VSP unions to meet on Jan. 26 for deciding on agitation

Visakhapatnam: The steering committee of Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee, a federation of all Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) unions, will meet on January 26 to discuss the next course of action, announced committee’s convener Ayodhya Ramu, senior CITU leader.

Workers of VSP had launched their agitation on January 27, 2021 soon after the centre announced 100 per cent disinvestment in the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate entity of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.

Talking to this correspondent in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, Ramu said though the trade unions have welcomed the package announced by the centre, many of them are of the opinion that it is a temporary solution.

“The government did not announce any withdrawal of strategic disinvestment,” he pointed out, saying the centre should have announced merger of RINL with SAIL or allotted captive mines.

Chairman of the committee Mantri Rajasekhar said VSP trade unions have different opinions on the package announced by the central government on January 17.

He said while the moderate unions are of the opinion that the agitation should be called off, as the central government has provided relief, Left unions want the protest to continue, as the package is meagre and not a long-term solution.

Convener of the committee and senior CPI (M) leader Dr. B. Ganga Rao underlined that RINL has huge debts and has kept employees’ salaries pending. The package announced by the centre to run the plant will not last for more than six months, he stated.

“The three blast furnaces need ₹4,500 crore per month for full operation,” Ganga Rao explained.