SCCl transfers ₹1,450 cr. wage board arrears to 39,413 workers Order to reconduct Jr. Asst. recruitment test set aside
The management of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) has credited the 11th Wage Board arrears of ₹1,450 crore to the bank accounts of 39,413 workers on Thursday. Those who received highest arrears amount were handed over cheques personally.
Every worker of the company has received ₹3.7 lakh arrears on an average and the Head Overman of Ramagundam area V. Sudarshan Reddy received the highest amount of ₹9.91 lakh. Director (Finance & Personnel) N. Balaram said while transferring the arrears amount to the bank accounts of the workers that they would be paid Dasara and Deepavali bonus in time.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Balaram said it was for the first time in the history of the company that such huge arrears amount was paid in one go. Although it was planned to credit the amount in two phases, it was on the instructions of Chairman and Managing Director of the company N. Sridhar that the arrears were transferred in one go.
He mentioned that it was SCCL that was implementing the 11th Wage Board pay, revised salaries, earlier than Coal India Ltd. The management was making arrangements to pay ₹700 crore bonus, a share in the company’s profits as announced by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, in time and the performance linked incentive (PLI bonus) would also be paid before the Deepavali festival.
Telangana High Court on Thursday set aside a single judge order to reconduct the examination to fill up posts of Junior Assistant in Singareni Collieries Company Limited. The orders passed by a bench of Justices Abhinand Kumar Shavili and Anil Kumar Jukanti cleared the path for completion of the recruitment process for the posts of Junior Assistants, for which a test was held by SCCL on September 4, 2022. The bench, however, made it clear that the recruitment would be subject to the outcome of the investigation, if any, into alleged malpractices in conducting the exam.
Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy of the HC will hear the arguments for the second consecutive day on Friday in a writ petition filed by SCCL challenging proceedings issued by Union Ministry of Labour and Employment to conduct elections for the workers’ union. Presenting contentions on behalf of SCCL, its counsel maintained that it would not be in a position to conduct polls for recognition of workers unions in the company and sought deferment.
A counsel appearing for Singareni Coal Mine Workers Union told the court that the period of the previous recognised unions expired in 2019. Despite a lapse of four years, the SCCL was not conducting elections.