Khammam, February 24: The two-day strike by the coal workers of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) on Tuesday and Wednesday in response to the 48-hour bandh call given by the Telangana JAC has cast its shadow on the ambitious annual coal production target set by the company.
According to sources, it is first time in the annals of the SCCL that the coal workers had observed a total strike for complete two days at a stretch paralysing the entire spectrum of operations of the company for the reasons other than their service matters like wage hike.
Barring a few trade unions, all the major trade unions including AITUC, the recognised trade union affiliated to the CPI, and the TBGKS, an affiliate of the TRS, strove for the success of the two-day strike. SCCL, the State-owned premier coal production company, reportedly suffered a massive production loss of over four lakh tonnes of coal worth about Rs. 55 crore due to the two-day strike. This apart, the coal workers were likely to lose their wages for the two days, sources said. The company, which embraced modern technology in a big way, set itself an ambitious coal production target of 51.3 million tonnes for the current financial year. The company has already drawn up plans to realise the set target well ahead of the stipulated time. The company has produced 45.50 million tonnes in the present financial year, sources said.
-Agencies