The State government has decided to revive compassionate appointments in the Singareni Collieries Company Limited.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao wanted the officials concerned to consider the children of employees who did not benefit under the voluntary retirement scheme to be included in the compassionate appointments as well. He directed the management to ensure payment of 23 per cent profit earned by the State-owned coal miner for the year 2015-16 as bonus to the employees.
Given the Rs. 1,066.13 crore net profit reported by the public sector major during the previous financial year, the management has to pay Rs. 245.31 crore, amounting to 23 per cent, as bonus to the employees. Accordingly, each employee would get Rs. 43,078 on an average as bonus, and this would be in addition to Rs. 54,000 bonus each already announced for Diwali. The development comes in line with the Chief Minister’s decision to pay 21 per cent of the profits as bonus to the employees during the previous fiscal.
Mr. Rao made this announcements during a meeting with MLAs, MPs, and representatives of the recognised union at the Camp Office here on Thursday. SCCL chairman and managing director N. Sridhar, recognised union honorary president and MP K. Kavitha, and other senior officials were present at the meeting.
The Chief Minister likened the mine workers to soldiers who were sacrificing their lives for the country on the borders, and said these workers needed to get their due. The government had accordingly taken up the responsibility to provide social security to these workers who toil hard to excavate the valuable mineral in the interest of the country.
The decision to revive compassionate appointment scheme was made to protect the interests of the workers and their families. The compassionate appointment scheme had been shelved by the then government headed by N. Chandrababu Naidu in 1998, according to an official release.
