The government began the working week of the New Year on a beleaguered note, facing two major strikes – first by Coal India workers for five days from Tuesday, and second by all-India bank unions pressing for wage hikes Wednesday.
In an unprecedented show of unity, coal workers and unions across the country plan to go on a five-day strike to protest the coal block allocation ordinance that provides for the possibility of commercial mining of the fuel.
“The central trade unions call upon the coal workers of CIL (Coal India Ltd)/subsidiaries and SCCL (Singareni Collieries Company Ltd.) to launch five days’ total strike in coal industry from first shift of Jan 6 to third shift of Jan 10 in most militant manner. It is time for coal workers to do or die,” the Indian National Mineworkers’ Federation said.State miner Coal India Ltd. has near-monopoly over production in the country, supplying nearly 82 percent of domestic output.
