GUWAHATI, Sept 27 - The Gauhati High Court has stayed the transfer of 231 Coal India Limited employees from the North Eastern Coalfields to other parts of the country.
In a petition filed by four employees associations of North Eastern Coalfields, it was alleged that Coal India Limited has adopted an anti-industrial policy and was in a process to hand over its coalfields to private sector and accordingly, stopped all its mining operations in its Tirap and Tikak coalfields in Tinsukia district since June 3.
Initially Coal India Limited had denied such allegations and informed the court that it was awaiting the forest clearance from the Central government and once it receives such clearance all coalfields will be functional.
It was also assured before the court that employees need not worry as there was no such policy, either of closing down or privatisation of its coalfields as anticipated by its employees. The employees will not be adversely affected in any way, the company asserted.
However, on the contrary, Coal India Limited reportedly tried to reduce its working staff by 25 per cent by transferring 231 employees on a single date to various other coalfields in India.
Senior advocate Dr Ashok Saraf, while appearing on behalf of the four employees associations, argued before the court that when such specific assurances have been made by Coal India Limited that its employees would not be adversely affected, such mass transfer, made subsequently, is a clear violation of all industrial norms and the act indicates its intension of closing down and privatisation as anticipated by the employees.
The court, in its order on September 24, also directed Coal India Limited to file its reply by October 13.
