Regularise our services; Singareni contract workers demands

Contract workers of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) are on the warpath seeking solution to their long-pending demands. About 25,000 contract workers are working in the 11 divisions of the SCCL spreading over Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts. 

The main demand of contract workers, who have put in nearly two decades of service, is regularisation. Though they have organised several agitations in the past, the workers have pointed out that their grievances still remain unredressed.

The workers threatened to intensify the agitation in a phased manner. The workers alleged that they were being thoroughly exploited by the management. Even if the trade unions championing their cause organising massive protests in the State and at the national level at the time of National Coal Wage Agreement in 2008 and 2010, no steps were initiated to look into the problems of



contract workers. 

At the time of 9th National Coal Wage Agreement, the then SCCL Chairman and Managing Director S Narsing Rao, who also worked as Coal India Limited Chairman, promised to look into the problems of contract workers. In its report, the high power committee set up by the Coal India Limited in 2012, recommended daily wages for workers of unskilled (Rs 464), semi-skilled (Rs 494), skilled (Rs 524) and high skilled (Rs 554) categories. 

The Joint Bipartite Coal Committee of India also advocated a better deal for contract workers on par with the SCCL regular staff. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao during the TRS election campaign promised to implement the recommendations of the high power committee in toto in Telangana State. He also promised to regularise Singareni contract workers who played an active role in the agitation for a separate Telangana State.