Karnataka State Composite Hostel Workers Union, affiliated to the All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC) opposed the State government’s move of removing incumbent Group D workers and filling their posts with fresh recruitments.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, K. Somashekhar Yadgir, State secretary of the Union, said that the government decision would render around 16,000 contract labourers who had been working as cooks, watchmen, kitchen assistants and other Group D workers on contract basis at various hostels and residential schools for the last fifteen years, jobless.
“As per the State government notification issued on September 29, the existing 16,000 workers will be ineligible to continue in their posts that they had been in for the last fifteen years. Minimum education qualification for these Group D posts is set as matriculation. However, most of the incumbent workers have not completed even primary education,” he said. He expressed concerns over the future of workers, as most of them had already crossed 45 years.
He condemned the government for not making alternative arrangements or paying compensation to incumbent workers while issuing the new recruitment order.
Mr. Somashekar said that his Union would organise a two-day agitation outside Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi during Winter Session of the State legislature. “Around 2000 workers are expected to participate in the agitation. Government should continue the workers till they reach the age of retirement,” he said.
