Coal India workers unions threaten 3-day strike from Aug 8

Coal India employees affiliated to five central trade unions have threatened to go on a three-day strike from August 8 to protest delay in wage revision.

The trade union bodies INTUC, BMS, HMS, AITUC and CITU in a joint statement also demanded that there should be no further disinvestment in Coal India, which mines country's 81% production.

 "... after prolonged discussions, a joint notice of strike dated July 4, 2011, has been served upon Chairman CIL, Kolkata, and CMD SCCL, Hyderabad, for three-day strike in entire coal industry of India from August 8-10, 2011," the statement said.

Consequent upon a meeting with Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, a decision on wage revision, under the National Coal Wage Agreement-IX, was to be completed before June 30, it said.

However, the committee, which was to start negotiations on the issue, is yet to be formed, it said. The trade unions also demanded the coverage of the scheme might be extended to all coal workers of the country including employees of captive coal mines.

"Irrational allocation of coal blocks for captive use be stopped. Unused coal blocks be received back and allotted to respective coal companies to augment own production," the statement said.

The unions also demanded that the ban on recruitment on non-technical posts, including supervisory, para-medical, general workers, be lifted. "Coal Mines Pension Fund rate of interest should be at par with Employees' Provident Fund and pension be enhanced from 25% to 40% ," it said.

The unions also threatened to organise demonstration before the companies head quarters on July 18.