Sribharat discusses VSP employees concerns with HD Kumaraswamy

TDP MP from Visakhapatnam M. Sribharat on Thursday met the Union Minister for Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy in New Delhi and expressed concerns over the growing welfare issues faced by employees and retired personnel of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP). He submitted a detailed presentation highlighting the gravity of the situation and urged the Centre to address the concerns without further delay.

The MP strongly objected to the proposed increase in health insurance premiums for retired employees—from ₹2,600 to ₹17,000. He said that the steep hike would be a heavy financial burden on nearly 10,000 retired employees and around 20,000 beneficiaries, including their family members.

The MP emphasised that many of the retirees, dedicated decades of service under physically demanding conditions. They now suffer from various health issues and are in urgent need of affordable medical support.

The Vizag MP further pointed out that several retired employees receive 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 at the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) units, which further worsened the situation.

He suggested that if SAIL-like policies can be implemented, the merger of RINL with SAIL should be considered. Raising issues concerning serving employees, the MP highlighted that there have been no wage revisions since 2007 for officers and 2017 for workers. Additionally, promotions have been stalled for over six years, and salaries have been pending for nearly four months. He further revealed that approximately ₹600 crore dues is yet to be cleared for retirees, widows, and current employees.

Mr. Sribharat highlighted that RINL employees continue to deliver outstanding performance, achieving productivity levels exceeding 1,000 tonnes per employee annually. “For an organisation with a turnover exceeding ₹20,000 crore, and in light of the recently announced ₹10,000 crore support package from the Centre, an annual health insurance expenditure of around ₹50 crore should not be viewed as a financial burden,” he said
He also requested immediate release of pending salaries and dues, along with swift decisions on wage revisions and promotions.