Mounesh Vishwakarma

Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (EP)

Bantwal, Apr 2: Bantwal taluk contractors of BSNL telephone exchange and their families have decided to boycott Lok Sabha elections over their salary dues of more than six months. The workers informed their unanimous decision to press reporters in BC road press club on Monday.

Mohammed Hanif, a worker said that BSNL contract workers are working for the last twenty years in BSNL telephone exchange. “The salaries from October 2018 are pending. “None of the workers are paid salaries for the months,” he said.

The daily wage workers are devastated without money to pay for house rent, electricity bill, water bill and household items and are facing difficult situation. Sit-in protests were held in front of BSNL head office and the concerned officials were urged to pay salaries through written appeal. Requests are also sent to the prime minister, MPs, ministers, contractor and labour commissioner. But to no avail. "There is nobody who listened to our plight,” he said.

We are not going to work after April 1

“There are 580 contract workers in Dakshina Kannada district. As none of them have received salaries we and our families are boycotting elections. We will also not go to work from April 1 until the salaries are paid,” warned the workers.

Contract workers Yashodhara, Honnayya, Sunil and Manohar were present.