RINL unions, officers' outfit bat for merger with SAIL for survival

Naidu’s Pre-Election Promise: A Beacon of Hope for RINL Workers Against Privatisation

Visakhapatnam: The employees’ unions and officers’ association of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, have launched a campaign to garner support for their long-standing demand to merge the financially struggling public sector with the steel giant, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). The primary goal of this lobbying effort is to save the Visakhapatnam-headquartered public sector company from potential closure or imminent privatisation. With the recent change in government in Andhra Pradesh and the establishment of the Modi 3.0 regime at the Centre, employees are hopeful that this will be a decisive battle for their future.

They highlight that the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant was established following the 'Visakha Ukku Andhrula Hakku' agitation in 1969, which resulted in the sacrifice of 32 lives during police firing. A recent statement by Union Minister of State for Steel Bhupatiraju Srinivasa Varma, indicating that they would respect the sentiments of the people, has rekindled their hopes for a brighter future.

Following the elections, G Kishan Reddy from Telangana has been appointed as the Union Minister for Coal and Mines. Additionally, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu from Andhra Pradesh has become the new Cabinet Minister for Civil Aviation. All three ministers from the undivided Andhra Pradesh region are familiar with RINL’s needs and have expressed their commitment to supporting the company, in response to growing public opinion. TDP State President Palla Srinivasa Rao, who won as MLA from Gajuwaka where most of the RINL employees reside, has stated that their party is committed to retaining RINL as a public sector entity.

During the run-up to the general elections, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, whose support is critical for the Modi 3.0 Government, pledged to lead a delegation of alliance partners to Delhi post-elections to urge the Centre to drop the privatisation proposal. He also claimed credit for the withdrawal of a previous privatisation proposal and the launch of a revival package during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure as Prime Minister.

“We are optimistic that the new governments at the Centre and State will understand our demand and provide RINL with a working capital grant to increase production. We believe that a merger with SAIL is a viable long-term solution that would benefit both entities. SAIL, which has captive mines, plans to invest Rs1 lakh crore to expand its capacity by 75% to 35 million tonnes per annum by 2030. RINL, with its 20,000-acre land bank, proven workforce, and potential for expansion from its current capacity of 7.3 million tonnes, fits well into this growth strategy,” stated Ch Narsinga Rao, president of Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Samiti, to Bizz Buzz.