Rourkela, July 24: A fresh round of disturbing industrial relation problems which had engulfed Rourkela Steel Plant and threatened its smooth functioning appears to have been sorted out after good sense prevailed among the warring factions. The crisis erupted after a group of city-based leaders of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) forced two executives to attend a `Lok Adalat' that found them guilty of negligence of maintenance of the plant and pronounced a judgement on them to submit applications for voluntary retirement within eight to ten days.The INTUC leaders later offered apologies to executive director (works) BR Satpathi and KS Sokhi, general manager (maintenance) in private, RSP sources said.
The management in turn is understood to be satisfied and no disciplinary action contemplated, sources added.
Rourkela plant, set up in the late fifties with the latest technology then available worldwide to produce flat products for the first time in the country, had just undergone amassive modernisation programme costing Rs 5,100 crore has been facing disturbing scenario that had seriously affected its performance and profitability.
The plant is yet to achieve even 70 per cent of its rated capacity and has the lowest labour productivity in the country of 53 tonnes per man per year compared to 132 of bhilai Steel Plant and has contributed a whopping Rs 760 crore to SAIL's total loss of Rs 1,573 crore in 1998-99. The plant produced high value added products, like electrical sheets and spirally welded pipes and the recent development had been a source of major worry for the management.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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