Coal workers under the banner of All India Coal Workers' Federation held a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in protest against the government’s move to get the Coal Bill passed, which they said will ‘denationalise’ the sector and usher in ‘contracterisation’ of mining.
In a statement, Jibon Roy, General Secretary of the federation, said hundreds of coal workers belonging to the United Platform of Trade Unions from 38 districts of the country, known as economically backward, protested to draw Parliament’s attention to the fact that denationalisation will gradually force public sector Coal India and Singarani group of collieries to privatisation.
The workers urged the Rajya Sabha not to give assent to any report from the Select Committee without taking the deposition of all trade unions and direct the government to reintroduce the Bill, while providing institutional guarantee that the spirit of 1973 Coal Nationalisation Act will not be encroached in any way, Roy added.