Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattreya has announced opening of two hospitals and three mobile dispensaries in the district to provide medical assistance to beedi workers, particularly for for women from March 1.
At a meeting with the beedi workers, commission agents and trade union leaders on Saturday, the Minister said that women workers were suffering from various aliments by rolling beedies and being exposed to tobacco for several hours in the day.
Expressing concern over poor wages to the beedi workers in spite of toiling for several hours, he suggested the womenfolk to choose for alternate jobs instead of beedi industry alone and promised to provide skill development programmes in various other trades.
He also said that the Union government was considering to increase the minimum wage to all employees and also propose National Universal Minimum Wages Act very soon.
Pension
Even if the State government stops its honorarium to the beedi workers, he said that the beedi workers would get pension from Provident Fund forever.
sHe also informed the authorities to examine about providing PF pension to the commission agents of beedi industry.
He also claimed that they had increased the maternity leave for the beedi workers from 12 weeks to 26 weeks. The Minister also said that the Union government was providing scholarships to the children of the beedi workers for their education.
PF regional commissioner Ramkesh Meena, assistant commissioner Venkateshwarlu, BJP leaders K Srinivas Reddy, Bandi Sanjay Kumar and others were also present.
