Coal strike over merger of CMPF and EPF put on hold for 3 months

New Delhi: The proposed three-day strike by five lakh workers of Coal India and Singareni Collieries, which was to begin today, has been deferred for the next three months, a trade union said yesterday.

The workers had last month threatened to strike work for three days beginning June 19 to protest against the proposed merger of the coal miners' provident fund with the EPF. "In view of the positive discussion, the proposed three-day nation-wide strike from June 19 to June 21, 2017, has been deferred for the next three months," the Indian National Mineworkers Federation affiliated to INTUC said in a statement.

"On interference by deputy chief labour commissioner (central), Kolkata, the proposed strike called by five operating central trade unions i.e. INTUC, BMS, HMS, AITUC and CITU through a notice served to secretary (coal), chairman, CIL, and CMD, Singareni Collieries Company Ltd, for their seven-point charter of demand has been put on hold for having positive discussion," it said.

The unions have been opposed to the merger of the Coal Mines Provident Fund (CMPF) with the Employees Provident Fund (EPF). Detailed discussion on this was held with the coal secretary on June 16.

The Centre has stated that it has not taken any decision to merge the EPF and the CMPF and there is no such proposal pending with the ministry. "On the issue of continuance of the CMPF Pension as it exists, the management stated that for sustainability of the Coal Mines Pension Scheme, 1998, both employer and employees shall contribute equally and the issue, if any, shall be deliberated and finalised in JBCCI-X (Joint Bipartite Committee for the Coal Industry)," the statement said.

"On request of the Ministry of Coal and also management of Coal India for withdrawal of the proposed Strike from June 19 to 21, 2017, the representing unions after detailed discussion unanimously decided to defer the strike for three months," it said.