Workers of 3 SAIL plants strike work to protest stake sale

Employees of three SAIL plants, that the government plans to divest, went on day-long strike today to protest against the stake sale, a trade union leader said.
Employees, including temporary and contract workers, at Salem, Durgapur and Bhadrawati units of SAIL observed day-long strike, CITU general secretary Tapan Sen told PTI. He claimed that production was hit at these plants due to the strike.
However, a Steel Authority of India (SAIL) official said that there was no impact of the protest and production was normal at these plants.
The Salem steel plant suffered a production hit as the strike was to the tune of 95 per cent, Sen claimed. The plant produces around 2,000 tonnes of steel per day.

The strike was to the tune of 85 per cent at alloy steel plant in Durgapur, Sen added.
At the steel plant in Karnataka, he said, from the last one week there is no production due to non-availability of iron ore, adding that the annual capacity at this plant is less than one million tonnes.

According to SAIL official, the attendance at the three plants was 50 per cent.
At full capacity, the three plants produce 1,400-1,500 tonnes of steel per day.
India National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) National President G Sanjeeva Reddy said that all the existing unions, including INTUC and CITU, at SAIL's three units -- Durgapur, Salem and a plant in Karnataka -- went on strike from 6 am.

There was no production at the plants, he said.
"Employees are demanding that government give them one more year so that workers and officers can show profitability" of these plants, Reddy had said yesterday.
The government has in principle approved strategic disinvestment of Bhadravati, Salem and Durgapur (alloy steel plants).