The nationwide strike call, given by 10 different unions in protest against several issues, including privatisation of PSUs, commercial mining, changes in labour laws and farm laws, evoked a lukewarm response in over 80 mines of the district.
Production remained almost normal in all the mines. Only road and rail despatch was affected to some extent in different areas like Kusudna, Bastacola, Block II, Block IV and Chanch Victoria area.
Notably, the contractual workers working with different private contractors engaged by coal companies have been exempted from the strike by the trade unions.
The Coal India management had also forewarned the employees against the strike and also threatened about the days’ salary cut for those participating in the strike.
Talking to The Telegraph Online on Thursday, Rajendra Paswan, area secretary of Bihar Colliery Kamgar Union affiliated to Central Industrial Trade Union (CITU) said, “We have reached at the CK railway siding area since early morning at around 5 am and stopped loading of coal in the railway rake in order to disrupt the rail transport of coal.”
“The message of our protest is clear that we are not going to allow the commercialisation of coal mining which is aimed at benefitting the capitalist forces,” said Paswan.
