Nalco employees protest disinvestment

BHUBANESWAR: Employees of Nalco at the Navratna company's smelter plant at Angul, mining site and refinery plant at Damanjodi today staged dharna protesting the Centre's decision to sale some stake of the central public sector undertaking.

Holding placards, the agitators including those from the officers association sat on a dharna in front of the smelter plant of the company at Angul and shouted slogans demanding withdrawal of the decision.

When the company was making regular profit, there could be no argument to open it for disinvestment, they said.

With the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approving disinvestment of 12.15 per cent, the government of India would now have 75 per cent stake in the company.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had earlier disapproved the decision to open Nalco for disinvestment.