Former Sterlite Copper Employees Hold Protest In Thoothukudi, Demand Reopening Of Plant

Former workers of Vedanta-owned Sterlite Copper's plant in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, held protests in the city, demanding the plant be reopened. The workers said their livelihoods were at stake as the plant had been shut for six years on false allegations. 

The Sterlite plant was shut down after violent protests rocked Thoothukudi in 2018. Thirteen persons were killed in police firing as mobs set fire to residential quarters and vehicles and attempted to enter the district collectorate. 

Protestors, who were against Sterlite at the time, had claimed that toxic emissions from the plant had caused health issues in the area, including diseases like cancer and deformities in children, as well as still-births. This had lead to the closure of the plant on May 28, 2018.

Six years later, former Sterlite employees are demanding that the plant be reopened so they can get their jobs back.  

Speaking at a press meet, Jaya, an employee of Sterlite for 17 years, rubbished claims of the anti-Sterlite agitators. "There were claims that women working here or living around here are becoming infertile and that babies are still-born or born with deformities. There is not even an iota of truth in this," she said.  

"There were around 150-200 women employees in Sterlite. Most of them have got married, had children and those children are now grown up and in good health. They have no deficiencies," she added. 

Another former employee, Mariappan, explained that Sterlite used the Australian ISA process to refine copper. The ISA process is the benchmark for copper refining in the world. 

Ducon Technologies Inc.—a world leader in emission control technology—was part of collaborations to curb emission of sulphuric oxide gas, Mariappan added.

"The sulphuric acid plant used a Canadian technology and phosphoric acid plant used a Brazilian technology. This was an international standard plant using the latest technology," he explained. 

As for the claims of cancer and other health issues in and around the factory, Sterlite's medical officer weighed in. 

"It is false to say that there were any illnesses or ailments caused by the factory. There is no evidence to show that. I have submitted 18 years of data of medical records to the National Green Tribunal. Whether temporary or permanent employees, all of them were subjected to health check-ups regularly," said Dr Kailasam, former medical officer at Sterlite.

"Until the time the factory was shut in 2018, no employee had been found to have any illness or ailment related to or caused by the plant," he said.

Employees also claimed that Sterlite was the "number one company" that recovers sulphur. 95.5% of sulphur would be converted to sulphuric acid and sold to 400 other chemical firms in Tamil Nadu at a low rate of Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 per ton. 

"But since the closure of Sterlite, these firms are purchasing sulphuric acid from Odisha's Paradip Fertilisers and importing from Bangladesh at high rates of Rs 16,000 to Rs 21,000 per ton," according to Mariappan. 

Employees also claimed that Sterlite had more advanced equipment than the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. At no point had the plant exceeded allowed levels, they said.