Mine Workers Fed to observe strike on Apr 16

INTUC-affiliated trade body INMF today said it would observe a day-long strike on April 16 at Coal India Ltd to protest against commercial mining by private companies.

In a letter to the government, INMF informed that it will join four other unions - CITU, BMS, HMS and AITUC - for the strike against Centre's decision to permit private companies to mine coal for commercial use.

The private companies are bound to resort to "unsafe and slaughter mining with no regard to conservation of coal and exploitation of labour," INMF (Indian National Mine Workers Federation) said in the letter.

In a major reform in the coal sector since its nationalisation in 1973, the government in February allowed private companies to mine the fossil fuel for commercial use, ending the monopoly of Coal India.