Central trade unions have declared a nationwide one-day strike at Coal India, all state-run establishments on February 16, as outlined in a regulatory filing. The timing of this announcement is significant due to the importance of Coal India’s supplies in electricity generation worldwide. It remains uncertain what impact the strike will have on power plant supplies.
Coal India Ltd (CIL) notified the stock exchanges of receiving a strike notice concerning a one-day All India Strike across all CIL subsidiaries on February 16.
The strike notice was issued by Hind Mazdoor Sangh (HMS), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), and Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).
Although the regulatory filing did not specify the exact reason for the strike call, similar notices were issued in October demanding the company pay non-executive employees according to the National Coal Wage Agreement (NCWA) XI. The previous strike plan was postponed after a court ordered the company to comply with the latest wage pact.
In June of the preceding year, the coal ministry approved a wage revision agreement for non-executive employees of Coal India, providing for a 19% minimum guaranteed benefit from July 1, 2021, on basic emoluments including variable dearness allowance (VDA), special dearness allowance (SDA), and attendance bonus, along with a 25% increase in allowances. This agreement was reached in May by the Joint Bipartite Committee for the Coal Industry (JBCCI)-XI, which includes representatives from CIL management, Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), central trade unions, and the Indian National Mine Workers’ Federation (INMF).
