Three-day strike halves coal output

Output at Coal India fell more than 50 per cent during the three-day strike from July 2 to July 4, based on data released by the PSU.

The public sector miner in a statement said that despite the strike, it had managed 44 per cent of coal output compared with the average of 10 days immediately before the strike began. It has produced a total of 1.72 million tonnes (mt) of coal and has supplied 1.6mt to its customers in the three days of the strike.

The strike was called by the five central trade unions protesting the government’s decision of allowing commercial coal mining. The government last month had launched the auction process of 41 coal blocks for commercial mining.