Vizag Steel Plant workers to go on strike on May 20

Former MP Tapan Kumar Sen announces strike at RINL-Visakhapatnam Steel Plant due to pending wages and staff dismissal.

Former MP and CITU national general secretary Tapan Kumar Sen on Monday (May 19) announced that regular and contract workers of RINL-Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (RVNL-VSP) will go on strike from May 20 based on a call given by plant trade unions. While regular workers will strike work for a day, contract workers will go on an indefinite strike until their demands are met, he added.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Sen said the decision was taken after receiving no response from the management and the government on issues such as pending wages, phased dismissal of staff and non-allocation of captive mines to the plant.

CITU State general secretary Ch. Narasinga Rao, public sector industries co-convener Kumar Mangalam and CITU State secretary R.K.S.V. Kumar accompanied Mr. Sen.

Mr. Narasinga Rao said the contract workers have so far been protesting without disrupting production, but they will not hesitate to halt production this time.

For the past eight months, the workers have been receiving only 25% of their salaries. The BJP, JSP and TDP, which are part of the NDA government, have not taken the workers’ problems seriously despite several representations. He said the State government, led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, is also not considering the steel plant a State issue, he said.

On the other hand, J. Ayodhya Ramu, leader of Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee, said that 7,600 regular employees will participate in the one-day strike on May 20 for non-payment of salary dues, while 12,500 contract workers will strike work over the dismissal of staff and other issues. He said the plant will run with the available executive staff (about 3,000) on May 20.