Bengaluru: BEML employees association protest against privatisation

The employees association of the Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) on Tuesday put up a protest in Bengaluru to show their objection against the Central Government's order to privatise the BEML. Around 200 employees participated in the relay protest and will continue doing so daily until the Government decides to take back its decision on privatisation. 

According to the sources, during the protest, the employees also raised slogans against the Central Government's labour policies. The protestors also expressed their concerns over the Central Government which was mooting to privatise not only BEML but a lot of other public sector companies across the country.

While interacting with a news agency, BEML employee association's President Domlur Srinivas Reddy on Tuesday said, "We have organised a relay dharna from yesterday in which every day 200 employees will sit in the dharna. We are opposing the government's decision of total privatisation. We will lose job security, 18% SC/ST reservation; moreover, 5% physically handicapped reservation will be wiped out if privatisation comes into effect. We demand that is should remain under the government with 51% stake."

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'The proposal does not suit us'

Another protesting employee named Vijay Kumar said, "The proposal of strategic sale does not suit us. The privatisation will affect the social status of many people. We will protest until the government takes back privatisation." According to the protestors, they have been carrying out these relay protests including candle march and forming human chains time and again to attract the government's attention so that it can look into the issue.

Central Government privatising BEML?

According to the sources, The cabinet secretary was expected to chair a crucial inter-ministerial meeting on strategic disinvestment of BPCL, Concor, SCI, BEML, and other companies on September 30. The Prime Minister’s Office had also put forward their clear mandate to sell or exit businesses in which the government has no direct business.

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(With inputs from ANI)