SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, March 29: The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has called the two-day strike of the four national trade unions, which concluded today, a flop show in the coal industry.
National working president Mahendra Singh of Akhil Bhartiya Khadan Mazdoor Sangh (ABKMS) ), an affiliated unit of BMS, claimed that miners and workers of the coal industry across the country especially in Jharkhand based coal companies of Coal India Limited (CIL) rejected the two-day (March 28-29) strike.
“Since the presence of miners and workers in collieries during the strike in Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), Central Coalfield Limited (CCL) and Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL) in underground mines as well as on surface and offices was 99%, it did not affect mining and dispatch of coal in two-day,” claimed Mahendra Singh.
Barring BMS, four recognized central trade unions namely Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Central Industrial Trade Union (CITU), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) had called two-day nationwide strike in the coal industry on March 28-29.
The BMS had opposed the strike call and did not participate in it.
“It was a politically motivated strike. People, as well as miners, knew that trade unions were misleading them in name of the strike so they rejected the call (strike) and joined duty in the interest of the company as well as the nation,” said Singh.
The ABKMS working president said that the failure of the strike in collieries of BCCL, CCL and ECL has exposed the strength of INTUC, AITUC, CITU and HMS affiliated labour organizations.
“Had it not been a politically motivated move, miners and workers in all 12 areas, washeries and company headquarters would have supported the strike,” he said.
The BMS leader admitted that division in trade unions led the strike to be a flop show.
