VISAKHAPATNAM: The relay hunger strike being organised at Kurmannapalem steel plant gate by Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee entered its 80th day on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion, committee convener J Ayodhyaram said people expressed their anger against the BJP government through vote in the Assembly elections for its failure to control the Covid spread.
“It is the public sector units which are meeting most of the oxygen needs of people during the pandemic,” he said and urged steel plant management to take steps to implement Covid guidelines. “Vaccination should be given to all employees and the government should takBJP
e initiative in this direction. We lost 19 employees during the first wave of corona and in the last four days, 20 employees fell prey to the virus. It was high time the management took steps to tackle the Covid situation,” Ayodhyaram said. Porata committee co-convener K Satyanarayana and others were present.
Meanwhile, steel plant unions, at a virtual meeting of NJCS with the SAIL chairman, RINL ED (personnel) and CEOs of all SAIL units, demanded that the vaccination programme be taken up on a war-footing for employees and their family members and oxygen and ventilator facilities should be made available at SAIL and RINL hospitals.
The steel management said it will conduct vaccination programmes at the units with the support of the respective state governments and a decision regarding payment of ex gratia of Rs 15 lakh for Covid victims will be taken by the board.AITUC leader D Adinarayana and others urged the NJCS to hold a zoom meeting soon to discuss problems of employees including wage revision.