A meeting of all-party trade unions, held at the district office of the AITUC at Allipuram in Visakhapatnam on 27 September, decided to rope in different trade unions and other people’s organisations to protest privatisation and mount pressure on the Central government for the merger of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant with SAIL and allotment of own mines.
Speaking at the meeting, AITUC district general secretary G S J Atchuta Rao, CITU district general secretary R K S V Kumar said the trade unions would protect the plant at any cost as it was achieved after sacrifices by several agitators.
As a part of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant privatisation protest, a relay hunger strike would be observed across the State by different sections of people on 1, 2 and 3 October.
While youth and students would take part in the relay fast on 1 October, activists and leaders would observe a fast on 2 October. On the third day, members of women’s organisations all over the State would participate in the proposed relay hunger strike.
Observing that the NDA government at the Centre was vindictive towards Andhra Pradesh and trying to sell the plant at a nominal rate to private parties, the trade union leaders alleged the Centre was creating problems for the plant with the idea of selling it.
They urged the TDP and the Jana Sena to agitate for the protection of the steel plant and the TDP should lead an all-party team to Delhi to discuss the steel plant issue with the Centre. Leaders of different trade unions in the city were present.
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This article is written by Senior Journalist Lakkoju Nagesh Babu
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