People's Democracy

ABOUT 450 coal mines all over India were paralysed from December 3 to 5, as six lakh workers struck work on the major issue of protest against the Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill 2000, providing for privatisation of coal mining in India.

It should be pointed out that although all the trade unions had repeatedly assured the government that they would ensure that all the national requirements of coal would be met by the public sector coal company, the government remained adamant on its policy of privatising coal mining.

The call for strike was jointly given by four central trade unions, the CITU, AITUC, HMS and BMS.

The coalminers, through the strike, also wished to reiterate other issues and demands which had been earlier submitted to the coal managements and Ministry of Coal, to no avail. They included:

• formation of a single public sector company for the entire coal industry;
• revival of ECL (the Eastern Coalfields Ltd.), BCCL (Bharat Coking Coalfields, Ltd.) and CCL (the Central Coalfields Ltd.) in consultation with the trade unions.

• restoration of the customs duty, to the 1990 level, on imported coal;

• immediate payment of arrears of National Coal Wage Agreement-IV, signed as far back as a year ago;

• immediate review of the pension scheme;

• full implementation of all safety regulations;

On November 22, the Group of Ministers (GOM), including Finance, Power, Coal and Labour ministers, had met the representatives of the trade unions in the coal industry, but except for giving some verbal assurances, the GOM did not agree to any of the demands raised by the trade unions.

A conciliation meeting called by the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) at the instance of Director (Personnel) Coal India, also could not make any headway as most of the issues did not fall under the jurisdiction of CLC(C).

Then on November 25, minister of Coal, Ram Vilas Paswan called a meeting of representatives of coal unions, with a view to averting the strike. But, again, except giving some vague assurances he was not prepared to settle any of the demands.

On the one hand publicly stating that he was not privatising Coal India Ltd, and on the other, allowing the private sector, both Indian and foreign, into the coal industry, the floodgates were only being opened for the entry of multi-national companies into the coal sector. Such companies by paying only minimum wages under the Minimum Wages Act, would be able to squeeze the public sector Coal India out of the market.

For this reason trade unions were opposed to the entry of the private sector in the coal sector, and expressed their total opposition to the Bill to privatise the coal industry.

The TUs had already rejected the report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee under the Chairmanship of Santosh Mohan Dev, which had examined the Bill and recommended its acceptance with minor amendments. Since their demand was for immediate withdrawal of the Bill, the trade unions opposed the Report of the Standing Committee and asked for its withdrawal.

The failure of the talks with the coal minister, followed by the inconclusive conciliation meeting on the same day, had left the unions with no alternative but to carry through their decision to go on strike. Accordingly, the four federations belonging to the CITU, AITUC, HMS and BMS, issued a joint statement calling out all the six lakh coal miners.

The INTUC leadership decided not to join the strike. In separate talks with the ministry of coal and the Coal India management they agreed to oppose the strike. In a vain attempt to disrupt the strike they tried to pursuade the management to announce payment of 60 per cent of the arrears, which of course the management declined.

They then tried spreading rumours, repeatedly in the Press, that the government would be holding some more meetings with trade unions on the demands. In its turn the ministry, trying to bring about a division among the workers, circulated news that if the trade unions desisted from striking, the government would announce full payment of arrears in profit-making undertakings and start negotiations in loss-making units on how much less payment they should get. However, the coal workers remained firm.

Hundreds of joint meetings were held in several coalmines to popularise the call to resist privatisation of coalmines, the united appeal inspiring the workers to go ahead with the strike in all mines.

Even several INTUC unions and activists at local levels not only endorsed the call for strike, despite opposition of their leadership, but openly campaigned in favour of strike. The all-in unity achieved at the mine level was what created a favourable atmosphere for the action. This effect was enhanced by the support given by the IFTU, AICCTU, UTUC, UTUC (LS) and a number of categorywise unions in the coal industry, plus the opposition to privatisation expressed by the Officers' Association in Coal India.

The workers in all coalmines responded magnificently to the call for strike. For the first time the strike in the North Eastern Coalfields in Assam and in the Mahanadi Coal Field in Talcher area, in the ECL, BCCL and CCL, except for the workers maintaining essential services, was complete, while in Gopalpur area a majority of workers struck work.

According to reports from the SECL (Southeastern Coafields Ltd) and the WCL (Western Coalfields), the strike was near total. In the NCL (Northern Coalfields Ltd), over 80 per cent of the workers observed the strike.

The strike on the second and the third days was even more massive than on the first day, with more workers joining the strike. The workers’ anger against the INTUC leadership was so powerful that in several mines effigies of INTUC leaders were spontaneously burnt by the workers.

In Kolkata, the headquarters of CIL and its subsidiaries were completely closed for all the three days. According to Reports, the CMPDI offices and sites were all closed for three days.

The contract workers in several mines joined the regular employees and struck work despite the attempts of the managements to prevent them from joining the strike.

The attempts of the managements to use mafias to break the strike could not succeed due to the remarkable unity achieved by the workers of all affiliations during the strike.

In different coal companies the police tried to suppress the strike by terrorising the workers. In Assam, in the North Eastern Coalfields the coal mines fall within the constituency of Assam home minister. He used the police force to try to intimidate the workers without success.

In the WCL, INTUC elements attacked workers observing strike, but despite complaints to the police, no action was taken against the culprits. However, the police arrested 14 supporters of the strike on December 4 night. The workers protested against the police repression and observed complete strike on the last day of the strike. The first two-day strike was also completely successful.

The Chandrababu Naidu government of Andhra Pradesh came down heavily against the striking workers. It arrested the general secretary of the Singareni Collieries Employees Union and six other CITU leaders to break the morale of the workers. Two leaders of IFTU were also detained by the Andhra police during the strike.

It is deeply regrettable that the AITUC leadership of Singareni Collieries called upon the workers not to join the strike. Yet several AITUC workers defied their leadership, resulting in 80 per cent of the workers throughout the whole company joining the strike.

In BCCL, the police and CISF lathi-charged the striking workers in Balinari and Pathardih Collieries. The CISF tried to create a reign of terror in Lodha Colliery, but workers protested against police and CISF terror and observed complete strike in all these collieries.

In Tadali Central workshop (WCL) one CITU activist was attacked by INTUC hoodlums and his hand was grievously injured. The workers condemned the attack.

The three-day successful strike reflected the firm determination of the six lakh coal miners to fight the menace of privatisation.

The unity achieved during the strike should be strengthened in the forthcoming period, so that the struggle can be further intensified in the near future. The central trade unions will be meeting soon to chalk out the next course of action.

The central government is determined to bring in the Bill to privatise the coalmines in the budget session of Parliament. The coal workers movement should prepare for an indefinite strike in the industry, if the government does not withdraw its retrograde step.