Singareni OCP employees seek reduced shift timings

Employees working in three shifts and are given an hour's break for them to have meals. Since all employees eat together, workers were infected by Coronavirus and some of them also died, the workers said.

Peddapalli: Employees of Singareni Collieries Companies Limited (SCCL) working in opencast coal mines urged the management to change the work timings to protect them from Covid-19.

Employees working in three shifts and are given an hour’s break for them to have meals. Since all employees eat together, workers were infected by Coronavirus and some of them also died, the workers said.

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Three excavation operators (EP) and an electrician working in Medipalli opencast mine died of Covid-19 recently. In OCP-III, four EP operators and two general mazdoor workers also died of the virus. Employees strongly believed that their colleagues were infected since they eat together in groups and in closed sheds. Hence, they are seeking a two-reduction in shift timings by the management. The EP operators and other employees staged a protest demonstration at OCP-III recently on this demand.

Employees are working in three shifts 7 am to 3 pm, 3 pm to 11 pm and 11 pm to 7 am. They get one hour break 10. 30 am to 11.30 am, 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm and 2.30 am to 3.30 am respectively.

Shocked by the death of their colleagues, the employees have come up with a proposal to work without break and sought two hour reduction in shift timings.

Speaking to Telangana Today, a coal miner, K Komuraiah said a number of employees were infected by the virus as they take meals by sitting at one place. It was possible to check the spread of the virus if the gathering of workers were avoided.

He wanted the management to reduce shift timings by canceling one hour lease time.

Moreover, dumpers and shovels have been utilized to produce transport coal. Workers would bring vehicles on the top of the OCP mines to take rest. It was possible to save fuel if lease time was cancelled.