Beedi workers staged a protest in Shimoga on Thursday, opposing tax on beedi, which will be just another nail in the coffin for the industry which is already in distress.
   Led by the Shimoga district General and Industrial Workers’ Union, the protesters alleged that the government is victimising beedi industry in its bid to encourage multinational cigarette companies. Thereby, thousands of beedi workers will be at fix.
   By making it mandatory to print image of skull and bones on the packets, the marketing of the product is also made difficult, they alleged.
   Their demands included: Implementation of uniform minimum wage for both beedi and cigar industries’ employees;  the Labour Department and Welfare officers should ensure equal facilities for all the employees; the government should take steps to provide leaves and tobacco through co-operative societies, for the registered industries; log book and welfare card for all the employees; bonus; cancelling license to small cigarette companies; tax exemption for less than 20 lakh beedies; medical and housing loans etc.
   They took out a protest march from Science field to the deputy commissioner’s office and held dharna in front of the office.