Forest workers demand regularisation of services

Tirupati: TTD Forest Workers Union leaders demanded the TTD to regularise all the 362 workers working in the forest department. Speaking to media here on Thursday, the Union leaders criticised the management for regularising only 162 and leaving the remaining 200 to continue as outsourcing workers in TTD. Union affiliated to CITU general secretary Suresh said that the forest workers were on a relay fast for 700 days to press TTD management for regularisation of all the 362 workers working in the forest department and those who have completed more than 25 years of service. Surprisingly, he said a week back, the government issued a GO regularising only 162 leaving the remaining 200 to work under 'Lakshmi Srinivasa Manpower Corporation' floated by TTD on the lines of government's Andhra Pradesh Corporation for Outsourced Services

(APCOS). Stating that it is divisive to divide the workers, he declared that the Union would continue its fight for regularisation of the remaining 200 workers. CITU general secretary K Murali said that in fact TTD Trust Board passed a resolution for extending time-scale to all the 362 workers, later it approved regularisation of 162 workers and time scale to the remaining 200 workers. TTD Trust Board resolutions regarding to its recommendation to government on regularisation of TTD forest workers and also the government GO regularising them were not kept in the public domain reveal that both the TTD management and government are acting in a secret manner. He also criticised YSRCP leaders Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy local MLAs and trust board members remaining

silent on the partisan attitude of the TTD. Murali and Suresh made it clear that they were not opposing the regularisation of 162 forest workers and welcoming it and only demand regularising the remaining 200 workers. They affirmed that the forest workers agitation would continue till justice was done to them and said that the union will consider a legal course against the partisan attitude of TTD and government and regularisation of 200 workers also.