New Delhi: The three-day strike by trade unions at Coal India Limited impacted coal production by 56 percent, an official told PSU Watch. The strike began on July 2 and ended on July 4, with six Central Trade Unions — RSS' BMS, CITU, AITUC, INTUC and HMS — declaring their intention to keep the agitation going. Coal India's production fell to 5,73,000 tonnes per day over the course of these three days, as compared to the June average output of 1.29 MT per day.
Offtake also dropped 62 percent to about 5,36,000 tonnes per day as dispatch was hit. The strike has impacted coal production as Coal India is lagging behind in meeting its target and has registered a third consecutive decline in monthly coal production in June in the backdrop of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Coal India, which is targeting to produce 1 BT of coal by 2023-24, saw its annual coal production fall for the first time in FY2019-20 in more than two decades.
On the last day of the three-day-long strike organised by trade unions at Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries, the five CTUs (Central Trade Unions) said that they will continue the agitation programme and have decided to hold another strike on August 18, which is the last day for bid submission for the 41 coal blocks put up for commercial mining. SQ Zama, the secretary-general of Indian National Mineworkers' Federation, affiliated to INTUC, said that the CTUs have planned to build public opinion against commercial mining in mining areas, going forward, and will continue the stir in a sustained way if the government seems adamant.
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