THE coal workers’ federation affiliated to CITU has called one-day strike in the coal industry on January 13, demanding withdrawal of the Coal Mines (Special provision) Act which has been brought through the Ordinance route bypassing suggestions of the central trade unions. The CITU-affiliated All India Coal Workers’ Federation (AICWF) has also extended its support to the five-day strike call by four national federations affiliated to INTUC, BMS, AITUC and HMS, commencing January 6. In a notice to the Union Coal Ministry about the strike call, AICWF said, “The coal workers have noted that resorting to the route of Ordinance with the provision for private commercial mining, the proposal for indiscriminate allotment of coal blocks beyond the areas which the apex court has identified for re-allotment, allowing the contractor raj even to the areas of prospecting and reconnaissance, the institutional silence on the wage system and the ministry’s position as institutional guarantee for social security under the new system, etc. are provocative for importing slavery.” The workers have observed that in a situation when during the past 12 years, the ratio between the real production and strength of permanent work force has gone down by 1000 percent, the proposed arrangement would destroy the system of ‘free wage system’ and would ruin the societies around 38 coal producing districts into burial ground in terms of socio-cultural polity. These districts, though prosperous with mineral deposit, continue to be backward in all other respects. Besides the move for new enactment, the ministry has been seeking for a number of changes in the basic structure of Coal India Limited. Its plan for replacing the institutional regulating system by private individual, including the posting of corporate/multinational nominee over the helm of Coal India and the proposal for further disinvestment would together lead to subversion and defacing the Coal Nationalisation Act, 1973. The All India Coal Workers Federation viewed the Coal Ministry’s move for going on contrary to the views of Central Trade Unions, as has been aimed to dictate for re-coursing the success of decades-long industrial relations system, the spirit of mutuality and bipartiteism toward the feet of multinationalism/corporate and personal whims. It viewed that the guiding principle of renewed government role on industrial relations, has been getting increasing fierce for the reason of its desperate quest to restore slavery in the name of harvesting cheap labour out of coal. The failure of the Coal Ministry to find the minister of coal for meeting the trade union representatives, despite the solemn commitment from the part of the Ministry while getting the previous strike notice deferred and instead piloting the passage of the Coal Mines (Special Provision) Bill before the Lok Sabha, speaks about the accrual of atrocious approach towards industrial relations system. Incidentally, the Coal Ministry happens to be simultaneously, the chief executive head of the second largest labour employing industry. Besides demanding withdrawal of the Coal Mines (Special Provision) Act, the federation asked the government to negotiate the process for implementation of the Supreme Court Award on illegal allotment of coal blocks. Its other demands include: Stop processing of all such moves which allows private commercial mining, replacing the regulating status of Coal India by individual entity and the position of Chairman by the Corporate Nominee or by some one from outside the Public Sector; Stop Disinvestment and the proposed restructuring of CIL, Coal Videsh Venture; Production planning and its execution should come under institutional scrutiny of industrial relation system; Stop contractual jobs in prohibited and jobs of permanent or perennial nature; Regularise all such workers who are engaged in such jobs; Till then implement HPC/CIL enhanced wages to all such workers and extend the area of coverage to Singarani, IICM and Dankuni Coal complex; Grant infrastructure /core status to coal industry; Better civic amenities in the areas of health, water supply, education, housing, women and child empowerment, free supply of coal or electricity in compensatory form.