Majority of the officers of Coal India Ltd put up a no-show on their attendance registers on the first day of a three-day strike although production was not affected in the same proportion. The strike has been called by the Coal Mines Officers’ Association of India (CMOAI).
While officer’s ‘absenteeism’ remained around 88-95 per cent, only about 30 per cent of production was affected during the day, enquiries revealed. The strike has been called to press for implementation of performance-related pay and the New Pension Scheme.
U. Das, joint general secretary of the CMOAI said that 95 per cent of the officers across the country did not sign the attendance registers. Senior CIL management said some of its subsidiaries were affected by the strike while others seemed to have been less affected. An estimated 30 per cent production was lost during the day.
S.K. Zama of the INTUC-affiliated Indian National Mineworkers Federation said that in many mines, supervisors stepped in to keep the production going.
Mr. Zama said that while the union sympathised with the cause, it did not feel that this was an opportune moment for observing a three-day strike. “Their case is outstanding for years and the cause is justified but exercising pressure at a time when the polls are scheduled is not right.”
