Workers of the Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant (VISP), a public sector unit in Bhadravathi, have decided to stage a series of protests this month demanding that the Steel Authority of India (SAIL) withdraw its decision to disinvest its stake in the firm.
J.N. Chandrahas, president of the VISP Workers’ Union, told The Hindu that the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given in-principle approval to SAIL for strategic disinvestment in VISP and in its alloy steel plants in Durgapur and Salem. A meeting of the trade union leaders of all the steel plants coming under the purview of SAIL was held in Rourkela, Odisha, on December 19 to workout the modalities of the struggle to be launched against the move.
The VISP workforce is now at 1,595 — 363 permanent workers and 1,232 contract workers. As per the strategy worked out at the meeting, the family members of the workers serving with VISP will stage a dawn-to-dusk protest in front of the main entrance gate of the factory on January 12. The workers have also decided to seek government intervention on the matter.
Mr. Chandrahas said he had written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on January 1 explaining the “detrimental effects” disinvestment would have on the workers. In the letter, he has requested Mr. Siddaramaiah to expedite allotment of the 140-acre captive mine in NEB Range and the 240-acre one in Ramanadurga range of Ballari district to VISP.
A massive convention of the workers of all the steel plants serving with SAIL is planned at Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, on January 20. More than 50 VISP workers are expected to participate in the convention. The workers of VISP also plan to stage a hunger strike in Bhadravathi on January 31.
On Tuesday, the VISP Workers’ Union plans to paste posters across the town seeking the support of political parties and representatives of civil society organisations for their protest, Mr. Chandrahas added.
Source: The Hindu.Com