CITU has welcomed the coal workers federations’ decision to hold day-long dharnas on January 30 against the government’s move to disinvest 10 percent share of Coal India Ltd. (CIL), and called upon the coal workers to unitedly stage massive demonstrations to express their resolve and determination to fight back and resist the design of de-nationalisation and privatisation of the coal mining sector to facilitate plunder of vital natural resources for private gains and the game plan to impose slavery on the workers and the people.

All coal workers federations have decided to organise massive day-long demonstrations and dharnas before the office of the General Manager in all the subsidiary companies of CIL and all the areas throughout the country against the disinvestment move.

THE central government has decided to disinvest 10 percent share of Coal India Ltd. (CIL) on January 30. The decision to off-load shares of Coal India Ltd. to private hands is nothing but the beginning of the process of gradual privatisation of CIL, the ground of which has already been created through the ordinance and the related bill for de-nationalisation of coal mining sector as a whole.

Only a couple of weeks ago, on January 7, the Coal Minister had given verbal assurances before all the federations of workers in coal industry to strengthen CIL and managed to get the five-day strike call withdrawn after two days. The CITU-affiliated federation had then dissented against such withdrawal of strike and refused to sign the minutes of joint meeting between the minister and the workers’ federations.

This is nothing but betrayal, which is not unnatural for a desperate government at the Centre to go for mass-scale privatisation of national assets and natural resources completely uncaring for the national interests. That is why soon after the government decision was made public on January 28, the coal workers federations announced to hold day-long dharnas across the country.

CITU will oppose the design of de-nationalisation and privatisation of the coal mining sector to facilitate plunder of vital natural resources for private gains and the game plan to impose slavery on the workers and the people.