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Coal workers in Andhra Pradesh go on strike

Coal production has ceased at a state-owned colliery in Andhra Pradesh when more than 100,000 workers went on an indefinite strike demanding payment of salary arrears and other benefits, officials said on Sunday.

Workers of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd went on strike from Saturday to press for implementation of a 24-point charter, including payment of arrears for 54 months amounting to Rs 4.5 billion, SCCL officials said.

Company chairman and managing director A P V N Sarma, said the strike was leading to a daily production loss of 100,000 tonnes of coal valued at Rs 90 million.

He said the workers' unions had gone on strike in the midst of negotiations and when some of the demands had been met.

"It is unfortunate that the unions chose not to wait for the outcome of the meeting convened on June 12 by the central coal ministry to resolve the issue of arrears," Sarma said in a statement.

But the convenor of the joint action committee of the unions Y Gattaiah, said the workers had taken the action after several rounds of talks with the SCCL management and the government failed to produce results.

The workers' demands include provision of jobs for dependants of miners who died while in service and earmarking of 10 per cent of profits as a special incentive.

The SCCL, a joint enterprise of the central government and the Andhra Pradesh government, is the only major colliery in southern India.

It has 65 operating mines spread over four districts in the state and accounts for 10 per cent of the country's total coal production.

The company aimed to produce 32.38 million tonnes of coal during financial year 2001-02 (April-March).

Though production has stopped, SCCL officials said adequate stocks were available to meet the demand for coal from the state's thermal power stations, which consume 75 per cent of the SCCL output.

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