HYDERABAD, July 11: All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) has given a call to all its Office Bearers, State Federations and All India Bankwise Organizations to observe ‘Protest Day’ on July 23 in protest against draconian Essential Defence Services Ordinance – EDSO against ban on strikes in Defence sector and Ordnance factories and to express solidarity with the defence sector employees.
In a ciruclar, AIBEA General Secretary Ch Venkatachalam late on Saturday night said our members are aware of the continued attempts of the Central Government to Corporatise the 41 Ordnance Factories belonging to the Government with a view to privatise them.
Against the decision of the Government, last year, all the employees working in the Ordnance Factories and Defence sector jointly gave the call for strike for 30 days. The Chief Labour Commissioner intervened and during the discussion the Government said that employees cannot go on strike during pendency of conciliation.
Unions also said that pending conciliation, Government should not go ahead with their proposed decision. Thus, the strike was deferred and the issue was referred for review.
However, in last month, suddenly, the conciliation was closed as failure and immediately Government proceeded with corporatisation of the Ordnance Factories and to make them into 7 corporations.
Against this nakedly unfair action, the Unions protested and on June 20 they gave the call for Indefinite Strike from July 19 2021.
On June 30 2021, the Government has promulgated the Essential Defence Service Ordinance (EDSO), Mr Venkatachalam said.
He said in terms of this Ordinance, going on strike will result in dismissal and punishment of imprisonment for one or two years besides fine.
”In a democratic country like India, right to protest against any adverse decisions of the Union Government is a natural right and curbing the same with such draconian measures in unacceptable and high-handed. It needs to be opposed tooth and nail”, the top union leader asserted.
Defence sector employees are preparing for a grim struggle against these measures of the Government. While we strongly condemn the Ordinance, we express our total support and solidarity with the employees and workers in the Defence sector and Ordnance Factories.
To express the support of entire trade union movement, all the Central Trade Unions have given the joint call to observe July 23 as a protest day, he added.
Mr Venkatachalam called upon office bearers, state federations and all India Bankwise Organizations to protest by wearing badges on that day.
The Joint Platform of 10 Central Trade Unions (CTUs) —-INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA AICCTU, LPF, UTUC, Independent Sectoral Federations and Associations, in its meeting held on July 8 reiterated its active support to the ongoing united struggle, under the joint leadership of the five federations of the Defence Production employees, against aggressive and hectic exercise of the Central Government to privatise Defence Production sector and Ordnance Factories Network.
The leaders of CTUs note with concern that, simultaneously, a substantial part of the defence related production is being outsourced to private sector, both indigenous and foreign, permitting 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
All these measures are going to severely weaken the indigenous production network of all basic requirements of the defence forces, much to the detriment of national interests.
The Defence Employees Federations have been fighting unitedly with determination and commitment against these anti-national policies.
The leaders of CTUs expressed serious concern and voiced their condemnation of the hasty promulgation of the Essential Defence Service Ordinance by the Central Government, meant to brutally suppress the rising discontent and anger among the Defence Production employees against these anti-national policies.
The Ordinance bans the right to strike in defence production sector. It has various draconian penal provisions extending even beyond strike, to all kinds of collective democratic protests. It empowers the Government to extend those brutal autocratic measures to other sectors as well.
The Joint Platform of CTUs denounces such atrocious Ordinance with a firm resolve to fight and resist unitedly the authoritarian ways of the Centre.
It has therefore called upon the working people all over the country and the entire trade union movement to raise their united voice of protest and condemnation against this authoritarian Ordinance hurriedly promulgated by the Central Government to push its policy of privatization of the PSUs, Railways, Mines, Financial Sector as well as the Defence Production network under Government, in fact the national productive assets and infrastructure in entirety, only to benefit big corporates, foreign and domestic.
The Central Trade Unions call upon the workers and their unions to observe countrywide protest and agitation on July 23 against the Draconian Ordinance, against rampant drive of privatization of PSUs, Defence Production sector and Ordnance Factories network in particular, while reiterating their active support to the ongoing struggles of Defence Production employees against privatization and in defence of National interests. (UNI)
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