TTD toughens its stand on agitating outsourced workers

Tirumala: The TTD toughened its stand on the outsourced workers who have been on strike for the last 11 days to press for their inclusion in TTD Corporation for Outsourced Workers, by seeking the private agencies providing the workforce to appoint adequate (new) staff in the place of striking workers.

TTD Additional EO AV Dharma Reddy has directed that all the Facility Management Service (FMS) agencies should get adequate staff to clear the garbage and ensure that devotees do not face any inconvenience.

At a review meeting on FMS with the representatives of various FMS agencies and TTD officials at Annamayya Bhavan at Tirumala on Tuesday, the Additional EO said the sanitary workers of FMS agencies were on dharna demanding their absorption with TTD corporation and as a result devotees at Tirumala and Tirupati were facing hardships.

He curtly told the FMS agencies that if they fail to address the issue within three days by appointing new workers the TTD will initiate action against such agencies and hand over the functions (contract) to a new agency. Reddy also instructed the TTD Health Department to appoint adequate staff for clearing garbage etc. at Tirumala and Tirupati to ensure better service to devotees, sending clear signals to the outsourced workers to give up their stir and resume duty or else face the music. Meanwhile, CITU State vice-president Ajay Kumar urged the TTD management to stop threatening the workers and strive for amicable settlement of the workers' demand which is just and reasonable.

Addressing the outsourced workers who were taking part in a dharna near the TTD administrative building here on Tuesday, he said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy himself during his Padayatra assured in Tirupati to extend timescale to all eligible outsourced workers working in TTD for the last 15-20 years while the Supreme Court also directed implementation of 'Equal pay for equal work', seeking management to stop arm twisting tactics against the poor workers responsible for the TTD providing good services to pilgrims.

TTD Contract Employees and Workers union general secretary T Subramanyam affirmed that the workers would continue the stir and would not be cowed down by such pressure tactics. He urged the TTD officials to stop provocative approaches and concede the demands of the workers.