Action against ESIC scam accused sought

Patancheru: Activists of CITU on Friday staged a dharna at local tahsildar's office demanding action against those involved in the alleged Rs 200 crore scam in ESIC and opposing the proposed minimum wage of Rs 178 a day by the Central government.

State CITU council member P Panduranga Reddy addressing the protestors, described the proposed minimum wage as recommended by an expert committee as an 'attack on workers' after BJP-led NDA assumed office for its second term.

This amounts to the Centre towing the line of corporate forces. He recalled that in the last five years all trade unions had been agitating in support of demand to pay Rs 18,000 a month as the minimum wage.

He said there were 1.5 lakh workers in the Patancheru industrial area whose interests were being neglected. Reddy demanded withdrawal of the proposal, failing which the CITU would intensify its agitation.