GP employees demand minimum wages

Members of the Karnataka Gram Panchayat Noukarara Sangha staged a protests in front of Zilla Panchayat building, in Mangalore, seeking payment of minimum wages and regularisation of the service among others, on Monday.

Addressing the protestors, CITU district General Secretary Vasanth Achari said that the state government has been outsourcing the staff in almost all the departments.

The temporary workers who have been outsourced are paid meagre wages  and do not have job security and other benefits.  With the hike in the price of essential commodities, these employees are struggling to meet their ends.

The government had not hiked the wages of these employees as and when the prices of petrol and other essential commodities were hiked, he said. Stating that social security benefits are essential for the employees, he said pension should be provided to all the Gram Panchayat employees.

They raised slogans against the zilla panchayat for not implementing the government order on revision of minimum wage and setting aside 40 per cent of the panchayat’s grants and revenue to pay wages of gram panchayat employees.

The Zilla panchayat should be empowered to regularise the services of all temporary employees appointed by the gram panchayats, they demanded.

The protestors said that employees in many gram panchayats were paid lower than the minimum wage and that officials claimed it was because they did not have the approval from the authorities, to pay minimum wages.

All panchayat workers must get the benefit of provident fund, panchayat secretaries must be promoted and services of bill collectors who had put in over 10 years of service must be confirmed, they said.

The government should start recruiting for the post of Gram Panchayat Secretary and Village Accountant Assistant. The dearness allowance has not been paid for the last three years should be paid to the employees. Janasri insurance scheme should be extended to the Gram Panchayat employees, they said.

Amtadi Gram Panchayat pump operator Ram Poojary said “I have been serving in the Gram Panchayat for the last 15 years. However, I get a meagre wage of Rs 3,500 per month. Is it possible to lead a decent life with such a meagre amount.

If there was any delay in supply of water, the public scold us. However, none are worried over the pitiable condition in which we live.” Association president K Yadav Shetty and General Secretary Jayaram Master were present.