New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a bill allowing the central government to prohibit strikes in units engaged in essential defence services amid opposition protest.
The Bill was passed through voice vote amid din and the House was adjourned till 1600 hrs.
The Essential Defence Services Bill aims at preventing the staff of ordnance factories from going on a strike. Around 70,000 people work with the 41 ordnance factories around the country.
Moving the bill in the Lower House, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt stressed it was a matter of national security and urged MPs to pass the bill unanimously.
Opposition MPs had, meanwhile, moved a statutory resolution disapproving the bill.
Revolutionary Socialist Party MP NK Premchandran accused the government of trying to privatise ordnance factories through this legislation indirectly.
“There are 41 ordnance factories in India. Government is trying to privatise these in an indirect way… The whole purpose of the bill is to ban strikes,” he said.
“Banning strike means the legitimate rights of workers are being taken away,” he said, opposing the bill.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhary called it a draconian measure.
“It is a draconian measure to throttle democratic rights of labour. We are ready to debate everything, but start with Pegasus,” he said referring to the snooping controversy.
“This kind of legislation should be passed when the House is in order,” he said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, however, said that the bill served national interest.
“This is keeping in view national security, so that there is no shortage of arms and ammunition,” he said.
“We have talked to all employee unions and representatives. This law will come into force only when invoked, and will be effective for just one year. It is possible that we may never need to invoke it,” he said.
The Opposition members, meanwhile, continued raising slogans against the Pegasus snooping controversy, farm bills, and other issues.
The bill was passed amid din through voice vote later, and the House was adjourned till 1600 hrs. Earlier, the House was adjourned twice amid din.