AITUC stir for reinstatement of sanitation workers and wages hike

Nandyal: The All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) on Friday organised separate protests in Nandyal highlighting two major worker-related issues, the removal of long-serving sanitation workers from government hospitals and the non-implementation of the revised wages for Anganwadi staff.

Both demonstrations witnessed strong participation from workers, union representatives and Left-affiliated leaders, who accused the State government of ignoring the plight of frontline service personnel.

In front of Nandyal Government Hospital, sanitation workers staged a dharna under the leadership of AITUC, demanding that all workers recently removed under “misleading and arbitrary GOs” be immediately taken back into service.

Submitting a representation to the hospital superintendent, AITUC district secretary Sunkaiah alleged that the government was misusing the age-50 clause to terminate workers who had served in sanitation duties for nearly 20 years.

He warned that the agitation would be intensified district-wide if the dismissed workers were not reinstated without delay.

Later, Anganwadi workers held a massive protest in front of the Nandyal district collectorate demanding the immediate implementation of the Rs.26,000 monthly salary announced for them.

Addressing the gathering, AITUC leaders charged that Anganwadi staff were facing unnecessary pressure through multiple mobile applications and political interference. They urged the government to merge all reporting apps into a single system and recognise Anganwadi workers as government employees, a long-standing demand of labour unions.

AITUC leaders cautioned that if the government continued to ignore these critical issues, they would be forced to escalate their agitation. The union declared that a siege of the Chief Minister’s camp office would be organised if the demands of both sanitation and Anganwadi workers were not addressed promptly.

The protests drew large participation, reflecting growing unrest among frontline workers across the district.