The Union government is out to destroy the public sector through its aggressive privatisation policies and united struggle by workers is the only way to save public sector units (PSUs), said the speakers at a meeting organised by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) Township here on Sunday.The extended meeting of the All India Coordination Committee of Central Public Sector Undertaking Trade Unions, organised as a run up to the all India general strike scheduled for February 23 and 24, witnessed the participation of CITU leaders from various States of the country.CITU general secretary Tapan Sen said that the Union government was desperate to wipe out PSUs from the country and this could be prevented by workers and employees by physically stopping prospective buyers or government representatives from entering the PSUs.The VSP workers, under the aegis of the Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee (VUPPC), which has representation from almost all trade unions, successfully prevented members of various committees, sent by the Central government to assess the plant, and also prospective buyers from entering the plant premises during the last 300-odd days.He said that the Centre has brought out the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) as its privatisation policies were being opposed by the trade unions and the workers. Under the NMP, the public assets would be handed over to the private players, earn profits on it and give a small share in the profits to the government and at the end of the lease period, the assets have to be handed back to the government.Mr. Sen said that even as the privatisation of VSP was on, the Steel Plant management has called for expression of interest (EOI) for maintenance of coke oven batteries. “This is anti-national and even more dangerous than privatisation. The Centre has suffered a setback on the farmers’ struggle and VSP workers should involve all the workers and also the public to make the Union government repeal its decision on the strategic sale of VSP,” he said.CITU national president K. Hemalata called upon the CITU workers to realise the importance of involving all sections of the public in the struggles against the privatisation policies, being vigorously pursued by the Union government. The people should be made understand that privatisation would lead to higher cost of products and services and ultimately they would have to pay the price. Many seem to be under the impression that only workers and employees would be affected by privatisation. She also underlined the need to foil the attempts of the government to label PSUs as ‘white elephants’.CITU national secretary Swadesh Dev Roye presided.CITU State president Ch. Narasinga Rao and CITU Kerala State president K.N. Gopinath were among those who spoke.