SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Feb. 13: Confusion continues to grip faction- ridden INTUC, as who will represent the Congress sponsored trade body in the Joint Bipartite Committee for Coal Industries (JBCCI).
The Calcutta High Court had directed Coal India Limited (CIL) to give representation to the INTUC in the JBCCI some three days back.
The JBCCI is a committee consisting of the representatives of management and Central Trade Unions operating in the coal industry, which negotiates and decides the wages/ salaries and other allowances for the workers of the coal industry.
Both the factions of INTUC, one led by S Sanjeeva Reddy and the other by Chandrashekhar Dubey, have kept their card close to their chest after the Calcutta HC order.
When contacted, Chandrashekhar Dubey said that he would comment over the court order later on while the leaders of S Sanjeeva Reddy faction said they would make any comment after getting the order.
However, Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Union general secretary AK Jha said the Calcutta HC order is a victory for miners.
A division bench of the Calcutta High Court comprising TS Shivagnanam and Hiramaya Bhattacharya on February 10 ordered CIL to give representation to INTUC in JBBCI meeting for 11th National Coal Wage (NCW) agreement.
Due to pending cases in different courts of the country, CIL had debarred the INTUC from JBCCI in the 10th NCW agreement 2017 and the 11th NCWA 2022-23 so far.
CIL has given representation in the JBCCI for the 11th NCWA only to BMS, HMS, AITUC and CITU.
CIL had issued notification for the 11th NCWA JBCCI on June 10, 2021. The Rashtriya Khan Mazdoor Federation (INTUC) filed a petition in the Calcutta HC on June 23, 2021 demanding representation of INTUC in it.
Earlier, a single bench had rejected the petition on November 15, 2021. Thereafter, the RKMF challenged it. The division bench on February 10 directed CIL to give a representation to the INTUC.
Since cases involving INTUC are pending in different courts, leaders of both the factions are confused who would represent the body in the JBCCI.
A senior leader of RKMF claimed since Jayamangal Singh alias Anup Singh (Reddy faction) had appealed in the HC his group would sit at the JBCCI meeting.
Moreover, the Federation leader said the INTUC is trade union of Congress Party and its supreme leader Sonia Gandhi has already recognized S Sanjeeva Reddy faction as the original INTUC. So they would sit at the meeting and not the Dubey faction.
Congress former national president Sonia Gandhi on December 24, 2022 recognized the Reddy faction of INTUC as real one and directed all other factions to withdraw the cases pending in the different courts of the country.
In 2021, Sonia Gandhi had set up two members committee of Mallikarjun Kharge and former Madya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh to talk all the factions of INTUC and submit a report. On report of the committee Sonia Gandhi recognized the Reddy faction.
But even after one and half months of Sonia Gandhi’s directive, no faction has reportedly moved any court for withdrawing the case till date.
A senior official of CIL said that the coal company (CIL) has already reserved 4 permanent and 4 alternative seats for INTUC in 11th NCWA JBCCI. But the ball is in court of INTUC to decide which faction would represent till cases pending in other courts of country are settled.
