Tirupati: TTD forest workers demand pay hike

Tirupati: Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) leader V Srinivas Rao on Thursday sought justice for contract employees who have been working in the TTD forest department for more than two decades.

TTD forest employees and other leaders picketed the Administrative building as part of their agitation on Thursday.

Addressing the workers, the CITU leader came down heavily on the TTD for not considering the genuine demands of workers. He alleged that TTD was not following uniform rules in regularising the employees and due to this workers and contract employees were in dilemma about their future.

In Kalyana Katta, Dairy Farm and Marketing departments, he said the TTD was paying Rs 10,000 as wages but at the same time, the officials are paying low wages for forest workers.

He sought the Chief Minister's intervention for resolving workers' issues. CITU district general secretary Kandarapu Murali criticised TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy for not resolving the workers problem despite they were staging protest in front of Forest department's main office at Hare Rama road.

He demanded the department to treat forest workers on par with Kalyanakatta and implement time scale along with TA, DA facilities.

CITU District President M Nagarujuna commented that TTD is implementing discrimination among its employees in paying salaries. He demands for equal salary to forest workers on par with other contract employees who were working in Kalyanakatta and other departments.