Odishatv Bureau
Bhubaneswar: Over 3.5 lakh coal workers in the country would be benefitted with about 25 per cent hike in gross wages following the National Coal Wage Agreement (NCWA) signed between Coal India Ltd (CIL) and central trade unions.

The NCWA, signed on January 31, 2012 at New Delhi, would be implemented with retrospective effect from July 1, 2011, President of INTUC affiliated Odisha Collieries Mazdoor Sangh (OCMA) Sriballav Panigrahi said here today.

The Joint Bi-partite Committee for Coal Industry (JBCCI) formed by the central government was to expire by January 31, 2012 and in the process the employees would have faced a lot of problem for upward revision of their wages.

"We had organised six meetings for working out the modalities and inking the NCWA and it materialised only on the very last day of JBCCI`s term", said Panigrahi, who was among those who played a major role in signing of the pact. Beside, the tenure of the JBCCI was also renewed by the central government for another five years, he said.

The NCWA-IX highlights envisaged a rise of 25 per cent on gross wages as on June 30, 2011. The employees would also get four per cent special allowance on new basic and three per cent increment per year.

There would be a hike of altogether 88 per cent in the fringe benefits comprising HRA, conveyance reimbursement, transport subsidy, additional transport subsidy, nursing allowance and underground allowance with effect from February 1, 2012.

Other benefits in the NCWA included service-linked four promotions within 30 years, service-linked increment to continue to the highest grade, increment benefit on promotion, LTC/LLTC equal to four adult tickets, life cover scheme of Rs 1,12,800, workmen`s compensation benefits, gratuity of Rs 10 lakh and post retirement medical benefits, indoor and outdoor, on line with SAIL.

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