CIL workers not to strike after payout hike: Minister

Coal India Ltd's workers will not go on a strike as the state-owned mining major has agreed to a higher annual bonus payout, the Coal Minister, Mr Sriprakash Jaiswal, said here on Monday. CIL will now pay Rs 21,000 as bonus to each worker, Mr Jaiswal said. The company has already paid Rs 17,000 per worker in annual bonus. The workers, who went on a one-day strike on October 10, were threatening to strike work again for three days if their demand for a bonus of Rs 23,500 was not accepted. The strike could have aggravated the ongoing shortage of coal supplies to power plants. The additional bonus amount agreed to could add around Rs 144 crore to the company's payout burden. CIL accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal production.