Central government continuing to privatise VSP through various means, say Left leaders

Meeting in Vijayawada organized by Left parties in support of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant workers' strike against privatization.

The CPI(M), CPI and their frontal organisations are organising a meeting in Vijayawada on May 21 in support of the indefinite strike by contract workers of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) commencing on Tuesday. 

Leaders of the Left parties stated in a press release that the Central government continued to make attempts to privatise VSP through various means. One of them was the termination of the services of nearly 3,000 contract workers in the first phase, which has already been done, and another 2,600 in the second phase. Besides, 1,400 permanent jobs were planned to be cut, and only half of the workers’ salaries were being paid for the last eight months. The Centre has been dragging its feet on allocating captive mines to the VSP. 

The Central government had announced a financial package of ₹11,440 crore for the revival of VSP after State - wide protests, however, from that amount, ₹9,346 crore has been taken back on account of various dues. This was deceiving to the thousands of employees. 

While the employees, workers and people were fighting against the privatisation of VSP, the State government was endorsing the actions of the Central government. The leaders demanded that the State should mount pressure on the Centre to give up its plan to privatise VSP, saying that it could be made a profit-making enterprise, provided there was political will.