Singareni collieries strike partial, production affected

With the TRS affiliated union Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham (TGBKS) staying away from the indefinite strike, the impact on coal production in the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL)'s coal belt of Telangana has been partial. The central trade unions AITUC, INTUC, CITU, HMS and BMS gave strike call demanding the revival of dependent employment scheme (DES).

The strike has been complete in Mancherial, Srirampur, Mandamarri and Bellampalli divisions with the coal miners staying away from work. In Manuguru and Kothagudem the strike has been partial under strict police vigil.  In several places, the central trade unions have been organizing gate-meetings.

The SCCL management which has reiterated its commitment for the revival of employment on compassionate grounds after taking legal opinion. The DES has been scrapped 18 years ago in an effort to regulate recruitment.   After TRS came to power the SCCL issued a circular allowing DES which was struck down by the High Court in response a PIL by an unemployed youth.

Meanwhile, the TGBKS president Kenjerla Mallaiah has said that he would be urging coal miners to return to work. “The government and the management are for DES, then where is the need for a strike. There are certain legal issues which can be sorted out,” he said.

The coal company is expecting a loss of Rs 41 crore on a single day whereas the labour will be losing wages of Rs 20 crore due to the strike. However, sources say that there is enough coal supply for the NTPC power generating units as power consumption has come down drastically due to onset of monsoon.