A large number of workers participated in the rally, organised under the aegis of CITU, braving the rain from the Gurajada statue, near RTC Complex Junction, to Asilmetta, on the occasion of May Day, here on Monday. The rally concluded in a public meeting.
ASHA workers led the rally with their ‘Kolatam’. The participants raised slogans hailing ‘May Day’ ‘Red flag’, ‘CITU zindabad’ and for protection of labour laws, abolition of labour codes, protection of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), payment of minimum wages and ‘equal pay for equal work’.
Addressing the gathering, CITU district general secretary R.K.S.V. Kumar traced the genesis of May Day and the revolt by workers for their rights 137 years ago in Chicago. During the Freedom Struggle in India, struggles by workers led to the implementation of 44 Labour Acts.
The Union government has also brought anti-farmer laws, put up PSUs for sale, apart from bringing out other anti-worker policies, Mr. Kumar alleged. He said that the AP JAC has given a call for blockading of the National Highways, across the State, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on May 3 to exert pressure on the Centre to reverse its decision on strategic sale of VSP. He called upon the people to teach the NDA government a lesson in the 2024 general elections.
Honorary president of ASHA Workers Union Mani and president Padma said that crores of scheme workers in the country were not being given due recognition. The scheme workers were even being harassed by politicians, as never before.
CITU leader Y. Raju presided.
CPI State assistant secretary J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy hoisted the flag at the party office on Monday. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Murthy said that post-COVID scenario indicates that while the income of the working class has gone down drastically, the wealth of the rich was growing. He expressed concern that the manufacturing sector has suffered badly throwing lakhs of workers onto the roads. The gap between the haves and have nots has increased.
The salaries of software employees have also reduced drastically. He welcomed the announcement by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) that it would make efforts to reverse the trend. The CPI leader alleged that the Union government has failed to increase the wages of workers but was trampling upon their rights.
CPI district secretary M. Pydiraju, leaders Kshetrapal, G. Kasula Reddy, Raju, Phanindra and Srinivas were among those who participated.
At a separate meeting at the King George Hospital, Mr. Murthy called for parity in the wages of men and workers employed in various sectors, particularly in unorganised sector.
