'Include notification on min wages in gazette'

Beedi workers staged a protest against the State government in front of Assistant Labour Commissioner’s Office in Mangalore on Thursday, to demand the government to include the notification on the minimum wages for beedi workers in the gazette.

Addressing the protesters, State Beedi Workers’ Association President B Madhava said that though the special committee has taken an unanimous decision on wages, the State government is not ready to publish the same in the gazette.

“Labourers are in trouble by the deceit of Beedi industry owners and the government. They will stop their work and go on protest if the government doesn’t publish the same in the gazette notification within a week,” he warned.

“The committee had decided on giving Rs 106 per thousand beedies rolled as minimum wages and to give a bonus of Rs 3 paisa. If the government had implemented the decision, the workers could have received Rs116.20 per thousand beedies from April 1 it self, he said and alleged that the Labour department chief secretary is delaying the process.”

‘No govt in State’

“There is no government in the State. All ministers are busy in ganging up themselves with former chief minister Yeddyurappa or Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda. It seems that Labour Minister B N Bacche Gowda is not bothered about these things. Well being of officers and labourers is not important for them. No one is there to hear the sufferings of labourers,” he said.

CITU District branch Chief Secretary Vasanth Aachari flayed the politicians as they give fake assurances to beedi workers during elections and later work for the proprietors. “The government has no concern for the poor,” he added. 

Labour Department Officer Nagesh received the memorandum. Dakshina Kannada district Beedi Labourers Organisation (CITU) Chief Secretary J Balakrishna Shetty, CITU Secretary Sunil Kumar were present.