An overwhelming number of unions representing workforce across diverse sectors and a cross section of society are gearing up to make the pan-India two-day general strike called by the joint forum of central trade unions to protest the “anti-worker” and “pro-privatisation” policies of the Central government on March 28 and 29, a success across the State, mainly industrial areas with a focus on the coal belt region.
The unions affiliated to the major central trade unions including CITU, AITUC and INTUC spearheaded an extensive campaign in support of the two-day nationwide general strike in the industrial areas of the composite Karimnagar, Khammam and other districts in the past week.
The TRS-affiliated Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS) extended its support to the all-India general strike.
Various student unions including SFI, AISF and PDSU besides a clutch of mass organisations expressed solidarity with the 48-hour general strike beginning Monday.
The Singareni Collieries Employees Union (SCEU), affiliated to the CITU, called on all unions including the TBGKS to strive to make the two-day nationwide strike a success in the coal belt region to protest the Centre’s decision to auction the four coal blocks in Telangana for commercial mining and press for allocation of the coal blocks to the State-owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).
Meanwhile, the SCCL management has stepped up efforts to ward off the impact of the general strike on coal production in its coal mines with just four days left in the current fiscal.
The government-owned mining giant is racing against time to reach annual coal output target of 68 million tonnes before the deadline i.e., March 31, 2022.
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