The Centre has issued an ordinance which makes it illegal for employees of the Ordnance Factory Board to go on strike. The Essential Defence Services Ordinance (Edso) comes weeks after the Centre announced a radical overhaul of the OFB and is in anticipation of widespread employee protests against OFB’s corporatisation. Parliament is expected to pass a bill to replace the ordinance in the monsoon session.
Edso forbids strikes at any unit involved in the production of defence equipment, maintenance tasks and repairs for the armed forces. It carries a penalty of up to two years imprisonment for those inciting strikes and one year jail for those participating in such strikes, besides disciplinary action including dismissal from service. The definition of strike has been broadened to include slowdown of work, refusal to work overtime and mass casual leave. The ordinance comes as OFB employee unions have been threatening to go on a nationwide indefinite strike from July 26 in protest against OFB’s corporatisation.
Almost 80,000 OFB employees threatened a similar strike last year but deferred it following border tensions with China. Earlier this month, the Union Cabinet gave final approval for restructuring 41 OFB factories, dividing them into 7 companies with corporate management. The long pending plan, first mooted almost two decades ago, is meant for greater accountability and efficiency of the factories.
The government had fast paced plans to change the structure of OFB last year, with the military too flagging the need for a reliable supplier of ammunition to maintain operational preparedness. Among several issues raised by the military on the current functioning of the OFB was a concern over its inability to absorb technology developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. Under the reforms step, seven new government owned corporate entities will be created on the lines of existing Defence Public Sector Units like and Bharat Electronics Limited with professional management. The entities will be engaged in specialised work like ammunition and explosives, vehicles, weapons, troop comfort, opto-electronics and parachutes.
Edso forbids strikes at any unit involved in the production of defence equipment, maintenance tasks and repairs for the armed forces. It carries a penalty of up to two years imprisonment for those inciting strikes and one year jail for those participating in such strikes, besides disciplinary action including dismissal from service. The definition of strike has been broadened to include slowdown of work, refusal to work overtime and mass casual leave. The ordinance comes as OFB employee unions have been threatening to go on a nationwide indefinite strike from July 26 in protest against OFB’s corporatisation.
Almost 80,000 OFB employees threatened a similar strike last year but deferred it following border tensions with China. Earlier this month, the Union Cabinet gave final approval for restructuring 41 OFB factories, dividing them into 7 companies with corporate management. The long pending plan, first mooted almost two decades ago, is meant for greater accountability and efficiency of the factories.
The government had fast paced plans to change the structure of OFB last year, with the military too flagging the need for a reliable supplier of ammunition to maintain operational preparedness. Among several issues raised by the military on the current functioning of the OFB was a concern over its inability to absorb technology developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. Under the reforms step, seven new government owned corporate entities will be created on the lines of existing Defence Public Sector Units like and Bharat Electronics Limited with professional management. The entities will be engaged in specialised work like ammunition and explosives, vehicles, weapons, troop comfort, opto-electronics and parachutes.
( Originally published on Jun 30, 2021 )
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