Unions’ demands unviable, says HAL management

The HAL workers’ union, which began an indefinite strike on Monday, has accused the management of making misleading statements about the company’s financial position and failing to implement a wage revision with effect from January 1, 2017.

Meanwhile, the HAL management has termed the strike as illegal. “In spite of the HAL management offering the best revised wage package, HAL unions have gone on an illegal and indefinite strike from Monday. The strike is illegal as conciliatory proceedings are on and is against the advice of labour authorities, who want the unions to arrive at an amicable solution without resorting to agitational means,” company said in a release.

“The HAL unions have shown total disregard for an organisation classified as a Defence Establishment under ‘Public Utility Service’, the release said.

The HAL management said its offer was reasonable, fair and in conformity with the wage agreements finalised by other Defence PSUs. Instead of appreciating this, the unions have come up with the demands that are unviable in the current and futuristic business scenario. The unsustainability and untenability of the demands has been explained to the unions several times.

“There is no justification and rationale in the demand of the unions to extend the benefits (fitment benefit and allowances) on a par with or more than executives, when the salary revision of executives was effected from January 1, 2017 after the stipulated 10-year period. The increase in respect of officers with effect from January 1, 2017 needs to be compared with the base of January 1, 2007. On the other hand, workmen have had two wage revisions of five years periodicity during the same span. The revision needs to be settled keeping in view the increase derived by the officers from the 2007 scales to the 2017 scales and by the workmen from the 2007 scales to the 2012 scales and now the 2012 to the 2017 scales,” company explained.

The HAL management has left no stone unturned to arrive at a mutually acceptable resolution of the issue. In the regard, a series of 11 meetings were held, the last two on October 12 and 13.

HAL hopes that the large majority of its workers would appreciate and accept the management’s position.

‘Management misleading workers’

Suryadevara Chandrashekar, chief convener of The All-India HAL Trade Unions’ Coordination Committee (AIHALTUCC), told BusinessLine , “the board of directors and senior management, at the AGM held on September 18, said the company was doing well. Profits and revenues were good and satisfactory. The company has Rs 60,000 crore worth of orders on hand.”

“Now, when employees demand implementation of a wage revision and settlement, which has been due since 2017, they are singing a different tune, that they do not have funds to implement the scheme,” he added.

“Why is the management misleading the shareholders, public and workers? Is it due to pressure from anyone?” he asked.

Chandrashekar also said: “So far, the unions have had 11 rounds of talks with the management, the most recent one being on October 13.”

He added: “As the management has failed to consider the fair and reasonable demands of the unions, we have decided to go ahead with the indefinite strike. The unions had served notice of the strike on September 30.”

As the talks had failed, AIHALTUCC had passed a resolution on October 13, that it would resort to its plan to hold an indefinite strike from today, i.e. October 14. Twenty thousand employees in nine units in seven states were taking part in the strike.

Conciliation talks

The HAL management, in a release, said after the unions served notice of the strike call, conciliation proceedings had commenced in all locations. It also claimed that labour authorities had advised the unions to desist from holding the strike and come to an amicable solution, in consultation with the management.

The management said a series of meetings were held with union representatives on October 12 and 13.

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