The indefinite strike by the employees of Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML), a profit-making mini Ratna public sector company, in protest against the Union government move to privatise the company turned a year on Thursday.
It was on January 6 last year that hundreds of BEML employees started their agitation against the government move to disinvest 26% shares.
CITU national secretary Chandran Pillai inaugurated the anniversary dharna in front of BEML unit at Kanjikode, near here, on Thursday evening. Mr. Pillai also inaugurated a ‘candle light protest’ in front of the company. CITU district president P.K. Sasi presided over the function.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Pillai said that the agitation by the BEML employees was a nationalist struggle as they were trying to protect a company involved in the manufacturing of vital equipment, including military equipment.
He said that by privatising a company suchs BEML, the Union government was trying to jeopardise the hundreds of soldiers who guard the country on the borders.
“BEML is worth more than ₹56,000 crore. It is being sold off for ₹1,800 crore. It smacks of corruption,” said Mr. Sasi.
BEML had secured orders worth more than ₹10,000 crore through global tenders last year. A company engaged in the manufacturing of heavy military vehicles, rail and metro coaches, and mining and construction vehicles, BEML has units in Bengalur, Kolar, Mysuru, and Kanjikode.
The Kanjikode unit is functioning on 375 acres of leased land given by the State government. It manufactures army vehicles, passenger railway coaches, and metro coaches. It has 350 permanent employees and 150 contract workers. It already churned out 1,500-odd heavy military trucks, 300 railway coaches and 500-odd metro bogies. The unit is equipped to produce 500 metro bogies a year.