ADILABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samithi is keen on ensuring that its affiliate Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS) retains its position as the recognised trade union of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).
Leaders of all trade unions, including those affiliated to left, Congress and BJP, are keen on capturing the SCCL trade union. AITUC, affiliated to CPI, had been the dominant union in Singareni for long. But currently, it is the TBGKS that is the recognised trade union of the collieries. It is believed capturing the SCCL workers’ union is quite useful for political parties as a strong base in the coal belt can translate into capturing MLA seats in the coal belt area.
In fact, when TRS was fighting for separate statehood for Telangana, it succeeded in capturing the workers union in SCCL through its TBGKS. That helped TRS a lot in spreading its separate statehood movement in the coal belt like wildfire in four erstwhile districts. Aggressive nature of coal mine workers indirectly helped TRS party in strengthening its political base in Telangana.
It is said TRS is now planning to once again capture the SCCL workers’ union in elections that are expected to be held shortly. The ruling party will then immediately go in for the state assembly elections.
Participating in the TBGKS working committee meeting, its president T. Venkat Rao expressed confidence that their union will once again emerge as the recognised trade union of SCCL.
He pointed to the various welfare schemes and facilities made available to workers of SCCL, unlike Coal India. During the TRS rule, additional 3,800 jobs have been created in Singareni Collieries, he pointed out.
Venkat Rao expressed confidence that TBGKS will emerge as the recognised union in all the 11 Singareni areas in the forthcoming elections.
