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Striking Balco employees offer help to keep the plant alive

Sensing adverse consequences of the total shutdown of the plant, striking employees of the recently divested Balco plant have agreed to provide necessary manpower to the new management to keep the "cell house of the plant alive" even as their strike entered the fifth day on Wednesday.

"We held a discussion at the core committee of the Balco Bachao Sanyukta Abhiyan Samiti and after that with the management last night and decided to provide them manpower to keep the cells alive", Balco Bachao Andolan leader Brahma Singh told newspersons at the plant.

"But they will do the job without taking any payment and the employees going inside will not mark their attendance," Singh said.

The management had given a list of 125 members to work in the compressor hydro-filtration and alumina plant as well to keep it "alive", Singh, an INTUC leader, said.

The workers have been protesting the Centre's selling its 51 per cent stake in the public sector unit to Sterlite Industries while the new management closed down three of the four power units for technical reasons Tuesday.

However, the general manager personnel and administration of the plant Shaheer Ahmed told reporters inside the plant that 17 leaders of employees union had met the management's representatives and proposed to provide manpower but the management would consider the offer.

General manager (works) S K Deoras said the union leaders visited the plant and proposed to provide manpower which will not be for production but to help keep the cells alive.

"Although we needed manpower since the second day of the indefinite strike, we have to consider whether we can allow them inside the plant considering safety aspects," he said.

Deoras said, "Currently 35 kilo ampere is provided to 408 pots of the most important smelter plant which are in dip condition since Sunday to keep them warm."

"This can be maintained for three to five days and then the aluminium will start transforming into solid form," he said.

To return that to liquid form at least 15 days would be needed, Deoras said. Following the shutdown, the plant has incurred a loss of Rs 20 million, he added.

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