Tulluru: No salaries for 3 months, sanitation workers protest

Tulluru (Guntur District): Protesting non-payment of salaries for the last three months, the sanitary workers of the capital region staged a protest under the aegis of CITU, affiliated to CPM, here on Monday.

CITU leader Ch Babu Rao warned the government that they would launch indefinite strike if salaried are not paid and the workers' problems are not solved.

Sanitary workers of 29 villages took out a rally to the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) office and staged dharna. Later, they submitted a memorandum to Deputy Collector Sai Babu and social welfare officer B Srinivasa Rao of CRDA.

Addressing the gathering, Babu Rao criticised that the State government, which boasts itself as a welfare State, did not pay salaries to sanitary workers for the last three months. The sanitary workers in all the municipalities and municipal corporations are paid Rs 21,000 per month. But the workers in the 29 villages are paid Rs 12,000 only and even that meagre salary is not paid regularly.

He said that the sanitary workers were denied the pension of Rs 2,500 as farm labourers, who lost livelihood after the formation of the capital city.

Babu Rao took exception to the non-payment of provident fund amount and ESI amount deducted from the salaries of the workers into the accounts for the last 18 months.

CPM leaders Ravi, Bhagyaraju, Venkateswara Rao, Peram Babu Rao, Anjaneyulu, Rajadhani area sanitary workers union president Cherukuri Susila, secretary Rachuri Venu, leaders Sukhaveni, Seshaiah, Adilakshmi, Kuchela Rao, Ratna Kumari, Veeranjaneyulu, Kondamma and others participated in the protest.