Publish revised minimum wages in state gazette, demands beedie union

Publish revised minimum wages in state gazette, demands beedie union

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, May 17, 2012: The Dakshina Kannada Beedi Labour Union organized a protest in front of the assistant labour commissioner’s office on April 17, Thursday demanding that the government must publish the revised minimum wages and allowances in the state gazette. 

B. Madhava, union president, said that a special committee had decided on March 8 that beedie workers must be paid a minimum of Rs. 116.20 for rolling one thousand beedies and that the revised wages must be implemented from April 1. Although the special committee took this decision two and a half months back, the wages have not yet been increased, he added.

He also said that Narayana Swami, the chief secretary of the state labour department, has withheld the decision by not publishing it in the state gazette because beedie company owners had submitted a memorandum to him. 

This protest is part of a statewide protest by beedie workers who are demanding rise in minimum wages. 

Padmavathi Shetty, district president; Ramani, vice president; U. Jayanth Naik, secretary; Vasanth Achary, general secretary of the district unit of CITU; and many others were also present.