Mid-day meal workers demand equal pay for equal work

Peddapalli: Alleging that the TRS government is neglecting the workers of mid-day meal scheme and not taking measures for the wellbeing, All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) district general secretary Pusala Ramesh demanded the government payment of equal pay for equal work.

The members of Telangana Mid-Day Meal Workers Union staged a dharna demanding the government payment of equal salary for equal work, at the district headquarters here on Wednesday.

Speaking on the occasion, P Ramesh criticised that both the State and Central governments have been utilising the services of mid-day meals scheme workers from the past 16 years but paying minimum wages i.e., only Rs 1,000 per month against the orders issued by the Supreme Court of equal pay for equal work.

The Telangana government, which enhanced the salaries of all employees and workers working in various sectors and departments, is showing discrimination against mid-day meals workers and neglecting them. Apart from that, the government is also trying to dissolve the scheme by handing over the responsibility to private organisations like Akshaya Patra.

He stated that the government did not released the salaries of these works for nine months. Despite this, the mid-day meal workers are getting amount from private money lenders for interest and providing food to the students of several government schools. 

P Ramesh demanded the government release of salaries of the workers immediately, increase of the salaries to Rs 9,000 and to provide ESI and PF to the mid-day meals workers. Otherwise, the workers will intensify the agitation and will go on indefinite strike from January 1, 2019, he warned. 

The Association members N Prabha, K Padma, Swaroopa, M Lakshmi, Rajeshwar Rao, G Swaroopa, M Pochavva, Anjamma and others were present.