Date | Oct 03, 2017:

Coal India Ltd. is working on a proposal to offer voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to its employees. A committee has already been formed to deliberate and formulate a scheme.

The nine-member committee comprises four representatives each of management and trade unions, a representative of the Coal Mines Officers’ Association of India (CMOAI) and a co-ordinator. The committee would also examine the feasibility of allowing a VRS optee retain company accommodation on lease-basis, a source said.

Members of trade unions like Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU)and Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), who are on the committee, said while they were opposed to any VRS in- principle, they would like to have a say in the formulation of any such scheme.

Natural attrition

CIL’s manpower stood at about 3.1 lakh at March end 2017 against 3.2 lakh a year ago with natural attrition at about 10,000. The VRS and other issues, including wage hike, may figure at the forthcoming meeting of the Joint Bipartite Committee for Coal Industry (JBCCI) which is deliberating on National Coal Wage Agreement–X.

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