The INTUC affiliated Indian National Mineworkers Federation is trying to forge out a united opposition to the proposed third dose of divestment at Coal India Ltd.
It has already adopted a resolution opposing the move at its recent conference at Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh to this effect and is now in talks with the other trade unions in the coal sector. All the central trade unions – the left and the right-wingers- have a presence in the coal sector.
The INMF said that it was the biggest federation of mineworkers in the Indian mining industry with its members spread across Coal India Ltd, the joint venture Singareni Collieries Company Ltd , the mines division of Tata Steel as also the non- coal workers n the copper, zinc diamond, iron ore and the manganese ore industries. Its membership strength is estimated at four lakhs organised and two lakhs unorganised workers.
However, alongside the issue of the proposed divestment move, the INMF has also flagged the issue of contract workers saying that a resolution has also been adopted to help them get their dues. The issue of wage revision for coal sector workers also came up at the meeting, which said that consultations should begin for constituting the Joint Bipartite Committee for the Coal Industry (JBCCI), a platform for wage negotiations in the coal industry. The present wage pact – National Coal Wage Agreement-IX -expires on July 2016.
