The canteen employees of Defence units have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for the implementation of sixth pay commission and parity with other Central Government employees. In a memorandum submitted to Parrikar recently, All India Defence Civilian Canteen Employees Union pointed out that four years ago the CAG and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament repeatedlyasked the Government to implement the parity of staff working in canteens.
The Union alleged that the leadership of the Forces is opposing the directions of PAC and even misleading the Courts.. There are 4500 canteens across the country in Army, Navy and Air Force units and more than 20,000 civilian staff working in these units.
“With all humility and conviction, it is once again submitted that the Tri-Services (Army, Navy and Air Force) have been misleading the Ministry of Defence, Parliament and the Suprme Court with regard to the functioning of 4500 Unit Run Canteens (URC). The CAG as well as PAC, after a detailed examination of the functioning of URCs for a period of more than one year each respectively have come to a conclusion that the URCs are evidently a departmental activity controlled by the Tri-Services which is part of Ministry of Defence,” said the Union, seeking a fact finding commission to report the affairs of canteens.
The Union alleged that the Forces wanted to treat the activities of the canteens as private activity. They pointed out that the Canteens are involved in 12,000 crore annual turnover with more than Rs.1000 crore profit every year and the leadership of Tri-Services wanted to handle it as a private business.