Members of the Karnataka State Midday Meal Workers’ Federation, affiliated to the All-India Trade Union Congress, staged a demonstration at Town Hall Circle demanding minimum wage of Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 3,000 as pension. General secretary of the federation N. Shivanna said the prices of essential commodities had gone up and hence midday meal workers must be given a minimum wage of Rs. 5,000. He thanked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for increasing the wage of midday meal workers by Rs. 500 recently. Mr. Shivanna demanded that the government cancel contracts of non-governmental organisations, including Akshaya Patra Foundation and Adamya Chetana, that provide midday meals for schoolchildren in some cities. He alleged that teachers and members of school development and monitoring committees harass midday meal workers by asking them to prepare separate food for them and the workers were being made to work for more than 6 hours a day.
The demonstrators formed a human chain at the Town Hall Circle, blocking traffic for some time. The police took them into custody and released them later.
District vice-president of the AITUC Kambe Gowda and district secretary of the AITUC Chinnappa were among those who participated.
