Pay urgent attention to aqua workers woes: CITU

Bhimavaram: Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) State President Ch Narasing Rao alleged that the government had neglected the interests of aqua sector workers in the state.

The CITU state president, who was present as the chief guest in the State convention held here at Alluri Sitaramaraju Memorial Hall on Friday to discuss the problems being faced by the aqua workers in the State, remarked that the State government gives high importance to the aqua sector considering its income-generating capacity.

Nearly, one lakh workers in the coastal districts of Nellore, Visakhapatnam, West Godavari, Krishna, East Godavari, Prakasam, Guntur and Vizianagaram are employed in 100 aqua industries.

He bemoaned the fact that though the managements of aqua industries are deriving profits and helping the government earn Dollars, still the aqua workers are leading a miserable life, he bemoaned.

The government-enacted labour laws were not being implemented properly in the aqua industry, the CITU stage president pointed out. Further, aqua industrialists are exploiting prawn women workers by paying lesser wages to them.

Prawn workers are paid a remuneration of Rs.200 to Rs.220 per day whereas the kg prawn fetches a value of Rs.2 to 2.25 paisa in the market, he added.

Also, aqua industrialists are not implementing the PF, ESI and Bonus Acts, he alleged. Due to discharge of industrial waste, workers are affected with various ailments like TB, anemia, neurological and spinal cord disorders.

CITU’s national vice president Baby Rani decried that women workers are being exploited in the aqua industry as they are hired on cheaper remuneration.

She demanded the management to pay wages directly from the industry rather than on the basis of contract system.

CITU’s district president K Raja Rama Mohan Roy, secretary DNVD Prasad, CITU leader B Vasudeva Rao and aqua workers’ union leaders S K Bhasha, Kattula Nilendra and others too addressed the convention. Aqua industries workers’ union general secretary B V Verma presided over the
convention.