Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (ANK)
Mangaluru, Apr 14: The ‘Go slow campaign strike' by the employees of six Mangalore One Centres entered the fifth day.
Close to 60 employees who are working in six Mangalore One Centres have not received their full salaries for the last six months, after which they started 'Go slow campaign' as a protest. The employees have not completely abandoned their work but are working at a very slow pace, to make a point.
The centre is functioning as 'Karnataka one' in the state but in Mangaluru this centre is named 'Mangalore One'. The CMS organisation has taken the contract of Mangaluru One and is functioning in six venues of Mangaluru such as Lalbagh, Lighthouse road, Kadri, Valencia, Kavoor and Suratkal.
Eleven employees are working in each of Lalbagh, Kadri and Suratkal centres, nine employees are working in Light House Hill road centre and six each are working in Valencia and Kavoor centres. The employees have not received minimum wages from the contractors, they allege.
The newly appointed employees at Mangalore One are paid Rs 5,500 and senior employees are paid Rs 7,500 as monthly salaries. But as per the government's minimum wages, they should get at least Rs 14,500 per month.
Hence INTUC (Indian National Trade Union Congress) along with Karnataka One Employees Association are fighting against this injustice.
Mangaluru One Centres across the city are providing service for a minimum of 2,000 customers. Most of the employees here are women.
“From the last five days, the employees of Mangaluru One are protesting with ‘go slow movement’ as they are not getting minimum wages from six months. There is no response from the contractors, even deputy commissioner and other officials are busy with the elections. From past five days, the employees here are working under pressure," INTUC district president Manohar Shetty said.
"There is no power since two days at Suratkal and Lalbagh centres, due to non-payment of electricity bills. Rs 1,14,000 at Suratkal centre and Rs 2,14,000 at Lalbagh centre are the pending electric bill amounts. So the officials should concerned intervene and have a dialogue with the contractors to settle the issue," Shetty stressed.