Singareni Collieries workers to go on stike

KHAMMAM: The Singareni Collieries Workers Union, an affiliate of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and the recognised trade union of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL), has renewed its call for an indefinite strike in the entire Singareni coal mines from June 20 to press for implementation of its 40-point charter of demands after the Regional Labour Commissioner (RLC)-led tripartite talks with the management ended inconclusively in Kothagudem on Saturday.They are left with no option but to go on strike as the management remained adamant towards solving their demands, a union leader said.Some of the important demands of the union are: service-linked promotions to the coalminers those completed seven years of service in case of underground mines and eight years in respect of opencast mines; provision of alternative employment and wage protection to the operators of dumpers those declared medically unfit. AITUC general secretary V Seetahramaih said the management is not committed to solving workers’ problems. He said they would continue the strike till the management agrees for all their demands.Numerous power plants depend on the coal being produced by the Singareni Collieries which is the only coal-producing organisation with the state-of-the-art equipment. It has 36 open cast mines and 14 under mines in operation in the four Telangana districts. The Singareni collieries produces about one lakh tons of coal every day to meet the demands of the country.