Beedie workers demand better working conditions at protest

Beedie workers demand better working conditions at protest

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Feb 8: The South Kanara Beedi Workers’ Federation in collaboration with CITU staged a protest on Feb 8, Tuesday in front of the Pandeshwar Post Office, during which they said that their demands should be considered at the earliest possible.

In his protest speech, All India Beedi Workers’ Federation President B. Madhava said that the uniform minimum wages for beedi workers all over India has been fixed at Rs. 1000 per 1000 beedies rolled as per the All India Consumer Price Index at 3355 points (1960 – 100), plus 25 percent as per the recent Supreme Court verdict.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Urging that these wages should be strictly implemented, he said that wages should also be progressively increased to reach the need-based minimum wages according to the decision of the 15th Indian Labour Conference. He also demanded that contract/sub-contract systems should be abolished and that all workers should be brought under the principal employers.

Various demands such as provision of enough leaf and tobacco, a minimum of 26 days of work with a minimum of 1000 beedies to be rolled per day, provision of log books and identity cards, and others were made known during the protest.

Sukumar, J. Balakrishna Shetty, Babu Devadiga, Jayanthi Shetty, Bharathi Bolar, Vilasini, and Sridhar were also present.

A protest rally from Town Hall to the venue of the protest was organized just before the protest meeting.