The working classes are languishing with several problems and the norm of eight-hour work schedule is not being enforced in many establishments, APSRTC Employees Union State president Ch. Chandrasekhar Reddy said on Wednesday. He hoisted the flag on the occasion of May Day at the union office near Kadapa bus depot here.
Corporate bodies are exploiting workers and they lack minimum wages despite a steep hike in prices of essential commodities and power charges, CPI (M) leaders said during the May Day celebrations here. CPI (M) district secretary B. Narayana, city secretary N. Ravisankar Reddy, leaders K. Anjaneyulu, Ramamohan, B.V.S. Raju and CITU district general secretary A. Raghunatha Reddy led a May Day rally in the town on Wednesday.
They called upon workers to agitate against the anti-people policies of the governments.
CPI district secretary G. Easwaraiah and leaders led a May Day rally and hoisted flags at several places. INTUC leader Imtiaz Ahmed hoisted the flag in the INTUC office. YSRTUC leaders hoisted the May Day flag at the trade union office here.
A huge rally with hundreds of workers headed by the CPM and other Left parties marked May Day, even as the day was celebrated in a befitting manner by the district administration.
While the CPM took out a rally in the evening, along with its affiliated trade union CITU and similar organisations starting from the railway station, a similar rally, if not a larger one, was taken out by the CPI and the AITUC jointly through the thoroughfares of the town.
On the other hand, the district in-charge Collector S. Sathyanarayana headed the May Day celebration at the Revenue Bhavan in the District Collectorate premises under the aegis of the district Labour Department. The meeting was attended by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) secretary Justice T.V. Subba Rao besides the Zilla Parishad CEO T.V. Subba Reddy.
Speaking on the occasion, the in-charge Collector S. Sathyanarayana said that the district administration had taken the issue of empowerment of labour and especially building labour as a priority and said that all measures were being taken to educate building labourers regarding their rights and minimum wage stipulations.
He urged the Labour Department to ensure that the interests of the labour were safeguarded even as he urged the labour force to make use of the various schemes being implemented by the Labour Department.
On the other hand, DLSA secretary T.V. Subba Rao said that it was imperative that the district administration conduct awareness programmes for labour and educate them regarding the various laws that protect their interests.
Rallies and meetings marked the May Day celebrations in the city on Wednesday. The supporters of CITU, CPI(M), AITUC, CPI and other organisations took part in the celebrations.
On the brink of crisis
CPI (M) Central Committee member M.A. Gafoor said the UPA government’s industrial and welfare policies were detrimental to the interests of the working class in the country. He said the policy of privatisation and liberalisation pursued by the government had pushed the working class to the brink of crisis.
He called upon the working class to protest against the anti-worker policies of the government. State Committee member T. Shadrak said power shortage had crippled the industries. District Secretary of CPI (M) K. Prabhakar Reddy presided over the meeting.
Party leaders T. Ramesh Kumar, P. Nirmala, E. Pulla Reddy and others were present. Meanwhile, the workers Unions took out a rally and hoisted the May Day flag.
In connection with the birth centenary of P. Sundariah, hundred CPI (M) workers donated blood.
At an official function, Collector C. Sudharsan Reddy asked the workers to enrol with the Labour Welfare Board for various statutory benefits. He said out of several lakhs of workers only 60,000 were enrolled so far. Under the welfare fund, workers will get Rs. 10,000 for education and marriages, Rs. 5,000 towards maternity benefit, Rs. 20,000 for accidental death and Rs. 10,000 in the case of natural death, he said.
He said the Labour Department had pooled Rs. 41 crore in the form of cess from workers and employers, which would be used for their welfare. MLA Katasani Rambhupal Reddy, Deputy Commissioner Subba Rao and others were present.
BSNL Employees union also celebrated May Day at Srinivasa Nagar exchange under the leadership of G.V. Prabhakar Reddy.
