Sribharat discusses VSP employees concerns with HD Kumaraswamy

TDP MP from Visakhapatnam M. Sribharat met Union Steel Minister HD Kumaraswamy in New Delhi on Thursday and expressed concern over the increasing welfare problems faced by employees and retired staff of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP). He made a detailed presentation highlighting the seriousness of the situation and urged the Center to address the concerns without further delay. The MP strongly opposed the increase in health insurance premiums for retired employees from ₹2,600 to ₹17,000. This steep increase will be a heavy financial burden for about 20,000 beneficiaries, including about 10,000 retired employees and their family members, the official said. The MP emphasized that most retirees served for decades under physically demanding conditions. They are currently experiencing various health problems and are in urgent need of affordable medical support. The Vizag MP also pointed out that several retired employees were drawing pensions as low as ₹ 2,000 per month, making the proposed premium hike unaffordable. He also highlighted the lack of dedicated medical facilities for RINL employees, unlike those available in Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) units, further aggravating the situation. He suggested that if SAIL-like policies could be implemented, RINL’s merger with SAIL should be considered. Bringing up the problems related to providing services to employees, the Deputy underlined that there has been no wage revision for civil servants since 2007 and for workers since 2017. Additionally, promotions have been halted for over six years and salaries have been pending for nearly four months. He also clarified that dues of around Rs 600 crore for retirees, widows and current employees are yet to be collected. Mr. Sribharat highlighted that RINL employees continue to demonstrate outstanding performance, achieving productivity levels exceeding 1,000 tonnes per employee annually. “For an organization with a turnover exceeding Rs 20,000 crore and in view of the recently announced Rs 10,000 crore support package from the Centre, the annual health insurance expenditure of around Rs 50 crore should not be seen as a financial burden,” he said. He also demanded immediate release of pending salaries and dues, along with quick decisions on pay revisions and promotions.