The trade unions in the coal belt region affiliated to the INTUC, AITUC, CITU, HMS and AICCTU have geared up to observe a one-day strike to protest against the Centre’s decision to allow 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in coal mining sector.
Coal production in the State-run Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL)’s coal mines is likely to be severely affected on Tuesday due to the strike.
Barring the essential staff engaged in safety and other emergency services, almost all the coal miners cutting across their union affiliations are expected to participate in the strike in Kothagudem region, sources said.
The unions operating in the Singareni coal belt region have organised gate meetings in various coal mines in Kothagudem region on Monday.
The unions chalked out arrangements to ensure the success of the one-day strike called by the five Central trade unions in all the coal mines of the Coal India and its subsidiaries spread across the country.
The TRS affiliated Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham (TGBKS) has reportedly extended its support to the one-day strike on Tuesday, sources said.
Five-day SCKS stir
Meanwhile, Singareni Coal mines Karmika Sangh (SCKS), affiliated to the ABKMS-BMS, has decided to observe a five-day strike from Tuesday.
In a statement, the CITU affiliated Singareni Collieries Employees Union (SCEU) general secretary M Narasimha Rao urged the workforce to participate in the one-day strike to protest against “attempts to handover the mineral wealth of the country to the big foreign firms for unabated exploitation.”