CITU Leads Protests Seeking Minimum Wages for Beedi Workers

Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore (NM)

Mangalore, May 18: South Canara Beedi Workers Federation, a unit of  Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) staged a protest on Thursday May 17 demanding that minimum wages for beedi workers be according to the Minimum Wages Act, under section 5(1)A.

A special committee was formed under the Act. The committee fixed 3 paisa Dearness Allowance (DA) per point rise in the Consumer Price Index. Accordingly, the beedi workers were supposed to get Rs 10.20 as dearness allowance and Rs 106 for every thousand beedies, which makes a total of Rs 116.

But this minimum wage was not imposed on the workers saying that the amount designed by the special committee won’t be granted unless it officially appears in the gazette of the government, stated the leaflet.

Though the State Workers Department owns the authority to direct the designed plans to be printed in the Government gazettes, the office-bearers have been delaying the assigned work.

“Due to the pressure of some owners of beedi companies, the authorities are deliberately delaying the job. This has provoked us to stage a protest,” said J Balakrishna Shetty, chief secretary, South Canara Workers Federation of Mangalore.

President of the South Canara Beedi Workers' Federation B Madhava also spoke.

The protest is being staged in many places across the state, demanding a hike.

The rule of payment of 3 paise per additional point in the CPI as DA has been in effect since 1996. However, owners of beedi companies took the matter to court and as a result of an interim order of the court, the DA has been fixed at 2.5 paise until 2003, after which payment of DA was
stopped.

A huge number of beedi workers took part in the protest. They took put procession from Kankanady. A memorandum was then submitted to the DC’s office demanding fast implementation of the Act.
 
In Udupi:

Sheeja Moodubelle
Pics by Hemanath Padubidri
Daijiworld Media Network—Udupi

Udupi, May 18:  Beedi workers of Udupi district under the leadership and banner of CITU, also staged a protest demonstration in front of the Udupi Taluk office on Thursday May 17 urging the government to set right their grievances.

Beedi Karmikara Sangha (affiliated to CITU) wants the state government to release the amount which was from many years considered as minimum wages to beedi workers. Recently, the state government and beedi factory owners agreed to a minimum wage of Rs 116.20 for rolling 1,000 beedies.

All together 10 lac beedi workers are effected or fraught for their existence. Now, the union wants to force the government to execute the regulations.