Private management of critical operations of RINL sparks off resentment among employees-Trade unions contemplating to revive 'Save RINL' agitation to retain it in public sector

Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee (VUPPC), which spearheaded an agitation to oppose the strategic disinvestment of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) has threatened to hit the streets with another round of protests to stop privatisation of various departments.

RINL, corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant was sanctioned Rs.11,400 crore as part of a revival package early this year following an announcement by Union Steel Minister HD Kumaraswamy that the company would be retained in the public sector as per the decision of the BJP-led NDA coalition headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The trigger for threat to revive the 'Save RINL' agitation was the recent announcement by RINL managem to hand over two-thirds Captive Thermal Power Plant to private firms. Tenders have already been invited for private parties to run the Quality Assurance & Technology Department, Raw Material Handling Plant (RMHP) and Sinter Plant. The Fire Department is under the process of private management. The management has decided to seek Expression of Interest (EoI) for management of 32 departments forcing the employees and trade unions to seethe with anger.

"Bringing critical operations of steel-making like Steel Melt Shop 1, 2 and 3, all three Blast Furnaces, Structural & Wide Rod Mills, Madaram Mines, Roll & Repair Shops, Central Maintenance Shop & Special Technology Mill buttresses our allegations that the Centre is firm in selling RINL lock, stock and barrel to the corporates," INTUC national secretary Mantri Rajasekhar told Bizz Buzz on Tuesday.

AITUC national vice-president D. Adinarayana said the management at the behest of the Central Government wants to prune the staff size further. At present, the number of permanent employees has come down by half to 10,300 from nearly 20,000 in 2015-16. On an average, 100 to 150 employees retire on reaching superannuation age. There is a plan to downsize the manpower by another 1,000 by offering VRS, the unions say and suspect that once the staff size is brought down to bare-minimum, on the plea that the revival package has failed, the steel plant may be handed over to private ownership.

The union leaders are planning to approach political leaders and Central Ministers to stop privatisation of RINL in the next few days.

In a letter to Kumaraswamy, noted social activist and former IAS officer EAS Sarma, said "Since I had written to you last in April this year, as expected, both the Centre and the TDP-JanaSena government in the State, have made a series of calculated moves, evidently according to a well-designed plan, to destroy the CPSE character of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.. For example, your Ministry and other concerned Ministries started the process of weakening RINL by refusing to allot a captive iron ore mine, while allotting multiple mineral blocks to private companies. It has dealt a death blow to the finances of RINL.|

He stated in the letter: "Your Ministry officials then stopped providing logistical support tio RINL in providing timely supply of inputs like coke. Thereafter, your Ministry left senior positions in RINL vacant for long periods to weaken RINL's management. More recently, your Ministry forced VRS on thousands of its employees to disempower its highly competent workforce."