The following is the statement issued by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) on January 8: THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) congratulates the coal workers all over the country for their heroic two days’ strike action in all the coal mines and establishments spread over around 40 districts braving police repressions and attacks by the contractor-mafia combine. The strike completely paralysed operations in most of the coal mines under Coal India Ltd and Singareni Collieries Ltd. The call for a five days’ strike from January 6-10, 2015 was given by four federations of coal workers affiliated to BMS, INTUC, AITUC and HMS, after the CITU affiliated All India Coal Workers’ Federation (AICWF) gave the call for country wide strike to be held on January 13 against denationalisation/ privatisation of the coal sector. The AICWF immediately extended support to the five days’ strike, campaigned intensively and worked tirelessly for the success of the strike. However, it is unfortunate that the strike has been called off only on the basis of an assurance by the coal minister to constitute a committee to look into the demands, despite the massive and magnificent response from the coal workers. The representative of the CITU affiliated federation opposed this during the negotiations and demanded at least the removal of the components of denationalisation from the ordinance and the related Bill. The two days’ near total strike by around seven lakh coal workers including the contract workers, braving all repressive measures and threats reflects the unity of the coal workers and their determination to fight the government’s anti-national decision to denationalise/privatise the coal sector. This unity and united struggles need to be taken forward. CITU pledges to strive to deepen and widen this unity and continue its efforts to heighten the struggle to protect the interests of the workers, the nation and its people as a whole. It calls upon the entire trade union movement to continue the united agitation and struggle towards this goal and defeat the Modi government’s attempts to sell out the natural resources of the country for the benefit of the corporates.