Karnataka Mid-Day Meal Workers Protest, Demand Better Wages and Social Security
Image Courtesy: Deccan chronicle
More than one lakh Mid-Day meal workers across Karnataka took to the streets on Friday to observe an indefinite strike after getting no response to their demands from the State Education Department and Education Minister, Tanveer Sait. The workers staged protests at taluk and district levels across the state demanding a fixed minimum wage, permanent jobs and enrollment in Provident Fund (PF) schemes.
As part of the protest, the workers stopped cooking meals for school students from Friday onwards. Over 1.18 lakh Mid-Day Meal workers who feed 56 lakh kids at 48,000 government and aided schools in the state have decided to take part in the protest demanding their rights.
“Of course, the main demand of the protesting workers is the revision of wages. Though the government had decided to increase the wage to Rs 5000 in September 2017, the workers are still getting a meager salary of Rs 2200 per month only,” said K Mahantesh, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) State Secretary, while speaking to Newsclick.
Generally, the trade unions are demanding the implementation of recommendations of the 45th ILC on scheme workers including Mid-day meal workers; i.e., recognition as workers, minimum wages not less than Rs.18,000 per month and social security including monthly pension not less than Rs.3000 to all scheme workers. Here, the workers are demanding, at least, the salary which has proposed by the government earlier, Mahantesh said.
“Other than wage hike, the workers demand a stop to the dismissal of workers for reasons like lack of attendance and a stop to cooking contracts being given to organisations and NGOs”, Mahantesh added.
“In some parts of the state, the workers are being denied work because of their caste identity on the grounds that parents and some leaders oppose the appointment of cooks who hail from lower castes,” the CITU secretary said as he pointed out the practice of untouchability which still prevails in the state.
The protests occurred days before the ruling Congress government in the state is due to present its final budget on February 16. The state is all set to go for Assembly polls in the month of May this year.
The workers, however, decided to intensify the protest till their demands are met.
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