NMDC struggles to achieve target as Chhattisgarh trade unions go on strike

Trade unions at National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) resorted to a strike, which could make even achieving last year’s target difficult.

 

The workers have gone on indefinite strike from March 6 in support of their demands for a wage settlement. The NMDC management has termed the strike illegal.

 

In a letter to the chief labour commissioner (central) at New Delhi, the NMDC management said the trade unions have resorted to willful slowdown of work and work-to-rule with effect from March 6, 2025 that tantamount to illegal strike.

 

The conciliation proceedings before the chief labour commissioner in New Delhi have been posted for March 17, 2025. But before the meeting, the trade unions resorted to strike.

 

The production at the country's largest iron ore miner has been severely affected. In the last four days, the output has come down by over 60 per cent, posing a big challenge for the company to achieve even the last year’s figure set aside the annual production target plan set for the financial year 2024-24.

 

Elated with last year’s record 45 million tonne (MT) iron ore production, the NMDC had set a target at 50 MT for the current financial year. The cumulative production till February 2025 has been recorded at 40.49 MT against 40.24 MT achieved during the corresponding period of last financial year, registering a marginal growth. In February, NMDC produced 4.62 MT under normal circumstances.

 

With a month left for the closure of the financial year and the workers going on strike, the NMDC management is now finding it difficult to even cross the 45 MT production scale.