SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, March 31: Seven years of exile of the INTUC (Indian National Trade Union Congress) from the JBCCI (Joint Bipartite Committee for the Coal Industry), which revises the pay scale of the coal industry miners, has finally ended.
Coal India Limited (CIL) rescinded its 2016 order and included the INTUC in the JBCCI for the 11th National Coal Wage Agreement (NCWA).
CIL Director Personnel (DP) Vinay Ranjan issued a notification on March 30 endorsing the names of four main members and four alternative members that had been sent by the Indian National Mines Workers Federation (INMWF) as its representatives in the JBCCI.
CIL in 2016 had debarred the INTUC representation in JBCCI from the 10th NCWA due to claims of G Sanjeeva Reddy and Chandrashekhar Dubey respectively.
In 2021, CIL again debarred the INTUC from the 11th NCWA and kept representatives of only four national trade unions AITUC, CITU, HMS and BMS. However, INMWF president Jayamangal Singh alias Anup Singh (Congress MLA) challenged the order of CIL in the Calcutta High Court, which, on February 10, 2023, directed the CIL to include INMWF in JBCCI. Rival leader Chandrashekhar Dubey challenged it in the Supreme Court. However, the apex court dismissed his SLP on March 29, 2023.
As per the notification, CIL has recognized Anup Singh, S Q Jama, Soubhagya Pradhan, and B Janak Prasad as the four main members and AK Jha, Chandi Banerjee and Gopal Narayan Singh as four alternative members of INMWF (INTUC).
“It is a victory of the miners. Finally, after 7 years, exile of INTUC from JBCCI ended. No doubt due to personal ego of self-styled leaders like Dubey and Tripathi, the INTUC had to face trouble in representing miners. There was no doubt that Anup Singh’s led INMWF was a real organization of Congress, as the national president Mallikarjun Kharge had recognized it. However, I congratulate leaders for struggling for this,” said INMWF senior vice-president and Congress Jharkhand disciplinary committee chairman Brajendra Prasad Singh.
Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Union (a major constituent of INTUC) general secretary AK Jha welcomed the decision of the CIL and charged that the central government had kept INTUC out from JBCCI as a political conspiracy. “Central government had made CIL officers pawn in its nefarious game and some so called leaders of organization (INTUC) complicated the matter for personal interest. However, the works of late Rajendra Prasad Singh paid dividends,” said Jha.
Jharkhand INTUC secretary Suresh Chandra Jha also welcomed the CIL decision of including INTUC in JBCCI but said that list of G Sanjeeva Reddy should have been sent to CIL. “Since we all accept G Sanjeeva ready as the supreme leader of INTUC, so his list should be followed,” said Jha.
