THE delay in an agreement at the National Joint Committee for Steel (NJCS) meeting seems to have some ill-affects back home in Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP). A group of employees protested the delay amidst mounting COVID deaths and positive cases alleging management for being insensitive and not initiating adequate measures to guard employees against the pandemic. After information on Saturday noon, SAIL-BSP, Director I/c, Anirban Dasgupta also reached Universal Rail Mill (URM) of BSP and personally interacted with employees and pacified them. The various NJCS meeting remained inconclusive as the unions were reluctant to accept the offer of management. As per information since night shift duty workers from Universal Rail Mill (URM), Bar and Rod Mill (BRM), Merchant Mill, Power and Blowing Station (PBS), Machine Assembly Repair Shop (MARS), Blast Furnace-8 and Steel Melting Shop-III, BSP resorted to tool-down strike.

 

The workers were also alleging management for being callous to workers genuine demands and failing to deal with spread of pandemic in the plant effectively. However, majority of the employees are not in favour of a strike affecting the production as it never happened in Bhilai. S K Baghel, General Secretary, Steel Employees Union (INTUC) stated that the employees should not opt for tool-down protest for any demand instead in co-ordination with trade union they should raise their demand at right forum. He also added that the measures initiated to guard the workforce against pandemic are inadequate and the plant management should review measures at all level for effectively checking everyday loss of precious life due to the pandemic. S P Dey, General Secretary, CITU said that more than the delay in wage revision the pathetic measures to protect the employees against pandemic triggered resentment among employees.

 

Pramod Mishra, General Secretary, Bhilai Shramik Sabha (Hind Majdoor Sabha HMS) informed that the trade unions’ demands are genuine. But the SAIL management is hardly showing any sensitivity to COVID deaths in plant and still its focus is on productivity and production, alleged Mishra. Meanwhile, amidst a divided opinion on the strike which majority has not supported and consider as against the Bhilai culture Public Relation Department officials informed that workers from few departments in the plant staged demonstration on Saturday for wage revision according to their demands and for bringing in policy for appointment of dependents on compassionate ground in COVID death cases. However, SAIL-BSP, Director I/c, Anirban Dasgupta interacted personally with agitating workers and apprised them that such issues could be resolved at SAIL level and that it could not be decided at plant level.

 

He exhorted them for dialogues to sort out the issue when ESMA is invoked with spread of COVID-19 pandemic to check crowd. The facilities and perks benefits to employees are directly correlated to company’s profitability hence it is not fair to press demands keeping production at bay and also maligning age old exemplary work culture of BSP. Director I/c, Dasgupta called workers for work with discipline and due commitment and it resulted in normal operation in most shops and mills in the plant.