Following the government’s decision to disinvest 10 per cent shares of Coal India Limited’s (CIL), five central trade unions have announced protest demonstrations on Friday across the country. Representatives of the central trade unions had earlier declared a five-day strike from January 6 till 10 against the government’s move to introduce the Coal Ordinance permitting commercial mining and against disinvestment in CIL
They had aborted the five-day strike after two days as Coal Minister Piyush Goyal had promised to set up a committee with government and unions’ representatives to examine the workers’ demands.
The January two-day strike, the biggest industrial action since the 1980s, had left a third of the thermal power plants in the country with no coal stocks left. The committee proposed on January 7 with representatives of government, CIL, central unions as members was expected to submit its findings by March but it is yet to be set up.
“The committee proposed to be set up under Joint Secretary is yet to be set up. But before holding even a single discussion with the workers’ representatives, the government has declared the disinvestment of 10 percent in CIL,” said Rajya Sabha MP and General Secretary CITU Tapan Sen. The unions have proposed to hold protest demonstrations at collieries across the country, and will burn effigies of the CIL officials, the unions said in a statement.
“We received communication from the government yesterday after it had already announced the disinvestment asking us to nominate members to the committee. First they went ahead with their announcement and later, contacted us. There is no spirit of consultation. We have thus decided to hold a protest on January 30 across the country,” said Pradeep Kumar who represents coal workers’ union in Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh’s wing, Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh.
The government decided to go for the biggest share sale of CIL by offloading 10 percent stake in it, expecting it to fetch upto Rs. 24,000 crore. The government will sell 315.8 million shares, or five per cent stake, through an offer of sale, with an option to sell another five per.cent later.
Earlier, the Coal Ordinance and the subsequent Bill on the same proposed that 204 coal blocks be allotted through e-auctions and private companies be allowed to sell the coal without restrictions on end purpose.
