HC orders poll through secret ballot

TALCHER: A bench of the Orissa High Court has directed the Chief Central Labour Commissioner to conduct a poll through secret ballot in the Mahanadi Coalfield Limited, a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL), for verification of membership of working trade unions.Hearing a writ petition filed by   Mahanadi Koyla Mazdoor Congress secretary Ramesh Tripathy, Chief Justice V Gopal Gouda and Justice BN Mohapatra directed the Commissioner and his State counterpart to conduct the secret ballot election.The bench asked them to conduct the poll in four weeks after notifying the major trade unions and the management. The verification of membership of trade unions will then be communicated to the employer for the purpose of granting recognition to the trade unions. Earlier, Tripathy prayed the HC to direct the Chief Central Labour Commissioner for secret ballot to ascertain the membership of working trade unions and recognition to the major trade union. The HC observed that the employer shall take appropriate measures to recognise the trade union having the highest membership. So far, there has been no practice in CIL or its subsidiary MCL to choose trade union on the basis of poll. Official sources said there are four recognised trade unions operating in the MCL. These are INTUC, BMS, HMS and AITUC.  CITU is recognised in CIL but it does not exist in MCL.  Tripathy said this would put an end to the suffering of thousands of coal workers by some trade unions.