The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) Andhra Pradesh Committee raised concerns on Wednesday over a slew of issues, demanding the Centre’s intervention in the State’s labour and industrial policies.The union called for a Statewide protest on Friday against the surge in prices of petroleum and cooking gas and planned to intensify agitations through June and July.‘Benefited corporates’CITU State president Ch. Narsinga Rao and secretary R.K.S.V. Kumar condemned the State and Central governments for prioritising corporate interests over the welfare of the workforce.The union leadership criticised the State government for allocating iron ore mines in Prakasam district to Jindal Steel, while ignoring the long-standing demand for captive mines for the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP).Meanwhile, the committee expressed concern over the systematic privatisation of VSP’s core operations, citing the transfer of the Sinter Plant to the Tata group.₹900 cr. wage arrearsThe union also highlighted the management’s failure to address ₹900 crore in wage arrears and the unresolved dues of employees who opted for the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS). The leaders also stated that the wages for workers across 75 scheduled sectors have remained stagnant for 15 years, while inflation has pushed the cost of essential goods to unsustainable levels.Mr. Kumar noted that while neighbouring States like Telangana and Karnataka have implemented significant wage hikes, the State government has failed to provide relief to workers. He reiterated the demand to set the minimum monthly wage of ₹26,000 for all State workers.The committee also raised alarm over the shifting of the Visakhapatnam airport to Bhogapuram and the reorganisation of the South Coast Railway Zone, which they claim disproportionately benefits private entities and neighbouring States at the cost of North Andhra’s development. Published - June 03, 2026 07:52 pm IST