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Employees protest bid to privatize Salem Steel Plant

Salem: Salem Steel Plant employees on Saturday protested the move to privatize the plant. Salem MP S R Parthiban, MLA R Rajendran and trade union members extended their support to the employees, who also took out a march .

The central government had on July 5 floated an international tender as part of strategic disinvestment of the plant.

All the 1,800 employees of the plant had been taking out protests since then, condemning the move.

On Saturday, the employees gathered at the entrance of the plant and raised slogans against the central government. They also took out a march from the main entrance to gate number 3 on Salem-Tharamangalam state highway.

K P Suresh Kumar, convener of Save Salem Steel Joint Committee, said they would take out a series of protests until their demands were met.

The department of public assets management had listed the Salem Steel Plant for strategic sale following a suggestion in this regard from the NITI-Aayog in July 2016. Ever since the announcement, Save Salem Steel Joint Committee comprising CITU, INTUC, ATP, PTS, SC/ST employees and officers’ association, OBC employees’ association and displaced employees’ association had been protesting the move.

In a joint statement, MP S R Parthiban and MLA Rajendran said they would extend their support the employees. “The plant is the district’s icon and we will not allow the central government to privatize it.”

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