Civilian employees of various armed forces establishments including Ordnance factories and the laboratories of the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) have reportedly called a three-day strike from January 23-January 25. The strike comes as a protest against the government’s move to privatise the defence production sector.
According to a National Herald report, employees of 41 ordnance factories, 52 DRDO labs and other production units have spoken out against the Modi government’s attempt at privatisation in the past two years. However, they are forced to strike now as — Arun Jaitley, Manohar Parrikar and Nirmala Sitharaman – MPs who held the Defence portfolio in the Modi government didn’t pay any heed to their demands, All India Defence Employees Federation (AIDEF) spokesmen said.
NH reported that the production of over 200 products, declared as “non-core”, has been outsourced. These also include important items like parachutes and tents. At present, the civilian staff fear that their jobs might not be secure. The recommendations of the Shekatkar Committee — which stated that 120 different products should be manufactured by private firms and defence establishments like Army Postal Service Offices in non-combat areas and so-called “peace locations” should be shut down — further cemented their fears.