Singareni miners up-in-arms against management

Khammam,Nov 3: The employees of the State-owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited are up in arms against the management demanding 25 per cent bonus of profits.The employees, led by the Singareni Collieries Workers Union, have served a strike notice on the management stating that all of them are going to resort to direct action to press for their demand.The management announced 16 per cent bonus of profits to the employees last month, down by nine per cent paid last year and the management expressed its inability to meet the demand of the staff.

 However, the employees are not taking it light. They are strongly opposing the management’s attitude in denying them their right in the profits and are firm in demanding the 25 per cent bonus of profits. Thus, they have served the strike notice on the management on  October 21.Though, the management has kept the issue in abeyance, the employees have been saying that they would go ahead with their agitational programme and would intensify it if their demand is not met. The union leaders have already chalked out their strategy as to how to go about their strike and take it in different ways to mount pressure on the management The general secretary of the Singareni Collieries Workers Union, Mr Vasireddy Seetha Ramaiah, told INN here on Tuesday that the employees are not happy to resort to direct action.

“But we have no option but to go on strike for the fulfillment of our demand,” he explained.“The strike is only aimed at mounting pressure on the State Government,” he said. The state general secretary of INTUC, Mr Dalaiah, however, felt that the recognized union had miserably failed in getting the 16 per cent bonus even. “We secured the bonus up to 15 per cent when we were the recognized union” he reminded. “Now we would bring the issue to the Chief Minister’s notice and get the demand met,” he said with confidence.