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The union leaders said the plant was incurring a loss of Rs 15-20 crore per day due to production loss and the management should change its stance.

Visakhapatnam , June 12

THE 8,000 contract workers of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) are firm on continuing their strike demanding a minimum interim wage of Rs 4,000 per month, according to the union leaders (of CITU and AITUC).

The strike, which began on June 2, is being supported by the CITU and the AITUC and opposed by the recognised union affiliated to the INTUC.

Mr J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy, district secretary of the CPI and AITUC leader, and Mr M.V.S Sarma, the district secretary of the CPI (M) and CITU leader, said at a joint press conference here on Sunday that the steel plant management was resorting to all kinds of intimidatory and divisive tactics.

"They are threatening to cancel gate passes of the contract labourers, which is a bad labour practice. They are threatening some of the permanent workers in the plant, who are leading the contract labourers, with dire consequences," the two leaders alleged.

Rebutting the argument of the management that minimum wages were being paid to the contract labourers in accordance with the State Government GO, they said there was no single minimum wage fixed for the steel workers under the State Act.

"In fact, the State Labour Commissioner has made it clear that the steel plant can evolve its own wage pattern. Even if we take into account the management's contention, the contract workers in the steel plant are not even getting as much as the workers in the steel re-rolling mills in accordance with the State Act. The steel plant management's statements are clearly misleading," they said.

They said the contract workers had contributed substantially to the turnaround of the steel plant during the last four to five years. "The plant has earned a profit of Rs 4,000 crore or so during the period. They are not asking for their share of it. They are only seeking a subsistence wage of Rs 4,000 a month," Mr Sarma and Mr Satyanarayana Murthy said.

They alleged that the management was denying the contract labourers even the minimum bonus of 8.33 per cent and there was no medical facility for them.

The union leaders said the plant was incurring a loss of Rs 15-20 crore per day due to production loss and the management should change its stance. It should negotiate with the workers for an amicable settlement and the State Government and other political parties should also intervene, they pleaded. The workers would till then continue the strike, they added.

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