPC from any date up to July, 2017.
Stepping up of pay of the Senior Employees who were promoted up to 31.12.2015 at par with the Juniors promoted after 01.01.2016 as given to the Armed Forces Personnel.
Restore the Commuted portion of Pension after 12 years from the date of commutation instead of 15 years.
Implement the recommendations of the Standing Committee of Parliament to enhance the Pension every 5 years after retirement.
Settle all the outstanding and major demands of the Defence Civilian Employees including:
1. Revision of Inter-grade Ratio for the Artisan Staff (Tradesman).
2. Settle all NIE cadre restructuring of all the Directorates / Headquarters.
3. Correlation of the hourly rates of the Industrial Employees deployed on Piece Work System in the Ordnance Factories in 7th CPC Pay Scale.
4. Restore compassionate ground appointments in the Ordnance Factories.
5. Payment of Dress Allowance to all the Industrial Employees.
6. Payment of Night Duty Allowance in 7 th CPC Pay Scale in the actual Basic Pay of the employees without any artificial pay ceiling limit.
7. Revision of Risk Allowance at par with Risk and Hardship Matrix and payment of Risk Allowance to all the categories and to left out organizations.
8. Establishment of CGHS Wellness Centers in all the Districts in the Country.
9. Withdraw illegal regularization of the legal strike period as “Dies-non”.
10. Filling up of the Junior Engineer vacancies in MES from amongst the qualified Industrial Employees.
11. DRTC review as proposed by AIDEF and withdrawal of DR Provision in the SRO in Group “B” posts in Level – 6 in the Admin and Allied Cadre of DRDO.
12. Stop unilateral recovery from the employees / retiring employees on the plea of wrong payment made in violation if the DoP&T and Department of Expenditure instructions and such recoveries may be written off.
13. Implement all the Court Judgments given in favour of the employees to all similarly placed employees such as inclusion of HRA and TA in the OT wages under Factories Act 1948, notional increment to the employees retired / retiring on the last working day of June and December, 1.86 fitment factor to be applied in Rs. 6,500/- to the employees who were in the 5th CPC Pay Scale of Rs. 5000-8000 and Rs. 5500-9000 as on 31.12.2005, parity in the Pay Scale of Stenographer, Assistants / OS at par with Central Secretariat, to treat the movement of HS Grade Employees to HS-I between 01.01.2006 and 14.06.2010 as placement for the purpose of MACP, Dress Allowance to all Industrial Employees etc.
14. Accumulation of EL 300+30 days to the Industrial Employees.
15. No withdrawal of the 3rd MACP given to the Industrial Employees in Grade Pay Rs. 4600 and in Grade Pay Rs. 4800 (in the case of employee recruited directly as HS Grade).
16. Extension of option to the employees who were given Entry Pay Benefit to switch over to 6th CPC Pay Scales w.e.f. 01.01.2006.

In case the above demands are not settled, the Federation has decided to intensify the agitation in the Defence Establishments in the coming days.

For the past more than 3 years the Defence Ministry is completely ignoring the Defence Civilian Employees and their recognized Federations. The Defence Civilian Employees are totally dissatisfied and they are completely demoralized because of the apathy of the MoD towards them. The Dharna at Delhi is the first phase of agitation and the National Executive Committee of AIDEF will further decide about the future course of action programme in its meeting scheduled at New Delhi on the 1st of August, 2024.