SCCL unions announce 3-day strike from July 2

HYDERABAD: Shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the auction of 41 coal blocks for commercial mining via video conferencing on Thursday, as many as six employees’ unions of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) decided to go on a three-day strike from July 2 to 4. The employee unions submitted the strike notice to the SCCL chairman and managing director on Thursday under Section 22(1) of ID Act-1947.

Leaders from SCW (AITUC), SCMLU (INTUC), SCE&W (HMS), SCE Union (CITU), SCMKS (BMS) and GLBKS Union (IFTU) signed the strike notice. Minutes after the PM initiated the auction process for Coal India Limited’s (CIL) blocks, they met under the leadership of RSS-affiliate Singareni Coal Mines Karmika Sangh (SCMKS-BMS) president Kengarla Mallaiah.

The unions demanded that the government immediately withdraw its decision to permit commercial mining in the CIL and SCCL. They have asked the managements to stop weakening the coal industry by permitting discriminative outsourcing in the CIL and SCCL. They sought the withdrawal of proposals for e-auction of 50 coal blocks, bid to delink Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL) from the CIL, and the proposed amendments to labour laws.

They also wanted HPC wages for all the contract workers, the immediate payment of 50 per cent wages of National Coal Wage Agreement (NCWA) employees, which were deferred in March, and the payment of full wages instead of lay-off wages to the NCWA staffers during the lockdown. The Union also sought payment of full wages to those NCWA employees, who were quarantined or could not attend duty during lockdown.

Speaking to Express, Kengarla Mallaiah said that the 41 coal blocks put up for auction on Thursday belonged to the CIL. He feared that the government may auction the coal blocks of SCCL too in the future. He added that this was why the employees decided to go on strike.