RINL Workers Raise Alarm Over Long Hours, Wage Delays, Plant Issues
Employees at Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate entity of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, have raised concerns over working conditions, pay delays, and deteriorating infrastructure as the facility continues to face operational strain.
Worker representatives say standard eight-hour shifts have recently been extended to 12 hours. They also point to a newly introduced two-shift system for managerial staff, running from 8 am to 8 pm and 8 pm to 8 am, which they argue has intensified pressure on employees already dealing with shortages of raw materials and production bottlenecks.
Union leaders allege that, since late last year, salary payments have been partially tied to production targets. As a result, they claim, staff have received only partial wages over several months, with arrears from earlier financial stress still outstanding. On average, they say, around three months’ pay per worker remains due.
Basic facilities have also come under scrutiny. Employees say the closure of more than 150 private canteens in previous years, combined with limited official canteen access located several kilometres away, has made it difficult for workers on long shifts to access food and rest facilities.
Maintenance concerns have been raised over the plant’s coke oven batteries. Of five units, three are said to be in a severely dilapidated condition, while the rest are being operated following intermittent repairs. Workers attribute recurring technical problems, including pipeline leaks, to a shortage of experienced contract personnel.
They also report logistical difficulties inside the plant, citing waste build-up on railway tracks that has restricted locomotive movement and hampered coke transportation. Despite these constraints, they say production targets continue to be strictly enforced.
Union representatives have called for urgent action to restore basic services, strengthen maintenance systems, and clear outstanding wages, warning that continued neglect could further destabilise operations at the plant.