All five central trade unions including Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Central Industrial Trade Union (CITU), Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) and Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) have called for a nationwide coal sector strike on July 2 .

Under the banner of a joint front, all unions have decided to serve strike notice to coal companies and the government on June 18 by staging a demonstration at the Coal india headquarters in Calcutta, along with its subsidiaries including Bharat Coking Coal Limited. They are protesting the government decision to allow commercial mining, in addition to the proposed changes in labour laws.

Meanwhile, more than 25 Communist party of India (Marxist) members staged a demonstration near the district headquarters today as part of their nationwide protest against the alleged anti-people policy of the government, and also highlighted the issue involving commercialization of mines.

“The Modi government’s unplanned lockdown has taken a heavy toll robbing over 150 million people of their livelihood, rendering them jobless. The plight of migrant workers has been a glaring example of the mismanagement of the situation” said Vikash Kumar Thakur, a protestor, adding that commercial mining and changes in labour highlight the anti-poor policies of the central government.

Providing details of the strike plan, A.K. Jha, state secretary of the Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Sangh (affiliated to INTUC) said, “All trade unions are united in their stand to protest the central government decision to allow commercial mining in the coal sector. It will prove suicidal for the mining industry due to allotment of coal blocks to private parties.”

“Neither here will be any service guarantee, nor facilities and benefits for workers of private miners. Existing workers of Coal India may also lose their jobs” he said, while talking to the media on Tuesday.

“The changes in labour laws are being enacted by the government without consulting labourers, clearly indicating their monopolistic style of functioning” further charged Jha.

Notably, all the five trade unions earlier carried out two-day nationwide protests involving the same issues on June 10 and 11. The unions also oppose the plan to separate Central Mine Planning and Design India Ltd from Coal India.