Trade unions warn SAIL 'shut down' over wage

The public sector steel workers’ wage agreement is revised every five years by the NJCS comprising representatives of SAIL management and the central trade unions.

Sources said, disturbed at the strike notice given by the unions across the country, SAIL had started wage negotiation in the NJCS meeting from June 22. (File Photo | Reuters)

ROURKELA: As the National Joint Committee on Steel (NJCS) meeting held virtually over six consecutive days till Sunday failed to finalise wage revision of SAIL workers, the major trade unions have threatened to shut down all SAIL units including Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) on Wednesday.

As a prelude to the strike across the country, members of trade unions affiliated to BMS, INTUC, CITU, AITUC and HMS at RSP  wore black badges on Monday. They have decided to hold demonstration on Tuesday. Reportedly,  non-executives’ wage revision is pending since January 2017. The public sector steel workers’ wage agreement is revised every five years by the NJCS comprising representatives of SAIL management and the central trade unions. 

Sources said, disturbed at the strike notice given by the unions across the country, SAIL had started wage negotiation in the NJCS meeting from June 22. In a partial success, its offer of 13 per cent growth in Minimum Guaranteed Benefit (MGB) enhancement on basic pay and Dearness Allowance was accepted. But the NJCS meeting ended abruptly on Sunday with SAIL rejecting demand for growth of perks at par with SAIL executives.

Dejected, the BMS-affiliated Rourkela Ispat Karkhana Karmachari Sangh (RIKKS), the recognised trade union of RSP, has put its foot down to go on strike on Wednesday. President of RIKKS HS Bal insisted SAIL should stick to the principle of equitable distribution and announce perks at par with officers.

Apparently, INTUC central leader G Sanjeeva Reddy in the NJCS meeting opposed the strike decision, but faced with pressure from workers, the INTUC-affiliated Rourkela Shramik Sangh (RSS) and its friendly union Gangpur Mazdoor Manch of RSP have decided to join the strike. RSS President Prashant Behera said the RSS would join the strike on Wednesday. 

Given the present situation, it is feared, the RSP alone may suffer production loss of nearly Rs 30 crore on a single day, while it would be Rs 200-250 crore for SAIL. Meanwhile, the SAIL officers’ body Steel Executives’ Federation of India (SEFI) general secretary and RSP Executives’ Association (RSPEA) president Bimal Bisi cautioned that the drastic step of strike would land the PSU in economic trouble as the present favourable market condition is waning.