Coal India trade unions begin 3-day strike; output likely to be hit

On Wednesday, talks between Coal India trade unions and the government over the issue of commercial coal mining failed. Nathulal Pandey, President of HMS-affiliated Hind Khadan Mazdoor Federation, said the strike was started by the workers on the first shift, which begins at 6 am.

Coal India trade unions on Thursday began their three-day strike mainly to protest against the government's decision to allow commercial mining of coal, with a representative saying the strike could hit around 4 million tonnes of coal output. On Wednesday, talks between Coal India trade unions and the government over the issue of commercial coal mining failed.

Nathulal Pandey, President of HMS-affiliated Hind Khadan Mazdoor Federation, said the strike was started by the workers on the first shift, which begins at 6 am. He claimed that in the Jhanjra area (West Bengal) of Eastern Coalfields, five leaders of the unions, three from HMS, one each from AITUC and CITU were arrested but were released after few hours.

Workers employed in the BCCL, a Coal India arm, have not gone to work and as a result emergency services such has hospitals in the mines have been paralysed, he said. According to Pandey, on an average Coal India produces 1.3 MT of coal every day, so it is estimated that the production loss due to the three-days strike would be around 4 MT.

Besides, the general manager of the Sohagpur area (Madhya Pradesh) of SECL, a Coal India arm, has called outsiders to work in the mine which is an "extraordinary situation" and this has never happened to Coal India, Pandey said. Coal India accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal output.

The central trade unions operating in Coal India are HMS, BMS, AITUC, INTUC and CITU. According to Pandey, in Jhanjra area – production and dispatch are totally closed.

Pandey further said that in South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL), Western Coalfields Ltd (WCL), Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) and Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL) the strike is successful. A virtual meeting was held between Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi and representatives of trade unions on Wednesday.

"During the meeting, the minister informed the unions that commercial mining is a policy decision of central government. The Minister said that this is the only way to increase the production of coal. The representatives of trade union reiterated their stand opposing commercial mining," Pandey said. In the end, the minister did not accept the demand of unions to withdraw the decision of commercial mining. Therefore, the unions have no other remedy but to go for three-day strike, he had said.

On Tuesday, Joshi made an appeal to trade unions not to go on strike, saying that there were no plans to either divest the PSU or hive off Coal India arm CMPDIL. Trade unions have given a call for nationwide strike against the government's move to open the coal sector to private players and separate the state-run firm's exploration, planning and design arm CMPDIL from the company, among other issues.