Coal minister’s appeal against strike cuts no ice with NLC trade unions

June 30, 2013 02:40 am | Updated November 16, 2021 08:34 pm IST - CUDDALORE:

Sriprakash Jaiswal. Photo: Special Arrangement

Sriprakash Jaiswal. Photo: Special Arrangement

Union Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal’s appeal to the trade unions of the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) to give up the indefinite strike from July 3 had no effect on them. The Joint Action Council (JAC) of trade unions and officers’ associations views the Minister’s statement only as an explanatory note on Centre’s stand on disinvestment.

“The Coal Minister has issued only a clarification on the divestment move and has not offered a solution to the issue,” said S.Rajavanniyan, JAC convenor, indicating that the workers and officers are not reconsidering the decision to go on an indefinite strike.

He told TheHindu that Mr. Jaiswal’s statement that the Centre was under compulsion to make the NLC, a public sector undertaking, comply with the guidelines of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) was only a reiteration of the divestment proposal.

“Citing the SEBI as the prime mover in the disinvestment episode is hardly convincing. PSUs like the NLC are under compulsion to abide by SEBI guidelines, whereas multinational companies and IT companies are let off the hook as they are neither bound by labour laws nor have any social obligations,” he said.

For over three decades, the NLC had been making profit and every year it was paying about Rs 1,000 crore to the Centre by way of dividends and taxes. Besides, the NLC was spending about Rs 20 crore a year on improving the livelihood in peripheral villages. Therefore, the statement issued by the Coal Minister has no any substance, he said, terming Mr. Jaiswal’s appeal as a routine exercise in the aftermath of trade unions issuing strike notice.

As the workers and officers were apprehensive that the divestment move was the first step towards privatisation, they have closed ranks to put up a joint fight, Mr. Rajavanniyan said. The NLC officers’ associations also see no merit in the Coal Minister’s appeal. A spokesperson of an officer’s association on anonymity said the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs had initially deferred the disinvestment proposal but later shifted its stand.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.