While expressing solidarity with the workers of Brandix in the city who are agitating for better wages and amenities, president of YSR Congress Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy announced here on Wednesday that he would go on fast if the demands were not met by the management in one month.
Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy addressed the workers, a majority of them being women from the neighbouring villages and city, at Atchutapuram after interacting with a few of them.
Referring to the problems being faced by the workers, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy said it was unfortunate that the workers were being paid a very low salary in spite of the management making huge profits.
But Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was supporting the management and allowed the police to unleash terror on workers when they planned to stage a dharna on April 30, instead of solving their problems even though he was present in the city, the YSRC leader said. “Workers’ demands are justified. They must get at least Rs. 10,000 a month. The large extent of land was given to Brandix by the then Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on a lease of just one rupee per acre with the condition that the locals would get employment. Though 18,000 are employed instead of the promise of 60,000 the management is harassing the workers and this cannot be allowed, ” Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy said.
Brandix workers Mahalakshmi, Balamma, Durga and Vijaya Durga listed the workers’ woes and claimed they are actually being tortured. Not only the low salary they receive, workers have to put themselves up with impossible targets and abuses if they fail to achieve the same; no drinking water or other facilities at the workplace forcing the workers not to consume much water to avoid going to the washroom; difficulty in getting leave granted even if the worker herself or her family member is sick and if the leave is for a week or more face the prospect of losing seniority and start fresh on rejoining; forced to receive Rs. 4,000 as monthly pay, but to tell to others and officials that they are getting Rs. 8,000, were the problems highlighted by them. Party’s district president G. Amarnath, senior leader Botcha Satyanarayana, Koyya Prasada Reddy, and Dharmasri were present.
