ALL INDIA COAL WORKERS CONVENTION
Kolkata University Centenary Hall
(August 26, 2007)
DRAFT DECLARATION
The All India Coal Workers Convention being held in Kolkata on 26 August 2007 under the auspices of Indian National Mines Workers Federation (INTUC), Indian Mine Workers Federation (AITUC) Hind Khadan Mazdoor Federation (HMS) Akhil Bharatiya Khadan Mazdoor Sangh(BMS) and All India Coal Workers Federation (CITU) expresses grave concern at the serious situation prevailing in Coal industry which has dangerous implications for the public sector Coal Industry as well as 6 lakh Coal Miners working in the industry.
Though the Bill to denationalize Coal Industry has not been adopted in Parliament due to the united opposition of the entire T.U. movement in coal industry. The Government of India is resorting to back door privatization of the industry. Over 150 coal blocks have been offered to the private sector companies, while the Coal Ministry has decided to action these blocks. This will invite entry of unscrupulous private contractors who will resort to slaughter mining and exploit cheap labour without any proper working condition or T.U. rights. The safety of the mines will be callously ignored by them resulting in several accidents in privately run mines.
Already many mines have been allotted to private companies for power plants, cement factories etc. but they are illegally selling Coal in the market violating the national laws in a blatant manner.
The coal mine managements both in public and private sectors are resorting to outsource the jobs of permanent and perennial nature and exploiting the workers. The principle of equal wages for equal work is callously being ignored. In the name of patch work, large coal reserves are being handed over to the private parties who engage workers at extremely low rate of wages.
Over and above that, illegal mining is going on rampantly due to connivance of public sector mining officials and State Government administration. Several accidents have occurred in these mines and precious lives of workers have lost but no action is being taken to stop the malpractice.
The theft of Coal from public sector mines is a regular phenomenon resulting in loss of thousands of crores of rupees for Coal India every year. The corrupt officials are making money at the cost of public sector in connivance with traders in India.
The trade union movement has been demanding from the Government of India that the Coal India should be a unitary company and all coal companies should be brought under one umbrella. This will improve the functioning of the Coal industry and reduce the cost of administration. The loss making companies can get relief by forming such a single company. However, the Government of India has curtly ignored the just demands of the Unions in coal industry.
This Convention is of the opinion that Coal India can meet the entire requirement of Coal in India and there is no need to privatize the Coal industry. The trade unions in coal industry are prepared to give full co-operation to meet the requirement of India if the Govt. decides to develop coal industry only in public sector. This gesture however is not accepted by the Govt. and privatization drive is going on in full swing.
Instead of developing indigenous coal industry the Govt. of India is importing over 30 million tonnes of coal every year and closing down Indian mines despite huge reserves. The Govt. has formed Coal Videsh to produce coal in Australia, South Africa, Indonesia, Nigeria and other countries and ignoring the development of full potential of Coal Industry in India.
The development of coal industry is being adversely affected due to mismanagement and corruption prevalent in industry. Senior officers and contractors to-day are secretly funneling out huge resource of public sector coal companies which results in less profitability of our coal mines.
The drastic reduction of manpower is taking place through VRS, non-filling of vacancies, contracterisation of mining operation and other dubious methods in several departments there is shortage of manpower making the mining operation uneconomic.
The CIL management is unilaterally changing the terms of previous JBCCI agreements namely, employment to dependents. On the plea of Supreme Court judgment the Coal managements arbitrarily withdrew the agreement regarding job to dependents causing lot of resentment among the coal miners.
The managements are trying to withdraw the common weekly off to workers. The concept of all man all jobs is being arbitrarily implemented. The policies of the management are leading to weakening of the tripartite machinery at National level.
The Ministry of Coal is insisting that the wage agreement would be for a period of 10 years instead of for 5 years as prevalent in Coal industry. Despite rejection of the proposal by all the unions in coal industry the management are insisting on 10 year agreement.
The question of safety in Coal mines is sadly neglected and 200 lives are lost every year due to unsafe conditions in coal mines, while several thousands are getting injured. Many workers are affected by Pneumoconiosis but no steps are taken by the management to rehabilitate them. Pit safety committees are not functioning while some safety mechanism has become a ritual.
Thousands of tonnes of coal is getting burnt every day in Jharia area while subsidence of residential areas in several mines is of frequent occurrence. On both the issues dispite Supreme Court directive no step is being taken by the management which affects environment in the coal belt.
This Convention therefore demands that the following steps should be immediately taken by the coal managements and the Govt. of India.
Kolkata University Centenary Hall
(August 26, 2007)
DRAFT DECLARATION
The All India Coal Workers Convention being held in Kolkata on 26 August 2007 under the auspices of Indian National Mines Workers Federation (INTUC), Indian Mine Workers Federation (AITUC) Hind Khadan Mazdoor Federation (HMS) Akhil Bharatiya Khadan Mazdoor Sangh(BMS) and All India Coal Workers Federation (CITU) expresses grave concern at the serious situation prevailing in Coal industry which has dangerous implications for the public sector Coal Industry as well as 6 lakh Coal Miners working in the industry.
Though the Bill to denationalize Coal Industry has not been adopted in Parliament due to the united opposition of the entire T.U. movement in coal industry. The Government of India is resorting to back door privatization of the industry. Over 150 coal blocks have been offered to the private sector companies, while the Coal Ministry has decided to action these blocks. This will invite entry of unscrupulous private contractors who will resort to slaughter mining and exploit cheap labour without any proper working condition or T.U. rights. The safety of the mines will be callously ignored by them resulting in several accidents in privately run mines.
Already many mines have been allotted to private companies for power plants, cement factories etc. but they are illegally selling Coal in the market violating the national laws in a blatant manner.
The coal mine managements both in public and private sectors are resorting to outsource the jobs of permanent and perennial nature and exploiting the workers. The principle of equal wages for equal work is callously being ignored. In the name of patch work, large coal reserves are being handed over to the private parties who engage workers at extremely low rate of wages.
Over and above that, illegal mining is going on rampantly due to connivance of public sector mining officials and State Government administration. Several accidents have occurred in these mines and precious lives of workers have lost but no action is being taken to stop the malpractice.
The theft of Coal from public sector mines is a regular phenomenon resulting in loss of thousands of crores of rupees for Coal India every year. The corrupt officials are making money at the cost of public sector in connivance with traders in India.
The trade union movement has been demanding from the Government of India that the Coal India should be a unitary company and all coal companies should be brought under one umbrella. This will improve the functioning of the Coal industry and reduce the cost of administration. The loss making companies can get relief by forming such a single company. However, the Government of India has curtly ignored the just demands of the Unions in coal industry.
This Convention is of the opinion that Coal India can meet the entire requirement of Coal in India and there is no need to privatize the Coal industry. The trade unions in coal industry are prepared to give full co-operation to meet the requirement of India if the Govt. decides to develop coal industry only in public sector. This gesture however is not accepted by the Govt. and privatization drive is going on in full swing.
Instead of developing indigenous coal industry the Govt. of India is importing over 30 million tonnes of coal every year and closing down Indian mines despite huge reserves. The Govt. has formed Coal Videsh to produce coal in Australia, South Africa, Indonesia, Nigeria and other countries and ignoring the development of full potential of Coal Industry in India.
The development of coal industry is being adversely affected due to mismanagement and corruption prevalent in industry. Senior officers and contractors to-day are secretly funneling out huge resource of public sector coal companies which results in less profitability of our coal mines.
The drastic reduction of manpower is taking place through VRS, non-filling of vacancies, contracterisation of mining operation and other dubious methods in several departments there is shortage of manpower making the mining operation uneconomic.
The CIL management is unilaterally changing the terms of previous JBCCI agreements namely, employment to dependents. On the plea of Supreme Court judgment the Coal managements arbitrarily withdrew the agreement regarding job to dependents causing lot of resentment among the coal miners.
The managements are trying to withdraw the common weekly off to workers. The concept of all man all jobs is being arbitrarily implemented. The policies of the management are leading to weakening of the tripartite machinery at National level.
The Ministry of Coal is insisting that the wage agreement would be for a period of 10 years instead of for 5 years as prevalent in Coal industry. Despite rejection of the proposal by all the unions in coal industry the management are insisting on 10 year agreement.
The question of safety in Coal mines is sadly neglected and 200 lives are lost every year due to unsafe conditions in coal mines, while several thousands are getting injured. Many workers are affected by Pneumoconiosis but no steps are taken by the management to rehabilitate them. Pit safety committees are not functioning while some safety mechanism has become a ritual.
Thousands of tonnes of coal is getting burnt every day in Jharia area while subsidence of residential areas in several mines is of frequent occurrence. On both the issues dispite Supreme Court directive no step is being taken by the management which affects environment in the coal belt.
This Convention therefore demands that the following steps should be immediately taken by the coal managements and the Govt. of India.
- 1. Establish Coal India as a holding company with a single balance sheet along with all subsidiaries.
2. Budgetary Assistance to be provided for expansion of coal mines in the public sector.
3. Stop outsourcing and contractrisation in permanent and perennial nature of jobs in coal mines.
4. The JBCCI Agreement relating to employment to dependents should be fully implemented.
5. Stop illegal coal mining and theft of coal.
6. Immediate starting of negotiation for a 5 year settlement in JBCCI.
7. Ensure full safety measures in all coal mines.
8. Ensure improved medical facilties for all workers and provide medical facilities to retired coal workers.
9. Immediate steps to check the burning of coal in Jharia and subsidence of surface in collieries.
10. Stop import of coal and develop more mines in India.
The Convention therefore calls upon all workers to unitedly work to implement the following programme of action.
1. Hold company level conventions to popularize the demands adopted by the convention.
2. Observe National Protest Day in all the Coal mines on ______
3. Hold company level demonstrations on ________
4. Hold massive demonstration at CIL Headquarters on ______
5. Organize nationwide strike of coal workers (Date and period to be decided by the convention).
This convention appeals to all coal mines in India to make this programme a grand success to protect the Coal industry in public sector and proper working and living conditions for the coal miners.
No comments:
Post a Comment