SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Mar 26: Five recognized central trade unions in the coal industry look like a divided house over the two-day nationwide strike scheduled on March 28-29 against central government policy.
While four trade unions namely the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Central Industrial Trade Union (CITU), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) have supported the strike, on the other hand, Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has opposed it.
Unions leaders have held each other responsible for the division in coal labour organizations over the strike. While Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Sangh (RCMS), which is an affiliated unit of INTUC, blames BMS, the Akhil Bhartiya Khadan Mazdoor Sangh (ABKMS), which is an affiliated unit of BMS, holds INTUC responsible.
“Till date, all trade unions were united in the interest of miners. But this time, four central trade unions have called for a strike. INTUC (Congress) is responsible for this. So BMS has sidelined itself,” said Mahendra Singh, the national working president of ABKMS (BMS).
Mahendra Singh charged that since INTUC leaders hold the president and general posts in the union and as well as in the Congress Party simultaneously, its decision always comes politically motivated. This time too, INTUC has called the strike under political influence. That is why BMS is not supporting it. He also said that now RCMS has no presence in collieries to impact the strike.
But RCMS general secretary AK Jha while holding BMS responsible for the division said that under political compulsion and pressure of the central government, BMS has sidelined itself from the strike.
“BMS was with us in the previous strike call in January 2015. Even in September 2015 strike notice over the 10th wage agreement, BMS supported it. But in June 2016, under the pressure of RSS, Surendra Pandey was replaced by BK Roy and BMS changed its course of line,” said Jha.
The RCMS general secretary also claimed that in the interest of miners, INTUC had even called a strike in the regime of the Congress-led government.
However, AITUC is not surprised over the division in trade unions. Lakhan Lal, the general secretary of United Coal Workers Union (UCWU), which is an affiliated unit of AITUC, said that it is a tradition in coal trade unions that central government supporter labour organizations do not participate in a strike call.
“All trade unions had unanimously decided on November 11, 2021, at Delhi Jantar- Mantar for the two-day strike. So BMS sidelining from the strike is not surprising,” said Lakhan Lal who is also a JBCCI member.
Lal said that trade unions are compelled to strike as the Central government has abolished 40 labour laws. Three meetings of NCW have been held but no agreement has been signed. The central government has given 160 mines on 25 years lease for commercial mining at Rs 28,000 crores. So, in protest AITUC has supported the strike.
CITU has also held BMS responsible for the division. Arup Chatterji, the general secretary of Bihar Colliery Kamgar Union (BCKU), an affiliated unit of CITU, said that BMS is a government supporter union and it can’t support the strike. “Since we are striking against privatization of public sectors, I expect BMS would join in it.”
HMS leaders while calling BMS ‘B’ team of BJP said that it can’t go against the government. Ranvijay Singh, the general secretary of Bihar Janata Khan Mazdoor Sangh (BJKMS), an affiliated unit of HMS, said that it is the time to do or die for miners. So HMS has supported the strike. “BMS knows that the government is adopting anti-labour policy notwithstanding it can’t protest due to political compulsion,” said Singh who is also vice-president of HMS.
