Dharmendra alleged ,NALCO Coal mine MDO denying payment of HPC recommended wages and benefits

By Bijay Mishra 
Bhubaneswar, Sep 10: 

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed concern as some contractors and MDO ( Mine Developer & Operator ), despite guide lines ,are denying payment of  High Powered Committee recommended wages and benefits to their workers engaged in coal mines of NALCO. “ This is a matter of grave concern as it goes against the spirit of  labour welfare espoused by the Govt of India “- told Mr Pradhan . 

Writing two separate letters to Union Coal and Mines Minister Prahlad Joshi and Union Labour and Employment Minister Bhupendra Yadav , Mr Pradhan draw the attention of both the concerned Union Ministers on issues of payt of CACLB recommended wages and benefits to contract labour of coal mines of NALCO at Angul of Odisha . 

Deployment of contract labour in jobs like elevating or raising-cum-selling of coal, coal loading and unloading, overburden removing have been prohibited by Part-10 of the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act 1970. However section 31 of the Act  provides  for exemption in special cases subject to prescribed circumstances subject to prescribed conditions  and restrictions. Industries engaged in coal mining in Angul district of Odisha have been taking exemptions under such provisions to employ  contract labour. On 29th May  2019, NTPC has been waived off the applicability of Section 10 for the coal  mining blocks of NTPC for a period  of 5 years after due consideration by the Central Advisory Contract Labour Board (CACLB) subject to the payment of wages and other benefits as per recommendation of High Powered Committee appointed by the Coal India Ltd, Ministry of Coal , Govt of India and other  prescribed conditions . 

NALCO, another industry major  engaged in cool mining in Angul has also applied for exemption under Section  31 of the above said Act to the Ministry of Labour and Employment through  the Ministry of Mines. CACLB has already conducted various meetings with representatives of NALCO and MDO engaged for Utkal D and E coal blocks and its report has been submitted to the Ministry of Labour and Employment. 

In this context Mr Pradhan , seek the intervention of both the Ministers for notifying the exemption and it’s strong enforcement by the management of NALCO by ensuring the payment of CACLB recommended wages and benefits to contract  labour engaged in their coal mines by the Contractor and MDO as per applicable provisions of law.