Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (PS)
 
Mangalore, Jul 13: The Karnataka state Akshara Dasoha employees' union (DK district unit) under the banner of CITU staged a dharna on Tuesday July 12 in front the zilla panchayat office to oppose the privatization of the Akshara Dasoha scheme.

The protestors demanded that such steps be withdrawn and they be given wages as per the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act. They said after the scheme was handed over to ISKCON, over 20,000 women lost their jobs.

In a memorandum submitted to chief executive officer, education department, DK district, it is said that Akshara Dasoha workers had been in service for a decade now but they were not paid decent wages. Regularization of the services of the workers who are working on contract basis and daily wage basis also was demanded by the protestors.
 
Addressing the protestors, Girija, president of Karnataka state Akshara Dasoha Employees Union, DK district committee said that the state government is handing over the project to private and religious organizations like ISKCON, Adamya Chethana among other religion-based NGOs which in turn have taken over the jobs of many women. About 1 lac women are working under this scheme, and they have not been given minimum wages, some have been discontinued from the job. She demanded that all all employees be made permanent.
 
The protestors also demanded that employees should be given facilities apart from salary, that salary should be given in the first week of every month, to give salary during dasara leaves, and to take action against ISKCON.
 
CITU district general secretary Vasanth Achari, Sunil Kumar Bajal, secretary of city committee of CPI (M) among others also spoke.