TSUS sounds alarm over workers’ woes and unkept promises

Jayashankar Bhupalpally: TheTelangana Singareni Employees Union (TSUS) has expressed serious concern over the future of the Singareni coal company, warning that the once-proud institution of northern Telangana is at risk of decline if workers’ issues continue to be ignored.

A state-level meeting of the union was held on Saturday at Bathal Rajanna Bhavan in Bhupalpally town under the chairmanship of TSUS State President Kamera Gattaiah. Addressing the gathering, Gattaiah said Singareni, which had long been regarded as the pride of the region for its rich coal reserves, was now facing an uncertain future. He criticised leaders of recognised representative bodies for remaining silent on pressing workers’ concerns.

He recalled that the Indian National Congress had promised in its manifesto, ahead of the Assembly and Parliament elections, to resolve long-pending workers’ problems. He stated that employees had suffered injustices during the rule of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and had extended support to the Congress in the hope of change. However, he alleged that even after two-and-a-half years in office, the Congress government had failed to fulfil the assurances given to Singareni workers.

Referring to recent remarks by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy during municipal election events, Gattaiah said that although the government claimed the Singareni medical board was functioning, nearly 4,000 workers had been awaiting medical board clearance since last year.

He further alleged that the promise to open five new mines annually had not materialised and that, instead, several existing mines were being closed. He added that workers’ aspirations to own homes had not been realised, name-change issues remained unresolved, and contract workers were still not receiving equal pay for equal work.

Gattaiah urged workers to question public representatives from the Singareni region and press them to address these concerns without delay.

TSUS State General Secretary Mittapalli Kumaraswamy, State Working President Nireti Rajanna, Sammu Rajayya, Dasari Janardhan, Kasarla Prasad Reddy, Jaipal Singh, M.F. Beg, Madaraboyin Venkatesh, Namala Srinivas, Rallabandi Babu and Beeranna were among those present.