BMS coal trade union calls for strike on Sept 24

Major central trade unions are planning to launch agitation to oppose the Centre's move to offload 10 per cent stake in public sector Coal India Limited (CIL).

Akhil Bharatiya Khan Majdoor Sangh (ABKMS), a trade union affiliated to Bharatiya Majdoor Sangh (BMS), has served notice to go on strike in all CIL coal fields on September 24.

ABKMS is the third largest coal trade union having substantial presence in all coalfields in the country.

Another central trade union CITU is likely to join in the proposed strike on September 24, said ABKMS general secretary Surendra Kumar Pandey. Consultations are on with other three central trade unions like Indian national Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Bharatiya Majdoor Sangh (BMS) to rope in their support, he added.

Pandey said, “we are forced to take to agitational path as all other options like holding demonstrations before CIL offices across the country and talks failed to refrain the government from disinvestment decision’’.

He said, there is no justification of disinvestment of a profit making PSU like CIL whose profit figures on rise year after year. “It is all for making up budgetary deficit of the Centre because the money raised from offloading of shares will go to the coffers of the Central government not to CIL’, he observed.

“Why CIL money will go to the government when the latter has stopped all sorts of financial support to the public sector from 1994”, he questioned and asserted that his trade union will oppose the CIL disinvestment tooth and nail.

The BMS trade union had held demonstrations before all the general managers’ offices across the CIL sites in June.

Besides, the trade union is conducting a public awareness programme from August 25 to September 3 to apprise the coal workers about the evils of disinvestment.

Besides disinvestment, the trade union has demanded participation of trade unions in the proposed regulating body for CIL as announced by the government, hike of coal prices by about 40 peer cent, giving due place to coal in the proposed national fuel policy, wages to contractual workers working in coalfields at par with those of permanent workers etc.