BHUBANESWAR | Monday, November 2, 2009 | Email | Print | 
CITU strike gets huge response in Rourkela; Steel plant suffers losses
Aurobinda Das | Rourkela
The two-day all India strike in all the units of SAIL by CITU got overwhelming support causing total disruption in production in Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP). Even many members of the two leading workers’ unions ie Rourkela Shramika Sangha and Rourkela Mazdoor Sabha in Rourkela Steel Plant also joined the agitation.
It might be mentioned here that the workers of different units of SAIL are supposed to get revised wages since January 1, 2007. But due to the dilly dallying of SAIL management it is being delayed. Besides, keeping the rights of the workers in the back burner, the authorities have been extending all sorts of benefits to the executives gradually. When the management is delaying to revise the wages of the workers for months together but in other hand on October 23, it has declared the enhanced wages of the officers.
As per the present structure, apart from the sky-level basic an officer will get 46 per cent Minimum Guarantee Benefit (MBG), 46 per cent perks, 20 per cent of plant production. That is why the workers are upset since then.
Similarly, the wage revision for contracts workers was last done in 1995. So in total the regular and contract workers under SAIL are upset for months together. So to put pressure on the SAIL management, CITU Central committee adopting a policy before going for strike has sought for the verdict of the workers on the first week of Oct though secret ballot in which the workers irrespective of their union affiliation had overwhelmingly voted for the strike.
The thumping support of the workers inspired the CITU to call for a two-day (30-31 October 30, 31) all-India strike in different units of SAIL with a condition that if the wage revision negotiation failed on the core Committee Meeting of NJCS on 21 October at Delhi. The NJCS on 21 October failed to come to a conclusion and CITU expedited its preparation for strike. But in other hand the criticising the strike call of CITU, the RSS and RMS distributed press releases here.
Despite all this, the CITU supporters under the leadership of its State Unit General secretary Bishnu Mohanty, district committee leaders Banamali Dhupal, Biman Maity, Basanta Nayak, Srimant Behera, Surendra Mihanty, Rajkishore Pradhan, Ajay Sharma gathered in Bisra Chowk in hundred of numbers on October 30 early morning. The CITU activities divided into groups and picketed in all the entry points of the Plant. Gradually it was noticed that the workers of other unions have not only voluntarily poured into the demonstration spot but also they openly criticised the stand point of their respective unions.
On the first day the plant was deserted with contract workers and production in SMS-2, Hot Strip Mill and Silicon Mill totally disrupted and in two other units were partially hampered. But the situation on October 31 was more enthusiastic for workers and dissatisfactory for the management as almost all the units were affected and the management was compelled to shut down two blast furnaces.
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