Aid sought for SAIL staff dying of COVID-19

ROURKELA: After 30 SAIL employees across the country succumbed to Covid-19 and six in Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), the Steel Executives’ Federation of India (SEFI) council has sought fair compensation for the bereaved families by the company, and demanded that the deceased be treated on par with ‘Covid Warriors’. 

In a virtual meeting on Saturday, council president Bimal Kumar Bisi said, "We demand that SAIL should provide insurance cover of  Rs 50 lakh to all employees and in case of Covid deaths, give their dependents employment apart from Rs 50 lakh compensation. All employees risked their lives and continued operations as part of essential services during the lockdown. The company must not let their contributions go unacknowledged."

He said apart from six Covid deaths in RSP, there are 22 in Bhilai Steel Ltd and two in Bokaro Steel Plant. 

BMS-affiliated Rourkela Ispat Karkhana Karmachari Sangh (RIKKS), the recognized trade union of RSP, and other trade unions have also been insisting on similar demands. RIKKS President Himanshu Bal said BMS will raise the demands for compensation and compassionate employment to the bereaved families of employees who died from Covid-19 at the festive ex gratia meeting scheduled on October 13. So far, about 740 RSP employees have tested positive with about 135 active cases.