Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Support to contract sanitation workers

VISAKHAPATNAM: Expressing solidarity with the striking contract sanitation workers of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, all-party leaders who included, CPI (M) district secretary Ch. Narasinga Rao, CPI city assistant secretary M. Pydi Raju, State organising secretary of TDP B. Rama Rao and TDP corporator O. Sanyasi Rao, on Sunday decried the efforts of the GVMC to intimidate the striking employees and asserted that such provocative statements would worsen the situation.

Speaking to media persons here, Mr. Narasinga Rao said the contract workers have been demanding implementation of the GO 1289 which mandated payment of minimum wages to all workers.

It was a just demand of striking employees who had been doing menial work.

The GVMC which is supposed to be model employer had unfortunately been coming out with some pretexts or the other to deny payment of minimum wages as per the GO, he said, asserting that further delay would result in intensifying of the agitation. Actually the GO was to be implemented from September, but the officials have been dillydallying. He also decried the offer of payment of Rs. 3,400 by the GVMC authorities as against Rs. 3,900 per month as stipulated by the GO and said threats of recruiting new workers would be opposed tooth and nail. Such action would be against the provisions of Industrial Disputes Act, he said, adding that workers were ready for direct action, if the stalemate continued.

He said because of the unjust stand of authorities, more than 5,000 sanitary workers had not been getting their wages for the last three months. Mr. Rama Rao and Mr. Sanyasi Rao demanded implementation of the provisions of the GO immediately. They blamed Congress leaders for the hardship of sanitary workers.

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