Strike paralysed work in MCL mines

All the mines remained closed and there was no production, dispatch and transportation of coal from the two fields in Jharsuguda and Angul districts run by MCL, a CIL subsidiary, a senior company official said.

Around 20,000 workers kept themselves away from work at all the mines in Talcher coalfield area in Angul district and IB Valley Coalfield area in Jharsuguda district.

"Production and transportation of coal was totally stopped, causing a loss of about Rs 18.2 crore," an MCL spokesman said adding production loss was of the order of 2,60,000 tonnes of coal.

Five major unions - Congress-backed Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Left backed CITU and AITUC, Hind Mazdoor Sabha and BJP-supported Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, have joined the strike.

The unions have been demanding Rs 25,000 as productivity-linked bonus this year, while the management had offered Rs 17,000. Other demands of the workers include early wage revision.