TTD contract workers’ stir pays off

Relief at last?: Women working as contract workers in various TTD departments staging a dharna in Tirupati on Wednesday. –

TIRUPATI: Contract workers of various TTD departments who held a dharna before the TTD’s headquarters here on Wednesday under the banner of the CITU have reportedly succeeded in drawing a huge relief package from the Executive Officer, K.V. Ramanachary.

A major fall-out of the dharna was the E.O’s assurance to put in place a ‘Contract Workers Management Cell’ with three senior officials as its members to constantly monitor the problems of the contract workers and the implementation of the rules and regulations.

As to the payment of minimum wages, the EO is said to have assured the leaders of the CITU and the workers union that in view of an ambiguity over the G.Os, steps would be taken to implement the one whichever ensured them the highest pay.

If the workers are being paid less than the minimum wages, the difference would be paid to them with arrears with effect from July 15, Chary is said to have told the demonstrators who were led among others by the CPI (M) district unit secretary, K. Kumar Reddy and his CITU counterpart, R. Harikrishna, besides the Union’s general secretary Markondaiah.

The EO also is said to have told them that the TTD management would not encourage the displacement of the contract workers every time a contractor changed and promised to take up with the contractors concerned the problem of unpaid wages for the last three to six months for those working in the Water Works Department, Tiruchanur Potu and S.V. Guest House, Tirumala.

Regarding the retrenched 845 Forest Department workers, the EO said the management was scrutinising the list submitted by the union and would soon take a positive decision.

Similarly the demands of the artistes working in the Annamacharya Project also would be implemented as per the Board resolution. For those working at Tirumala, bus passes, dormitories and rest rooms for women workers would be provided soon, he said.

TTD’s Joint E.O, Seshadri and other officials were also present.

source: hindu