Coal India Strike Successful: Trade Union Leader

New Delhi, Feb 16 (PTI) The one-day national strike on Friday on the call of a joint platform of Central Trade Unions at Coal India Ltd (CIL) and its subsidiaries has been successful, a trade union leader said.

Nathulal Pandey, president of HMS-affiliated Hind Khadan Mazdoor Federation said, "We have joined (the strike) because of the call given by the 10 Central Trade Unions of the country. Overall, the strike is successful in coal industry."

According to Pandey, the strike was up to 95 per cent successful in South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL). In SECL, even emergency services were paralysed.

While in Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL), transport and despatch were affected, in Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd(MCL), the strike was successful, Pandey said.

"In other companies (subsidiaries) of Coal India, workers participated in strike and positive response was received," he added.

According to a Coal India official, there was minimum impact of strike on SECL.

SECL, NCL and and MCL are subsidiaries of Coal India.

Industry experts say, the strike would hit around 2.6 million tonne of production of Coal India.

Coal India, which accounts for over 80 per cent of the total output of the dry fuel in the country, is eyeing one billion tonne of production by 2025-26.

A joint forum of trade unions and farmer bodies had earlier given a call for a nationwide general strike and Grameen Bandh (rural close down) on February 16, to protest 'against the anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-national policies' of the central government.