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Hans India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
HRF demands reinstating VSP's terminated contract workers
Visakhapatnam: Expressing solidarity with agitating contract workers of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant who were terminated, the Human Rights Forum (HRF) demanded reinstating all the 3,000 of them with immediate effect. HRF AP state president KV Jagannadha Rao and HRF AP and TG coordination committee member VS Krishna emphasised that the management must abandon attempts to terminate a further 1,800 contract workers. 'We condemn the management's use of police to intimidate workers instead of engaging in dialogue and seeking democratic resolution of issues raised by them. Resorting to fear tactics instead of negotiation, particularly when production at the plant is being affected, is unacceptable,' they stressed. Contract workers are the backbone of daily operations at the plant but they continue to be denied basic rights, job security and dignity at the workplace. Their persistent demands for regularisation and fair wages remain to be unmet, the HRF representatives expressed concern. The Central government is orchestrating a systematic conspiracy to privatise the steel plant by granting Rs.11,440 crore package, waiving GST and other dues and making the plant lucrative for the private players, Jagannadha Rao and Krishna stated. 'We condemn this attempt to hand over a precious industrial asset built on the sacrifice of 32 lives and voluntary land donation by people belonging to 69 villages to corporate interests on a platter,' they said. In the 40-year history of the VSP, such intimidation tactics and huge police deployment were never witnessed. The suspension of protesting workers and the issuance of show-cause notices, the HRF representatives said, were in direct violation of the Industrial Disputes Act of 1948. HRF calls for immediate stoppage of punitive actions by the management and a democratic and peaceful resolution of grievances of employees and contract workers at the VSP and attempts to privatise the steel plant are halted.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Contract workers' strike at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant: Human Rights Forum condemns privatization push, demands immediate reinstatement
VISAKHAPATNAM: The Human Rights Forum (HRF) stands in solidarity with the ongoing agitation by contract workers of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. Contract workers at the VSP have been on an indefinite strike for the past 10 days to realise their legitimate rights in the face of sustained threats by the management. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The HRF, led by KV Jagannadha Rao, HRF AP State President, and VS Krishna, HRF AP and TG Coordination Committee member, demands that the 3,000 contract workers who were recently terminated under the govt's retrograde privatisation policies be reinstated immediately. The management must abandon attempts to terminate a further 1,800 contract workers. We condemn the management's use of police to intimidate workers instead of engaging in dialogue and seeking a democratic resolution of issues raised by them. Resorting to fear tactics instead of negotiation, particularly when production at the plant is being affected, is unacceptable. Contract workers are the backbone of daily operations at the plant, but they continue to be denied basic rights, job security, and dignity at the workplace. Their persistent demands for regularisation and fair wages are met not with dialogue, but with intimidation and removal. It is common knowledge that the central govt is orchestrating a systematic conspiracy to privatise the steel plant by sanitising its financials—issuing an Rs 11,440 crore package, waiving GST and other dues, and making the plant attractive for private players. We condemn this attempt to hand over a precious industrial asset—built on the sacrifice of 32 lives and the voluntary land donation by people of 69 villages—to corporate interests on a platter. In the 40-year history of the VSP, we have not witnessed such intimidation tactics and huge police deployment. The suspension of protesting workers and the issuance of show-cause notices, we believe, are in direct violation of the Industrial Disputes Act of 1948. These actions are nothing but the implementation of the regressive new labour codes that the govt is actively pushing. HRF calls for the immediate stoppage of punitive actions by the management and a democratic and peaceful resolution of grievances of employees and contract workers at the VSP. All attempts to privatise the steel plant must be halted.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Farmer suicide in Srikakulam sparks outcry over govt inaction and GO-43 delay
SRIKAKULAM: The (HRF), Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV), and BC Welfare Association (BCWA) call on the Andhra Pradesh govt to implement GO No-43 immediately and ensure that the family of (58), a farmer from Peddhakhojiria village in Kanchili mandal in the Uddhanam region of Srikakulam district, is financially compensated. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Murthy died by suicide on April 9 this year following severe distress caused by increasing debts incurred because of successive crop failures. The govt must, without further delay, implement GO-43, which provides for a financial (Rs seven lakh) and rehabilitation package to the families of farmers who have taken their own lives. A six-member team (VS Krishna, K Anuradha, K Venkata Rao, KV Jagannadha Rao, G Balu, and B Dhilli Rao) from HRF, RSV, and BCWA visited Peddhakhojiria in Kanchili mandal on May 16 (Friday) and spoke with Neelaveni, the wife of the deceased farmer, and their son Praveen. The team also interacted with local farmers and residents of Makarampuram village about the ongoing agrarian crisis that continues to unfold in the Uddhanam region. Narasimha Murthy cultivated cashew and coconut on one acre of his own land and leased an additional eight acres for which he paid the lease amount in advance. Denied access to adequate institutional credit, he was forced to borrow from private sources at high interest rates to cover farm-related expenses. With several years of scanty rainfall coupled with his coconut crop being ravaged by pests, he was pushed into deep debt. Expectedly, he was under regular and persistent pressure from money-lenders demanding repayment. Driven to utter despair as he was unable to provide for his family and escape an ever-spiralling cycle of indebtedness, he committed suicide by ingesting pesticide on April 9. The administrative response to this tragedy has been appalling. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Though over five weeks have gone by since Murthy died, the three-member divisional verification committee headed by the RDO has not even bothered to visit Peddhakhojiria and conduct an inquiry. GO-43 mandates that the RDO-led committee visit the village, elicit relevant details, and forward a proposal to the Collector within a week of the suicide. Even the three-member MRO-headed committee has not gone to the village and spoken to the family members; only the deputy tahsildar visited. In effect, the family has received no assistance, financial or otherwise, from the govt. This manner of negligence defeats the very purpose of GO-43. That this neglect is taking place in the home district of the State's agriculture minister is a matter of grave concern and raises questions about the govt's commitment to its own policies. Coconut plantations across the Uddhanam mandals have been blighted by an uncontrolled spread of the whitefly (Rugose Spiralling Whitefly, RSW). There has been very little or no governmental intervention to address this pest infestation. Farmers in the area rely heavily on this crop, and losses here have pushed them into acute deprivation. Murthy's death is not an isolated incident; it is part of a disturbing pattern of farm distress in the region. Over the past year, there have been five farm suicides in the North Andhra districts, including that of Narasimha Murthy. Not a single family has been rendered assistance under GO-43. Unlike Rayalaseema and most other parts of the State where suicides occur with tragic regularity, historically North Andhra has seen fewer such deaths. However, a deeper agrarian crisis seems to be now enveloping the area. We demand that the three-member divisional level committee abandon its apathy and visit Peddhakhojiria at the earliest, conduct a proper inquiry, and ensure that justice is done to Narasimha Murthy's family as laid out in GO-43. Without further delay, the family must receive the compensation and rehabilitation support they are entitled to.
