CIL staff not keen to join strike; workers reluctant to sacrifice pay

KOLKATA: Central trade union leaders may be contemplating a strike to protest against the Coal India stake divestment plan but getting workers to participate is turning out to be a tough sell because of the resulting salary cuts.

Pay docked for every day of a strike amounts to Rs 1,500 at junior levels to at least twice that in the higher ranks. Workers are reluctant to sacrifice this, at least on issues such as stake divestment that they see as going ahead anyway, even if there is a strike.

A senior central trade union leader, trying to organise a stir in connection with the government's decision to divest an additional 10 per cent stake in Coal India, has been finding it hard to motivate workers on the issue.

"Earlier, Coal India workers were not paid very well, but in the last few years their salaries have increased by a great extent. These days a junior workman gets anything between Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 a month while a senior worker receives an average salary of about Rs 60,000 per month," he said.

Coal India has about 3.1 lakh workers at its seven subsidiaries. They are affiliated to five central trade unions and a number of local ones. Organising them to boycott work requires coordinated efforts by union leaders, who are finding it difficult to do so at short notice.

"Union leaders generally club a host of workmen-related welfare issues and demands, with issues like stake divestment, for greater participation of workmen. The leaders have been using it for the past several months including the strike that paralysed work in January," a senior Coal India official said.

The contractors, who provide workmen to Coal India are also not keen about them participating in strikes. There are at least 40,000 such workmen at Coal India.

"Work stoppage leads to losses for them and reduces their ability to achieve targets. If they fail to achieve targets they face penalty irrespective of a strike or normal working days," a Coal India official said.