With the process of election to the recognised union of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) is scheduled to commence from June 1, 2023, the major trade unions operating in the State’s vast coal belt region are gearing up to devise area-wise poll strategies in anticipation of the recognised union election in July this year.
The Telangana High Court on Thursday modified its earlier order dated March 13, 2023 while hearing the SCCL’s plea to allow commencement of the process of holding election through secret ballot after the peak summer months, from June 1.
In its plea, the State-owned SCCL cited a huge production loss suffered by the company in the current fiscal due to incessant rains and the imperative need to make up for the shortfall in coal production and to meet the demand from the power sector, which is likely to surge during April and May.
The High Court on Thursday issued orders directing the concerned authorities to commence the process of election from June 1, 2023 and complete the same within a period of three months thereafter, SCCL sources said.
In the last recognised union election held in 2017, the ruling BRS-backed Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS) emerged triumphant by winning 9 out of the 11 areas of the company.
It trounced the AITUC-affiliated SCWU, which was supported by the unions backed by Opposition parties – the Congress, the CPI and the TDP.
Around 49,877 Singareni employees exercised their franchise in the 2017 union elections.
A host of the ruling party MLAs, MPs and other elected representatives, including TBGKS honorary president K Kavitha, vigorously campaigned for the victory of TBGKS in the previous union election.
TBGKS’s string of promises such as compassionate employment to the dependents of SCCL employees, interest-free housing loan of ₹6 lakh and implementation of cadre scheme paved the way for its thumping victory in 2017.
Singareni employees and retired staff, including their family members, constitute a significant chunk of voters in as many as 11 Assembly constituencies spread in six districts spanning the State’s coal belt region.
Political observers feel that the trade unions affiliated to various political parties may contest the next SCCL union election independently despite strong indications of an electoral alliance between the BRS, CPI and the CPI (M) in the next Assembly elections to be held later this year.
The local trade unions affiliated to five Central trade unions, including CITU, INTUC and AITUC, organised joint agitations last year in protest against the Centre’s move to auction the four coal blocks in Telangana for commercial mining and alleged privatisation policies.
The TBGKs has been vocal about the Centre’s attempts to auction four coal blocks under the SCCL limits, terming it as “privatisation move”, a charge vehemently denied by the BJP senior leaders.
