Coal India workers call off strike

Government agrees to set up a committee to discuss demands

jasleen

Jasleen Kaur | January 7, 2015 | New Delhi



After six hours of marathon discussion with the government the representatives of the five major trade unions, which had shut down production at all coalfields of Coal India Limited (CIL) for five days, agreed to call off the strike on Wednesday. The trade unions reached an agreement after a long meeting with coal minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday evening.

ALSO READ: Coal workers strike may hit power plants

Speaking with Governance Now, Jibon Roy, general secretary of All India Coal Workers Federation (AICWF), said that the strike has been withdrawn as the government has agreed to form a committee to discuss the coal block ordinance. He said, "the committee will consists of representatives of five trade unions and join secretary to discuss the ordinance. Though AICWF has not agreed with this but we will also call off the strike. We will just hold demonstrations on Thursday."

The unions had earlier boycotted a meeting called by Goyal on Saturday. They were opposing the government's coal block ordinance which may allow private companies to mine and sell coal commercially.

The two-day long strike started just a day after the newly appointed chairman and managing director Sutirtha Bhattacharya took charge. The post of the CMD was vacant for over five months.

The strikers, including permanent and contractual coal workers, were protesting against the government's plan to disinvest and they were demanding the roll-back of process of denationalisation of coal sector.

Even the BJP-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh was participating in the strike along with other unions like INTUC, AITUC, CITU and HMS.

Roy had said that the government was exploiting the supreme court verdict on on denationalisation of coal industry and demanded that whichever mines were allotted illegally should be given back to CIL.

Comments

 

Other News

The rupee stumbles: Can India Inc. chip in?

Every time the Indian rupee weakens to a new record low, the conversation follows a familiar script. The RBI intervenes. Economists debate the current account deficit. The government appeals to citizens to cut consumption. And within a few news cycles, attention moves on, until the next record low arrives.

Provisional answer key for civil (prelim) to be released soon after exams

For the first time, the Union Public Service Commission will release the Provisional Answer Key for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026, soon after the exam, to enhance transparency and uphold the highest standards of conduct of examination.   Terming it as “a

Thinking about thinking: How the mind (or AI) works

Tom Griffiths is one of those scientists working at the cutting edge of cognitive science and AI. He is a professor of psychology and computer science at Princeton University, and directs the Computational Cognitive Science Lab and the Princeton Laboratory for AI. His first book for general readership &lsq

`M`rashtra muni. corpns face major governance, citizen participation gaps`

A statewide consultation organised by Praja Foundation has highlighted major governance, financial, and citizen participation gaps across Maharashtra’s Municipal Corporations, calling for urgent reforms to strengthen urban local bodies in line with the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act. &nb

When children stay healthy, they stay in school

Learning Begins with Wellbeing The future of education is often discussed through the lens of classrooms, technology, and learning outcomes. Yet one of the most critical drivers of a child’s ability to learn remains surprisingly overlooked: their health.  

India lost Rs 52,000 crore to cyber fraud in five years: DoT

India has lost more than Rs 52,000 crore to cyber fraud over the last five years, officials have revealed. Out of approximately 60 lakh cyber fraud complaints received, more  than 3,000 cases have been resolved and six cyber fraud setups have been busted.   On the occ


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter