“We are ready to accept both demands – inking a pact for five or 10 years with the Joint Bipartite Committee for Coal Industry (JBCCI) to pave the way for new pay scales,” Junior Coal Minister Santosh Bagrodia told media men here.
“But only one union is demanding agreement for five years, as the other is insisting on 10 years. Let them resolve, or else we have to take a decision on it,” he added.
The Minister, however, was hopeful of a solution as he left for Bhubaneswar for talks with the unions.
JBCCI is a negotiating body for the employees on pay revision, but the union leaders are divided over the issue, with CITU leader D D Ramanandan claiming that a 10-year agreement would be a loss for the employees.
“Except coal sector, all PSUs had signed a 10-year agreement in 1997, and subsequently it was seen that the employees did not benefit from that pact. So, our demand is for a five-year agreement,” Ramanandan told newsmen. INTUC leader Chandrasekhar Dubey is reportedly favouring a 10-year agreement.