SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Jan 3: The eyes of 2.28 lakhs miners of Coal India Limited (CIL), including 82,000 coal workers of Jharkhand-based Central Coalfield Limited (CCL), Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) and Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL) is set at the JBCCI meeting scheduled at Kolkata today for finalising the 11th coal wage agreement.
So far all seven meetings of JBCCI for deciding the 11th coal wage agreement have failed to reach on Minimum Guarantee Benefit (MGB) formula.
However, this time CIL authorities and trade union representatives (JBCCI members) are hopeful of reaching an amicable solution.
The last JBCCI meeting held at Kolkata on November 30 failed as CIL management offered a 10.50% increase of MGB while trade union leaders rigid on not less than 28% MGB.
Moreover, central trade union leaders are hopeful of today’s meeting and have observed that in the interest of 2.28 lakh miners, the 11th wage board agreement would be finalised.
JBCCI member and Jharkhand AITUC leader Lakhan Lal Mahto said that trade unions are hopeful of today’s meeting and hope CIL management would put up an honourable offer on MGB to reach an amicable agreement.
“Since both CIL authorities and trade unions leaders want a solution why would we not reach the agreement,” he said.
However, the Cong-affiliated Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Union (RCMU) has demanded discussion should be held at the JBCCI meeting on the facilities of miners deducted by CIL management in the last five years on a priority basis rather than finalizing the 11th pay agreement.
“In last five years, CIL has stopped night allowance, job on compensation ground and other facilities of miners. These are major issues and the apex body (JBCCI) should discuss it on a priority basis,” said AK Jha, RCMU general secretary and senior vice-president of the Indian National Mines Workers Federation (INTUC).
Due to internal friction and pending cases in court, INTUC has not been invited to the JBCCI meeting.
Representatives of four central trade unions Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), All India Trade Union Cong (AITUC), Central Industrial Trade Union (CITU) and Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) have been invited for today’s Kolkata meeting.
The representatives of trade union leaders who have been invited to Kolkata for the January 3 meeting are K Lakshma Reddy, Surendra Kumar Pandey, Sudhir H Ghurde, KP Gupta (BMS), Nathulal Pandey, Shiv Kant Pandey, Siddharth Gautam, Shiv Kumar Yadav (HMS), Ramendra Kumar, V Seetharamaiah (AITUC), DD Ramanand, Arup Chatterjee and Sujit Bhatacharya (CITU).
