Usually the workers of different units of the Steel Authority of India (SAIL) including the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) get wage revision in every five years. The wage revision is made through a collective bargaining process by joint meeting between SAIL management and NJCS (National Joint Committee for Steel comprising members five Central trade unions i.e., INTUC, HMS, AITUC, CITU and BMS).
But this time it is already delayed for 4.8 years as workers were supposed to get new revised wages and other benefits like MGB, perks etc. from January 1, 2017, alleged leaders of Rourkela Shramik Sangh (RSS) and Gangpur Mazdoor Manch (GMM) in a Press briefing on Wednesday They said due to inordinate delay in wage revision, the workers were not only losing financial benefit but were living with mental agony and financial hardships. The labour leaders urged management to make a final decision in coming September 6 NJCS meeting. Briefing to media, RSS general secretary Prashant Behera said though DPE (Department of Public Enterprises) guideline is not applicable but present Union Government says unless SAIL earns profit for three consecutive years there will be no wage revision for workers.
The SAIL has been earning huge profit since 2018-19 financial year. As per record while SAIL earned net profit in 2018-19 of Rs 3,337.89 crore, it was Rs 3,170.66 crore in 2019-20, Rs 6,879.03 crore in 2020-21 and in first quarter of 2021-22 it was 3,897 crore.
If management allocates 10% of profit, then there will be no problem for wage revision but due to the anti-workers attitude of management and Union Government, this has been delayed inordinately, he alleged.
