The second meeting within a week between the Centre and Coal India ltd’s (CIl) labour union on Tuesday broke down even though the Government offered to bring down the disinvestment in the Maharatna company to 5 per cent from the original proposed 10 per cent.
The CIl union is said to have conveyed to Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal during the meeting that unless the Government comes out with a definitive decision on its entire charter of demands, things cannot move forward.CIl’s disinvestment, they said, is one of their primary demands. In fact the trade unions have threatened to go on a three-day strike beginning August 5, if the Government goes ahead with 10 per cent divestment in CIl.With Tuesday’s meeting also failing there have been rumblings within official circles that even the Coal Ministry is not too keen on CIl’s disinvestment taking place any time soon what with lok Sabha polls just eight months away.