Steel Workers Federation of India (SWFI-CITU) asks its constituents to serve notice of strike on 28th and 29th March called by Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Sectoral Federations for national demands and demands of steel industry.
STRIKE NOTICE
FORM L
(See rule 71)
Dated……day of March, 2022.
To
The………………………………..
……………………………………(Employer)
Dear Sir,
The Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Independent Sectoral Federations have given a call for countrywide General Strike on 28th and 29th March, 2022 against the anti-worker, anti-people and anti-national policies of the Govt at the centre. Workers, farmers and the common people have supported the strike to save the country and the people from the disaster and destruction.
The present policy regime seeks to put the entire country on sale. The desperate and all out privatization bid of all PSUs is nothing but to destroy our national self-reliance. The public sector steel industry, both SAIL and RINL are the major targets. In fact, such privatization of steel sector is being attempted since long, targeting ASP, Salem. VISL and RINL but could not yet fully succeed owing to resistance struggle in ASP, Salem, VISL and the ongoing struggle at Vizag. Besides, country’s united trade union movement including those in private unorganized sector have been fighting against the same through numerous national general strikes and intervening sectoral strikes, agitations, both at national level and industry-level. In the process and continuity of that ongoing struggle, the call for two days’ general strike has been given to decisively halt the mad privatization drive. .
The regular employment in PSUs in general is going down and through rampant outsourcing and contractorisation, core operational work of the industry is being increasingly manned by contract workers. Public sector steel industry is no exception. Around 70 thousand contract workers have now become integral part of the operational workforce in SAIL and RINL. In Steel industry we find that management is reluctant to concede to the demands for rights and wage increase for the contract workers; they want to gradually replace the regular workers by contract workers by way of not filling the regular sanctioned posts, virtually stopping recruitment of regular workers on the one hand and maintain a dichotomy in the workplaces, in order to continue ruthless exploitation of both the sets of workers. That is why, it is so important for all of us to fight for the rights of the contract workers. That is why, the stoppage of contractorisation and regularization of contract workers is one of the main demands for the forthcoming two days strike action.
The steel workers, through their own experience are witnessing the menace, these Labour Codes can bring about, once executed fully. The spate of victimization on the workers through suspension, transfer etc in public sector steel plants and establishments, unilateral circular curbing existing rights to ceilingless gratuity, unilateral move to curtail Difficult area Special Allowance, denial and nasty bungling with legitimate rights of full arrears from 1-1-2017, unilateral cut in the agreed rate of pension contribution for the workers, unilateral circular on pension contribution from a prospective date, bungling with the right to wage increase of the contract workers, imposing humiliating discrimination against the workers in terms of service benefits vis-à-vis the top-executives, arrogantly bulldozing the established collective bargaining forum are some of the examples as to how the Labour Codes have emboldened the management in their arrogant authoritarian and unilateral exercise. They have to be replied in the languages they understand. Militant strike action and determination to resist management’s authoritarianism and arrogance by united collective actions by the workers en-masse is the only way to halt the attack on the workers and workers’ rights.
In accordance with the provisions contained in sub-section (1) of Section 22 of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, we hereby give you notice that we propose to call a strike on 28th and 29th March, 2022 (From 5 am of 28/03/2022 to 5 am of 30/03/2022) with the following demands.
A . National Demands.
- Scrapping the Labour Codes; Scrapping of EDSA (Essential Defence Services Act)
- Accept 6-point charter of demands, post repeal of Farm Laws, of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha,
- No to Privatisation in any form and scrap the NMP;
- Food and Income Support of Rs 7500 per month to non-income tax paying households;
- Increased allocation for MNREGA and extension of Employment guarantee Scheme to urban areas;
- Universal social security for all informal sector workers;
- Statutory Minimum wage and social security for Anganwadi, ASHA, Mid-day-meal and other Scheme workers;
- Proper protection and insurance facilities for frontline workers serving the people in the midst of pandemic;
- Increase in public investment in agriculture, education, health and other crucial public utilities by taxing the rich through wealth tax etc in order to revive and revamp the national economy;
- Substantial reduction in Central Excise duty on petroleum product and concrete remedial measure to arrest price rise.
- Regularisation of contract workers, scheme workers and equal pay for equal work for all.
- Cancellation of NPS and restoration of old pension; substantial increase in minimum pension under Employees’ Pension Scheme
B. Demands of Steel Industry.
- No privatisation and disinvestment in public sector steel industry.
- Recruitment of regular Workers in SAIL and RINL.
- Stoppage of outsourcing of contract workers in permanent , perennial nature of job and regularisation of contract workers.
- Immediate wage revision of contract workers in SAIL & RINL.
- End of discrimination against the workers on wages and other benefits vis- a- vis their counterparts in the industry.
- Full arrears from 1/1/2017.
- Implementation of wage revision of RINL employees without any precondition.
- Withdraw unilateral order of curtailment of Gratuity amount.
- Withdraw all the suspension and vindictive transfer orders of employees following wage negotiation related agitations in SAIL and RINL.
Yours Sincerely
President/ General Secretary/Secretariat Convener
Copy to:
- Assistant Labour Commissioner (Central).
- Regional/Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Central).
- Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), New Delhi.