Alleging that the Steel Authority of India limited (SAIl) has unbearably delayed in signing a wage pact for the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) workers, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) on Wednesday threatened to protest the visit of the SAIl chairman’s visit to the steel city on April 26.
“The SAIl management has been cheating the workers for last 28 months by not signing a wage pact with the National Joint Council for Steel (NJCS). Though it signed an interim agreement on January 25 to provide benefits to the workers, it is yet to implement the same. Hence, we have decided to protest the apathetic attitude of the management,” said CITU All India vice-president Bishnu Mohany.
He said as per the interim agreement signed wit the workers’ unions the SAIl had to provide 17 per cent minimum guarantee benefit (MGB) and six per sent fringe benefit to all workers form January 1, 2012 January 2012. It also promised to pay 50 per cent of the arrears by March 31, 2014.Besides, it was decided that the management would take early decision on house rent, ‘C’ shift allowance, pay scale and increment protection soon, Mohanty informed.
He said apart from protesting the SAIl Chairman’s visit, RSP workers would stage a mass demonstration at Bisra Chowk for two hours from 7am to 9 am on April 30. Similarly, workers of Kalta and Barsuan mines will stage protest at the same time at their mines. He further threatened that the agitation would be intensified if demands are not met by April 30.