After nearly seven hours of tense negotiations that stretched past midnight, Coal India Limited (CIL) management and representatives of five central trade unions agreed to a Rs. 1.03 lakh bonus per employee under the Performance Linked Reward (PLR) scheme. The decision was finalised at 12:40 a.m. in Kolkata, bringing cheer to over three lakh coal workers ahead of Durga Puja.
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Seven-Hour Standoff Ended in Settlement
The meeting, chaired by MCL CMD and standardisation committee chief Uday A. Kawale and attended by CIL chairman P.M. Prasad, saw heated exchanges as unions pressed for Rs. 1.5 lakh bonus while management initially offered Rs. 90,800 citing financial constraints. After multiple rounds of persuasion and three walkouts by INMF leader and MLA Jaymangal Singh, consensus was finally reached at Rs. 1.03 lakh. Rs. 9,250 more than last year’s Rs. 93,750.
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Big Festive Boost for Local Economies
The bonus payout will inject around Rs. 2,100 crores into coalfield economies across Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal. Jharkhand alone will receive about Rs. 800 crores, with BCCL employees getting Rs. 320 crores and CCL staff Rs. 310 crores. Union leaders said the agreement will not only bring relief to workers but also energise festive markets in Dhanbad, Ranchi and other coal towns.
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Contract Workers and Future Commitments
Management confirmed that contract workers will receive 8.33% bonus by Diwali. If contractors fail to make payments, CIL will directly disburse the amount. The meeting also reviewed CIL’s 2024-25 financial position and heard demands from CITU’s D.D. Ramanandan that half of the company’s dividend payment should be earmarked for worker bonuses, a suggestion backed by all unions.
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