Trucker'S Strike Hits Transport Of Nalco Aluminum

Sources said the strike has hit movement of metal from the smelter to various parts of the country since the eighth of this month. The company dispatches 300 to 400 tonnes of metal every day by trucks.

Sources said the rift between the two associations over the share of load is a long standing one and surfaces every few months leading to prolonged disruption in metal transport. In 1993, the two associations, through the mediation of the district administration, had reached an agreement to sort out the issue.

According to the agreement, the Angul Truck Owners' association was allowed to lift about 65 per cent of the load with the rest going to the operators functioning under Nalco Aluminum Truck Owner's Association. However, the latter backtracked from the agreement and demanded a higher share of load. The present impasse, sources said, has been set off by the Nalco Aluminum Truck Owner's Association to press the demand for increasing its share of transport load to atleast 50 per cent.