Unions gearing up for steel plant polls today

Visakhapatnam: Thousands of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, the flagship company of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, workers witnessing a tough triangular fight in the recognised trade union elections. The polling for the election is on February 5. Though there are 23 trade unions in the plant, the main contest is between the INTUC, CITU and AITUC panels only.

All the three main panels assuring that they will work for not only welfare of the workers but also safeguarding the company. With the Central government’s strong decision to disinvest its shares from the company, the trade union during the three-week long massive campaign mainly focused that they would fight against the government against the disinvestment.

All the contestants are making their best efforts to bag the votes. Though it is only for a trade union election, all the contractors, private agencies working in the plant and political leaders of neighbouring areas were involved in the campaign. Some of the key leaders are reportedly using caste card and currency in the elections.

The INTUC panel is contesting on lion symbol, while the CITU and AITUC panels are contesting on bell and rose symbols respectively. There is a vertical split in TNTUC. The TDP discipline committee suspended party general secretary Boddu Pydiraju, who along with hundreds of workers supporting the CITU panel. 

However, Gajuwaka MLA Palla Srininvas Rao announced that severe action would be taken against the leaders who violated TNTUC and TDP guidelines. Meanwhile, the INTUC which is chalking out its strategies expressing hope that the workers would elect the union as it had fulfilled all the assurances promised in the earlier elections.

General secretary of INTUC Mantri Rajsekhar, who is having strong hold among the workers and also with the management, stressed the need to elect INTUC as the it’s the only union which would fight against the privitisation of the company.

The CITUC and AITUC leaders N Rama Rao and D Adinarayana are also implementing their strategies to win the crown. However, as the two Left wing unions separately contesting, INTUC exuded confidence that win is a cakewalk.