SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Jan 14: The agreement on 19 per cent Minimum Guarantee Benefit (MGB) to miners in the 11th national coal wage (NCW) has rendered five central trade unions divided houses again.
They had also divided in the 9th NCW pact in 2011 and the 10th wage agreement signed in 2017.
This time, the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and the Central Industrial Trade Union (CITU) have supported the agreement on 19 per cent MGB while Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) and Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) have expressed dissatisfaction over it.
INTUC’s major affiliated body Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Union (RCMU) has announced not to accept the pact until INTUC is included on board. INTUC was not invited to the 11th NCW agreement at Kolkata on January 3.
RCMU general secretary AK Jha said he has 49,000 miners membership in Coal India Limited (CIL) not withstanding INTUC was not given representation at the JBCCI meeting to put up the voice of miners.
Notably, RCMU executive president Brajendra Prasad Singh has already declared RCMU would not accept any agreement. He has written union coal minister about the opposition of RCMU over 19 per cent MBG.
RCMU leaders have alleged that the interest of miners especially outsourcing and contractual workers were overlooked at the Kolkata meeting.
Though HMS had signed an agreement paper along with three other trade unions at the meeting held at Kolkata on January 3, Its JBCCI member Sidharth Gautam has opposed 19% MGB. He said HMS was not agreed to any less than 21 per cent MGB but had to accept 19 per cent due to the pressure of three other trade unions (BMS, AITUC, CITU).
However, three other trade unions BMS, CITU and AITUC have supported 9 per cent MGB and claimed ever highest benefit has been given to miners in any wage agreement so far.
JBCCI member of CITU and former MLA Arup Chatterjee claimed all four trade unions had unanimously agreed on 19 per cent MGB and it is best in the interest of 2.62 lakh miners of CIL.
On the question of the opposition of Sidharth Gautam (JBBCI member of HMS), Arup Chatterjee said that when senior leaders of HMS have signed the agreement, the comment of individual leaders does not matter.
AITUC terms 19 per cent MGB of 11th NCW highest benefit for miners.
“In the present scenario and situation, we drew maximum MGB on the negotiation table. Other demands of miners were also not ignored albeit on January 3 Kolkata agreement has opened the path for getting all pending due,” said Lakhan Lal Mahto (JBBCI member AITUC).
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Over the rejection of 19 per cent MGB by RCMS, Lakhan Lal Mahto said that acceptance or rejection of the agreement by an individual trade union does not matter.
“In 9th NCW Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh had not signed an agreement paper but four other trade unions supported and it was implemented. Similarly, in the 10th NCW agreement, Hind Mazdoor Sabha did not sign the agreement and it was implemented. So opposition of an individual trade union does not count,” said Mahto.
However, a senior official of CIL said INTUC has not been left out of JBCCI. In the notification for the 11th NCW issued on June 10, 2021, CIL had reserved four main and four alternative members seats for INTUC till pending cases in courts of INTUC factions were not settled. In the 10th NCW meeting in 2017 too, INTUC was kept out.
