The nationwide strike call, given by 10 different unions in protest against several issues, including privatisation of PSUs, commercial mining, changes in labour laws and farm laws, evoked a lukewarm response in over 80 mines of the district.
Production remained almost normal in all the mines. Only road and rail despatch was affected to some extent in different areas like Kusudna, Bastacola, Block II, Block IV and Chanch Victoria area.
Notably, the contractual workers working with different private contractors engaged by coal companies have been exempted from the strike by the trade unions.
The Coal India management had also forewarned the employees against the strike and also threatened about the days’ salary cut for those participating in the strike.
Talking to The Telegraph Online on Thursday, Rajendra Paswan, area secretary of Bihar Colliery Kamgar Union affiliated to Central Industrial Trade Union (CITU) said, “We have reached at the CK railway siding area since early morning at around 5 am and stopped loading of coal in the railway rake in order to disrupt the rail transport of coal.”
“The message of our protest is clear that we are not going to allow the commercialisation of coal mining which is aimed at benefitting the capitalist forces,” said Paswan.
Machine and tipper trucks carrying coal from an opencast mine of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) in Jharia during the nationwide trade union strike on Thursday. Picture by Shabbir Hussain
Echoing sentiments, district president of Central Industrial Trade Union, Hari Prasad Pappu said, “Our activists steered the workers everywhere to stop work as we are fighting against the anti-poor or anti-worker policy of the central government being executed through different steps like privatisation of public sector units.”
He, however, charged the other trade unions of not making active participation in today’s strike and said, “Only CITU leaders were present on the ground in different collieries leading the workers but others were not in the sight.”
Meanwhile, the employees of Life Insurance Corporation of India under the banner of Insurance Employees Association and postal department employees also took part in the strike along with the sales representatives of different pharmaceutical representatives.
Hemant Mishra, Joint Secretary of Insurance Employee’s Association said, “We will protest against any attempt of the government to carry out the disinvestment of LIC of India as it the backbone of Indian economy which has a customer base of more than 40 crore people,” and added that they also demanded the review of the revision of salary of LIC and GIC employees through their strike on Thursday.
