S K Beedi Workers’ Federation affiliated to AITUC staged a protest outside Mangalore Ganesh Beedi Company on Tuesday against the ‘faulty’ policies adopted by beedi owners to deceive the poor beedi workers.
Addressing the gathering, Federation Secretary S Chandrappa Anchan said that the beedi company owners have been taking signatures of the poor beedi workers on a receipt bearing the name of the worker, log number and other details, which is signed by the contractors as witness. This receipt is the proof that the particular worker has received a sum of Rs 1,000 as dearness allowance (DA).
Mr Anchan said that this is a conspiracy hatched by the beedi factory owners to trap the workers as the receipt states that the recipient will not further claim any entitlements and hence could be used for precarious purposes.
In this regard, he demanded that the signed receipts must be made void immediately to safeguard the interests of the beedi workers and the owners must give an assurance that the receipt will not be used for any purpose in future.
Mr Anchan further stated that certain unions and the beedi owners held a meeting in the presence of Labour Commissioner on January 31, 2007, and entered into an agreement, that the promised amount of DA, i.e Rs 4,500 will be given to the workers by June 30, 2007, which the parties failed to fulfill.
He said that AITUC had already oppose the fact that some unions settled with a sum of Rs 4,500 as DA to beedi workers as AITUC felt it was discrimination of the beedi workers as they deserved more DA.
Mr Anchan said that the issue of the owners looting the poor beedi workers through illegal means was brought to the notice of the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police but nothing substantial was done in this regard.
Huge number of women, who largely form the beedi industry participated in the protest and said that most of the women who roll beedies are illiterate and the owners were taking advantage of the situation by making these women sign the receipt which is written in English, a language that they are not acquainted with.
Federation members P Sanjeeva, V Seetharam Berinje and others were present.
