Daily wage employees working in residential schools in the district launched an indefinite agitation at Tipu Sultan Gardens here on Tuesday putting forth a set of demands including regularisation of their services and payment of pending wages. The demonstration was organised under the banner of Association of Casual Employees of Residential Schools which is affiliated to Trade Union Centre of India (TUCI).
Around 300 employees, who were working as cooks, helpers, cleaners and others, in more than 27 residential schools in the district participated in the first day of the demonstration.
“We have been working for the last several years on daily wages. The concerned authorities are not paying our wages every month. We find it very difficult to manage if we are paid once in three or four months,” an agitating employee said during the protest. They said that they were not paid for the last three months.
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G. Amaresh, a leader, said that the government was not considering the demand of regularisation of the services of casual labourers who were working for the last 10-15 years. He also alleged that the labour laws including Minimum Wages Act and Payment of Wages Act were not being implemented in the residential schools.
“As per Minimum Wages Act, each worker should be paid at Rs. 288 a day. However, the authorities are paying between Rs. 180 and Rs. 200,” he said.
He added that the agitation would continue till the demands were considered.
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