SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, June 9: The Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Union (RCMU), miners’ frontal organization of Congress, has called for massive agitation from June 17 in collieries against the decision of selling 25% share of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
RCMU has said that since the central government has unilaterally decided to sell shares of BCCL like an important company without consulting economists, political parties, nationally recognized trade unions and management of BCCL, the miners have left no option but launch agitation for stopping the action.
“We have seen joint agitation of all trade unions has forced the central government as well as management of Coal India Limited to withdraw several anti-company and anti- miners decision in past. So, now all trade unions would again launch stir to stop selling of BCCL shares,” said AK Jha, general secretary of RCMU, a major constituent of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC).
RCMU said that Congress had set up over 300 public sector companies in the country and created lakhs of employment opportunities for the people. But the present BJP-led central government has decided to hand over all profit-making public sector units to capitalists and industrial houses.
“In this condition when neither parliament nor the central government is hearing our voice nor talking with us over this major decision, we are left with only one option which is to launch an agitation on road. We believe the voice from the road can change the anti-labour voice of parliament as well as government,” said Jha.
Rolling out agitation programme decided at the meeting of RCMU chaired by president Anup Singh, miners would hold one-day Satyagrahin in front of the office in Barora Area, Govindpur, Bock -2 Area on June 17.
On the next day, a similar Satyagraha would be staged in front of Katras Area, Sijua Area, Putki Balihari Area West Jharia Area on June 18. The miners would agitate in the Kusunda Area, Bastakola Area, Lodna Area, and Bhowra Area in the colliery of BCCl on June 20. “We would hold Satyagraha in Area 12 and washeries on June 1,” said Jha.
He added that if the decision was not changed even after this, RCMU would do a gherao of Koyla Bhawan, headquarters of BCCL.
