Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (CLP)
Mangaluru, Nov 10: Grama panchayat employees launched an indefinite protest under the banner of Karnataka Rajya Grama Panchayat Naukarara Sangha and CITU, in front of Zilla Panchayat office in Mangaluru on Monday, November 10.
Addressing the protesters the president of the Sangha, K Yadav Shetty said, "Our demand is that grama panchayat employees should become government employees. We welcome the decision of the government to make grama panchayat employees as permanent workers. The decision has come after many years of struggle.
"We demand all the benefits which were supposed to be given to the grama panchayat employees have to be given from the date of joining work.If we have managed to get few of the demands now, it is only because of our unity. From the past 20 years we have been fighting our battle but still not all the demands are not fulfilled. Grama panchayat employees have been working with honestly till date, All the losses they have suffered in their lives have to be paid back."
Addressing the protestors Vasanth Acharya, chief secretary of CITU said, "The outsourcing has rapidly rapidly increased in grama panchayat. All the vacant permanent posts in the grama panchayat are not filled. The grama panchayat employees lack purchasing power. A larger numbers of gram panchayat employees have been working without any social security for long time. The new central government policy of bringing FDI into the country will hit the government sector.
"The grama panchayat employees have higher workload and responsibilities compared with other government employees. The minimum wage and facilities like provident fund and gratuity have not yet been implemented. We demand all these facilities so that during retirement,they get all the benefits like other people to lead a peaceful life. The biggest worry is the government is planning by all means to deny the benefits."
The other demand highlighted during the protest was computer operators must also be considered as gram panchayat workers and water men who have passed SSLC must be promoted as bill collectors.
District general secretary N K Subramanya was also present during the occasion.