According to AIDEF general secretary C Srikumar, the defence civilian employee association has asked for the same pay rate, career promotion opportunities and some other privileges as Indian Railway employees get.
In a circular dated May 13, 2026, AIDEF says Indian Railways and the Ministry of Defence are the major employers of industrial employees, but defence civilian employees are always discriminated against in matters of pay scales, promotion, inter-grade ratio for the artisan staff compared to Railway employees.
AIDEF also claimed that, despite the fact that the defence industry requires a high level of precision and zero tolerance in the production of guns, ammunition, explosives, weapons, and dangerous chemicals, they face discrimination.