Singareni workers at sea

Kothagudem: Over eight lakh colliery workers, including three lakh retired, will be at a loss with the Union government deciding to merge the Coal Mines Provident Fund Organisation (CMPF) with that of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPF). The Centre is learnt to have initiated accelerated steps for the merger. A decision in this regard was said to have been taken at a meeting held in New Delhi on April 11.

As far as the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) is concerned, financial interests of 56,000 existing workers and that of 30,000 retired employees would be in jeopardy because of the decision. The CMPF Trust Board has been disbursing pension as well as the provident fund to the workers since 1998.

In fact, 12 per cent is being deducted from coal workers’ wages diverting 1.16 per cent to the pension fund and 10.84 per cent to the provident fund. The management contributes equal amount to the provident fund. Hereafter, the 12 per cent deducted from the workers’ wages would be credited to their employees’ provident fund account.

The colliery workers’ wages start from Rs 15,700 a month and reach up to Rs 50,000 in tune with their seniority. The pension will be calculated at the rate of 12 per cent on the basic wage of Rs 15,000 a month. Therefore, by the time a worker retires from service he is supposed to get a meagre pension of Rs 5,000 a month.

Since 1998, the workers are getting Coal Mines Provident Fund which is subject to revision every three months. But, for the past 19 years, there was no revision carried out. At present, the retirees are entitled to draw Rs 15,000 as pension per month and coal mines provident fund ranging between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 50 lakh at the time of superannuation. The merger of the CMPF with the EPF would deprive the coal miners these benefits.

Following the merger, the coal miner perhaps will get a pension less than Rs 5,000 a month without getting the CMPF. In 1977, family pension scheme was applicable to the coal miners, which was no longer applicable with the introduction of the Coal Miners’ Provident Fund in 1998.

Responding on the Centre’s move, CITU leader Narsimha Rao told The Hans India that the Centre was trying to do away with the CMPF to sabotage the interests of the coal miners. The union at the coal federation meeting decided to go on a war-path to get the Central government policies stalled. An agitation programme will be chalked out for the coal miners to register their protest across the coal mines in the country, including the Singareni Collieries Company Limited.

INTUC vice-president Janak Prasad said the Narendra Modi’s anti-worker policies would cause severe loss to the coal miners. The government was trying to implement the anti-workers setting aside the interests of the workers and trying to privatise the Singareni Collieries Company Limited. Moreover, he said that merger of the CMPF with the EPF would cause workers severe loss and maintained that the INTUC would oppose it tooth and nail. The INTUC would resist the CMPF merger with the EPF and would launch a stir against the merger.

By PV Satyanarayana