Coal trade unions plan 3-day strike notice on June 18

KOLKATA: The five operating trade unions of Coal India Limited and SCCL have decided to serve a three-day strike notice on June 18, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the auction of coal mines for commercial mining.

The three-day strike will be held between July 2 and July 4, Intuc-affiliated Indian National Mine Workers Federation secretary SQ Zama said on Monday.

All major trade unions have decided to join the strike in CIL and Singareni Collieries Company Limited, Zama said. Among the unions demands are withdrawl of commercial mining and bifurcation of CIL advisory subsidiary CMPDIL. “The notice will be served on June 18 in joint demonstration if the unions’ charter of demands are not conceded before July 2,” he said. On Sunday, senior leaders of central trade unions of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh,

Hind Mazdoor Sabha, INTUC, AITUC and CTU held a video conferencing, Nathulal Pandey, the president of Hind Khadan Mazdoor Federation, said. Hind Khadan Mazdoor Federation is affiliated to Hind Mazdoor Sabha.

Major demands of the unions are to stop the auction of coal blocks for commercial mining, stop separation of consultancy firm CMPDIL from Coal India, ensure payment of high-power committee wages to contractor workers, increase ceiling of gratuity from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh to all workers retired between January 1, 2017, to March 28, 2018, at par with executives.