Adilabad: The Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), the AICC-affiliated trade body, on Sunday released a set of ‘Six Guarantees’ and a manifesto, on the lines of the state Assembly elections, for the upcoming trade union elections in Singareni Collieries Company Limited.
Fighting the December 27 polls on the ‘clock’ symbol, the INTUC promised to set up underground mines to generate jobs in SSCL, preventing and opposing privatisation of SCCL, allocation of 250-yard plots, interest-free bank loans of up to Rs.20 lakh, paying income tax on allowances, a superspecialty hospital and modernisation of area hospitals, and surface jobs and facilities for women.
Political circles believe that the INTUC would easily win the elections if Congress MLAs take them seriously and make all-out efforts to canvass workers, given that the Left-affiliated All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) has been proactively working over the past three months.
They were also of the opinion that the election would be a straight battle between the INTUC and AITUC.
As part of its efforts, the Congress enlisted the services of Mancherial MLA Kokkirala Premsagar Rao to ensure INTUC’s win in the Srirampur division. Nearly 3,000 workers participated in the ‘Elections Rana Bheri’ meeting held by Premsagar Rao and INTUC secretary general Janak Prasad on Sunday.
Srirampur division, located in Mancherial, is the biggest division with 9,120 workers out of a total of 39,748 across 11 divisions of the SCCL. Thus, it is expected to play a key role in the polls.
Premsagar Rao told Deccan Chronicle that the “real fight is between AITUC, affiliated with CPI, and INTUC, affiliated with Congress, since the TBGKS has already raised the white flag”.
Admitting that the INTUC was the favourite, given Congress is in power, Premsagar Rao claimed that a large group of Singareni workers, who were members of the TBGKS, joined the INTUC with the confidence he infused among them about their futures.
