Activists lay siege to Collectorate

Visakhapatnam: The activists of various trade unions were  arrested on Tuesday while taking part in ‘Jail Bharo’ agitation alleging that the Central and State governments were implementing anti-worker policies. 

With the joint call given by CITU, AITUC, INTUC, HMS, YSRTU, IFTU and AICTU, thousands of workers working in various industries and other establishments participated in the agitation. They gathered at Saraswathi Park and took out a rally to the Collectorate.  However, police prevented the activists at Jagadamba Junction and arrested them. Later, they shifted them to various police stations. 

Addressing a large number of workers at Saraswathi Park, city president of CITU RKVSV Kumar and general secretary M Jaggunaidu demanded Rs 18,000 as minimum salary. However, the government changed the Minimum Wages Act and trying to harm the working-class community with less wages, they alleged.

All the trade unions in the country and state demanding the regularization ofthe contract workers and the TDP had assured in 2014 elections that all the contract workers and outsourcing employees would be regularised, if the party comes to power. But the government is now proposing to take up recruitment of workers and employees on a contract basis. With this, lakhs of unemployed youth would be affected, Jaggunaidu alleged.  

Shramika Mahila Coordination Committee city convener P Mani said that all sections of people and trade unions seriously opposing the privitisation of PSUs. But the Central government is still making grounds to privatise the Dredging Corporation of India Limited and disinvestment of the government shares in Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.  Not even considering serious protests from the public and unions, the government has been moving on with its anti-workers’ policies. 

The governments are inviting the corporate and MNCs to the retail markets and also offering prime lands at a cheaper rate. With this, the families of the workers in the unorganised sector would be badly affected, Mani lamented.

Other trade union leaders, including VN Padmanabha Raju, Rama Murthy, K Mallayya, K Eeswara Rao, B Jagan, M Subba Rao and V Krishna Rao, also addressed the gathering.