Beedi workers urge DC to convene meeting

Hundreds of Beedi workers staged a protest in front of DC's office demanding that the beedi industry owners implement the government notified payment and release the pending DA, here in Mangaluru on Tuesday.

The government has issued a notification to pay minimum wages of Rs 210 per 1,000 beedis which has not been implemented. The DA of Rs 12.75 per 1,000 beedis rolled is also pending from 2015, said the protesters.

The protesters said that owing to the steep increase in the price of essential commodities, they find it difficult to make ends meet. The beedi workers have been staging a series of protest since June 1 demanding the implementation of the minimum wages and revised DA, which the beedi industry owners failed to implement, they added.

The protesters urged the DC to convene a joint committee meeting in the presence of beedi owners and members of labour organisations to solve the problems.

Karnataka State Beedi Workers Federation state unit President J Balakrishna Shetty said, "Beedi industry owners are not implementing the government's notification. They are doing injustice to the beedi workers."

"The revised DA also has not been released. The government is strengthening Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, causing difficulty to beedi workers. As a result of this, beedi workers feel insecure."

Federation district unit President Vasanth Achari said that without providing any alternative employment, the Cotpa is being implemented.

The online and digital system, making Aadhaar mandatory has caused inconvenience in the release of PF and pension of beedi workers.