Telangana political Joint Action Committee chairman M. Kodandaram has demanded that the management of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited implement the recommendations made by the high power committee for enhancing the wages of the workers engaged in the company on contract basis. Prof. Kodandaram extended solidarity of the TJAC with the members of the Singareni Collieries Contract Workers Union in their struggle to achieve their demands. Expressing concern over the denial of recommended wages to the workers, he wondered how the management was making payment close to Rs.1,300 crore to private contractors who were engaged in works like transport and overburden removal.
“Steps should be taken to bring down the amounts being paid to private contractors and the same amount can be instead invested in opening up under ground mines that bring revenue as well as generate employment to workers,” he said.
Staff downsized
From over 1.15 lakh employees a few years ago, the SCCL staff was downsized to about 56,000 at present while several works were being privatised. “The SCCL management should take the responsibility of ensuring that the contractors paid the recommended wages to workers. He exhorted the workers unions to incorporate demands like education and health facilities to their children and families as they were unable to bear the costs on the two counts with the existing salaries. While there was need to mount pressure on the management for conceding their justified demands for which the unions should join hands and put up a united struggle. “The contractors are united so are the higher officials of the management. Why are workers unions unable to forge such a unity?” he asked. IFTU general secretary B. Pradeep said there were close to 1.5 lakh workers including 25,000 in the SCCL, engaged on contract basis in various coal mines across the country. The high power committee which made recommendations for the pay hike to workers, however, had exempted those engaged in corporate office, hospitals and other sectors of the SCCL. The management was not following equal wages for equal work as mandated by the law.
