Workers oppose facial recognition attendance system in SCCL mines

Workers and trade union leaders have opposed SCCL’s plan to introduce facial recognition attendance in its mines, calling it unnecessary and costly. They cited shortages of essential mining equipment, while the management maintains that the system will curb proxy attendance.

Kothagudem: Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) management’s decision to implement biometric attendance using a facial recognition system (FRS) in its mines is facing opposition from workers.

The management, which mooted the idea in August 2023, maintains that the FRS is being installed to record employee attendance and curb proxy attendance across its underground and opencast mines.

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However, workers and trade union leaders describe it as a futile exercise that would replace clerks who now record workers’ attendance manually in three shifts, besides incurring huge expenditure on purchasing FRS equipment.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Telangana Boggu Ghani Karmika Sangham State general secretary Kapu Krishna said a similar system was introduced 15 years ago and had proved to be a failure. The SCCL management was now attempting to reintroduce a similar system, he said.

According to officials, manway clerks, who manage muster rolls in three shifts, would be assigned other roles at the same place. Questioning the need to install FRS in their place, he asked why the system was necessary if the clerks would continue working at the same location.

Workers across various areas in Singareni are facing significant difficulties due to a lack of essential tools. In underground mines, coal cutters and support personnel are struggling due to a shortage of drill bits and a lack of spare parts for machinery.

Krishna alleged that new equipment such as shovels, dumpers and dozers required for coal production had not been purchased. The lack of such machinery was causing a decline in production and posing a threat to workers’ safety.

Instead of purchasing equipment essential for production, the management was prioritising the introduction of systems unrelated to employees’ welfare or production, said CITU Kothagudem area branch secretary V Srinivas.

The recognised and representative unions, AITUC and INTUC, had failed to speak out against the company’s anti-worker policies, supporting the management’s actions while engaging in influence peddling, the leaders alleged.

Workers demanded that supervisors and executives should also be brought under the FRS. However, an official stated that the company prioritised safety measures and alleged that union leaders never spoke about safety issues during the annual safety week observed in SCCL mines.