BALCO unions term meet 'eyewash'

By Aarti Dhar

RAIPUR, APRIL 14. The six-week long deadlock following the privatisation of the Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) appeared to show some signs of ending with the Centre, the trade unions and the Chhattisgarh Government agreeing for a tri-partite meeting in New Delhi on Sunday.

This is the first time that the three parties have agreed to meet to resolve the issue. Though the trade unions have described the initiative as ``eye-wash'' and do not expect much out of it, the Managing Director of BALCO, Mr. S.C. Krishnan, hoped that the

talks would be fruitful.

The initiative for holding negotiations was taken by the Union Mines Minister, Mr. Sunder Lal Patwa, apparently after the Chief Minister, Mr. Ajit Jogi, on Friday asked him to deal with the trade unions directly since the matter did not fall in the purview of the State Labour Department as BALCO was under the Central Government.

The trade union leaders late Friday night received a letter from the Mines Ministry inviting them for the talks in New Delhi on Sunday. This was followed by a telephone call from Mr. Jogi and the former Union Minister, Mr. V.C. Shukla. They suggested that the trade unions should participate in the talks.

Rather strangely, the participation of the representatives of the Sterlite Industries could not be ascertained, though Mr. Krishnan told The Hindu that he was also going to New Delhi on Sunday.

The State Government would be represented by the State Industries and Commerce Minister, Mr. Mahendra Karma and the Industries Secretary, Mr. Narain Singh. According to Mr. Karma, the State would stick to its stand of buying the plant for Rs. 552 crores or insist on reducing the share of the Sterlite Industries so that the management does not go into their hands.

Earlier, Mr. Brahma Singh, general secretary of the INTUC, described the meeting as `eye-washing' and said not much would come out of it until the management was in the hands of the Sterlite Industries. ``The Centre has taken the initiative in view of the coming Parliament session,'' he said.

The trade unions held a core committee meeting after receiving the letters for negotiations at which it was decided that there should be no outright rejection.

PTI adds:

Mr. Ajit Jogi, today called on the Governor, Mr. Dinesh Nandan Sahay, a day before the State Government will attend the tri- party meeting at New Delhi.

Convention decries BALCO deal

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 14. The Citizens' Convention Against BALCO Privatisation has condemned the ``ongoing loot on public health through privatisation of profit-making PSUs''.It demanded reversal of the ``scandalous BALCO deal between the Government and Sterlite Industries''.

Presided over by the former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Mr. Justice Rajinder Sachar, the Citizen's Convention, held under the aegis of the Committee for Solidarity with the Striking BALCO Workers, adopted an unanimous resolution supporting the struggle by the BALCO workers.

The resolution characterised the deal as scandalous and injurious to the economy and society.

The Convention said, it involved the transfer of strategic and security sensitive industry to private hands. The transfer was being effected at an undervalued price. It was being handed over to a private company with `` extremely dubious record''.

The Convention decided to seek the President's intervention.

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