Coal production hit as Singareni employees begin strike

Hyderabad:  Coal production in Telangana-owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) came to a halt on Thursday as the employees began a three-day strike to oppose the Centre’s move to auction four coal blocks.
With an overwhelming majority of 42,000 workers participating in the strike, coal extraction was paralysed in all 23 underground and 19 open cast mines.
Employees struck the work and staged the protest at the mines, opposing the union coal ministry’s proposal to auction the coal blocks.
Also Read KCR urges PM to stop auction of Singareni coal blocks Major trade union Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS) affiliated to ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has called for the strike. Trade unions affiliated to the five central trade unions Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS).
The TBGKS has called for the 72-hour strike to press for a five-point charter of demands including the removal of four coal blocks of the SCCL from the coal ministry’s list of commercial coal mine auction.
The five trade unions also served strike notice on the management to press for a 12-point charter of demands.