People's Democracy

THERE prevails at present a great sense of insecurity among the employees of the India Security Press, Currency Note Press, and the Government of India Mints and Paper Mills. Three months ago, in September the union cabinet had taken the decision to corporatise these units under the guise of allowing greater flexibility, autonomy, and increasing efficiency by cutting down the cost of production by upgrading technology. The decision was unilateral, taken without consultation with the concerned unions. The proposal was reportedly taken based on the report of the ERC submitted as far back as 2000.

The government contends that corporatisation process will optimise manpower and managerial deployment, and enable promotion policies, rewards and remuneration structure to be linked to performance and productivity. The whole process including the final absorption of employees can be achieved over a period of two years, with government providing interest-free working capital of Rs 700 crore.

It is important to note that the nine institutions concerned are engaged in printing currency, bank notes, MICR cheques, judicial and non-judicial stamps, postal stamps, passports, visa stickers, totalling around 700 items, plus the production of watermarked paper. These sovereign functions of the government cannot be termed or turned into commercial functions. As such they can be carried out by the government alone. Nowhere else in the world has such transfer of responsibility been allowed or taken place for the obvious reasons of security. Our country has already a bitter experience of scandals despite strictest control. The Fifth Pay Commission, examining the government’s role in this sphere, is on record in not regarding these units as commercial establishments.

STEP TOWARDS PRIVATISATION

It is apprehended by the employers, and rightly so, that corporatisation is a pre-emptive step to privatisation and apart from being against the CMP, there is apprehension that this may be followed by disinvestment by offloading parts of government equity. What is needed to optimise production is to streamline production by first and foremost replacing the age-old technology and properly utilising the new technology.

Shockingly, new modern machines, worth around Rs 300/400 crore have been lying idle in the units in Nashik, for shortage of manpower. Recruitment is not taking place, despite vacancies. There are a large number of dependents numbering over thousand, who have been agitating for some time on this issue. Thus instead of tackling such issues, the government is going ahead with the undesirable proposal of corporatisation which will not bring about the required change.

ACTION MOOTED

A month after the government decision was announced, the trade unions of the concerned units had served strike notice to the government on this issue on October 15, to oppose corporatisation and demanding rescinding of the proposal. Following this, two conciliation proceedings took place, with the next sitting specified for December 3. Till the conciliation agreements are known, the strike notice stands suspended.

Taking over the employees on deputation and absorbing them over a period of two years puts the interests, service-conditions of employees, in jeopardy, as the experience and example of a similar process in the MTNL has proved. It should be noted that there is complete unity and resolve amongst all the employees and their unions.

The employees opposition to corporatisation is total and unequivocal. Nothing can be proceeded without prior discussion in parliament.