KOLKATA | March 22, 2016: A strike planned against Coal India Ltd’s disinvestment has been called off, according to the INTUC-affiliated Indian National Mineworkers’ Federation.

The strike was slated for March 29, 2016 by four central trade unions in all the mines and units of Coal India Ltd as well as those of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd., according to a INMF statement.

It was planned to protest against the rounds of divestment at CIL and also certain service-related issues, by the four unions.

The BMS-affiliated union had distanced itself from the agitation plan.

Describing the decision as a “deferment,” INMF secretary general S.Q. Zama said that the decision was taken after discussions with the Union Coal Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi on March 14 and a review meeting at CIL in Kolkata on March 21.

The union said that among the service-related issues that were resolved was the constitution of the Joint Bipartite Committee for Coal Industry (JBCCI) which is crucial for negotiating wage pacts (the National Coal Wage Agreement- X) before the expiry of NCWA-IX on July 1, 2016.

However, the special women’s voluntary retirement scheme approved earlier jointly by the management and the trade unions, may not hold water as legal opinion has it that the scheme as formulated, is unconstitutional.

No common ground has emerged on this issue.

The unions also raised the issue of bringing CIL’s resettlement and rehabilitation policy in line with the national policy. Coal India officials said that this had already been done.

The central trade unions present at the meeting were from INTUC, AITUC, HMS and CITU.

(Source: http://www.thehindu.com/)