ROURKELA: Dissatisfied with the festive bonus of Rs 26,500, trade unions of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) have announced to join the agitation of all SAIL units on October 28.
Even as the five central trade unions - INTUC, BMS, AITUC, HMS and CITU - as members of the National Joint Committee on Steel (NJCS) remain adamant on increasing the bonus to Rs 40,500, RSP three days back transferred Rs 26,500 to the bank accounts of its employees. Vice-president of INTUC-affiliated Rourkela Shramik Sangh (RSS), the recognised union of RSP, Nihar Das said pursuing the common agenda of Rs 40,500 bonus, release of arrears, cancellation of gratuity ceiling and finalisaiton of revised wage, all the trade unions of RSP have decided to hold a joint demonstration on October 14 and 15. The trade unions have also decided to join the strike call of the central trade unions on October 28 in all SAIL plants and mines including RSP.
The trade unions and SAIL management have been on the loggerheads over the enhanced bonus demand. Das informed in 2023 the SAIL had paid bonus of Rs 23,000 to RSP employees and other profitable plants of SAIL. In 2022 the RSP employees along with their counterparts in other profitable plants of SAIL had received bonus of Rs 40,500 in two installments.
RSP and some other plants of SAIL have been making handsome profits and the SAIL management’s reluctance to pay adequate bonus to the employees is unfortunate, Das said. General secretary of BMS-affiliated Rourkela Ispat Karkhana Karmachari Sangh (RIKKS), Himanshu Sekhar Bal too slammed the SAIL management and insisted on payment of enhanced bonus and release of 39 months arrears, waiver of gratuity ceiling and finalisation of wage agreement.