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More than 3.5 lakh defence workers took part in the three-day nation-wide strike calling for “nationalisation” of defence production that began on Wednesday. The strike is also supported by Bharatiya Pratiraksha Mazdoor Sangh, a trade union affiliated with the Sangh Parivar’s Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh.
Making the strike politically important, the unions have also cited the Rafale deal example, wherein the licence to make fighter aircraft was given to Reliance, allegedly ignoring Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), a PSU. The trade unions said the strike is a “patriotic” action as giving away defence contracts to foreign and private companies may prove dangerous from a national security standpoint. BMS General Secretary Virjesh Upadhyay said the fondness to “outsource” is an “insult” to the workers. “The workers of our defence PSUs are competent. The products they make are also highly competent, cost-effective and have been proved beneficial to the security of the country. By outsourcing all major contracts without citing any valid reasons, the Centre is challenging the competence of our workers,” Upadhyay said.
The BMS General Secretary added that though trade unions have raised such issues in the past, the government failed to give a convincing reason for privatisation and dependence on foreign products so far. “Indian PSU products will match any tests of quality, quantity or price. The Centre has no convincing arguments for giving contracts to private agencies,” Upadhyay added. Congratulating the workers, CITU General Secretary Tapan Sen said the strike is not for any financial benefits of workers. “Almost 80 per cent of the staff have participated on the first day of the strike. The BJP-led government is destroying the indigenous defence manufacturing set-up created after Independence. The strike is against this destruction. If our dependence on defence production increases, it will be dangerous for the country,” Sen added.
The trade union leaders said all workshops, depots, establishments of Army, Navy, India Air Force, 41 ordnance factories, 50 DRDO labs, dockyards and Military Engineering Service establishments were totally shutdown on Wednesday. All three recognised federations of the defence sector are participating in the strike.
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