The All India Coal Workers’ Federation said it would resist any move to ‘denationalise’ mines, and called for the return of all private captive coal blocks to Coal India ltd (CIL).
At its two-day meeting held in Raniganj recently, the CITU-affiliated union, said CIL must be strengthened and be made the only nodal agency for mining in the country.
“All coal resources in the country, including future discoveries must be statutorily vested with CIL. Also, all forms of outsourcing of coal production being done by CIL must be banned,” said Tapan Sen, General Secretary, CITU, in a statement.
The union plans to launch a campaign, and will begin by demonstrating before the headquarters of all CIL subsidiary companies on October 1. It will also consult other unions in the industry for joint movement against denationalisation, said Jibon Roy, General Secretary of the Federation.