Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) city president R.K.S.V. Kumar has called upon people to oppose the move of the Central government to privatise Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, Visakhapatnam Port and other PSUs.
The CITU leader was addressing the participants on the 25th day of the relay hunger strikes, being organised at the Gandhi statue, near the GVMC, on Monday.
Mr. Kumar alleged that at a time when people of the nation were battling for their lives due to the pandemic, the Union government was issuing statements that privatisation would not be stopped. The VSP was supplying oxygen to Andhra Pradesh and other States and coming to the rescue of COVID-19 patients even as the Centre was planning to privatise the plant, he said.
Similarly, the Union government was planning to privatise public sector ports by introducing the Major Ports Bills, Mr. Kumar alleged. He said that privatisation was leading to loss of jobs and the employment prospects would be bleak in future. He alleged that the Centre failed to do justice to the farmers, who were feeding the nation.
CITU leaders M. Subba Rao, Penta Rao, D. Appa Raju and Sarat Chatterjee Bothra and, godowns union leaders L. Rambabu, Appa Naidu, Rama Rao and Nageswara Rao were among those present.