Tirupati: 1,400 TTD contract staff thrown on to streets

Tirupati: As many as 1,400 outsourcing employees who have been working as health and sanitation staff in TTD for long were rendered jobless with the TTD management discontinuing their services on Friday, coinciding with May Day which is observed worldwide as 'Workers Day' leaving the families of the employees in lurch.

The health and sanitation staff and supervisors working under Sri Padmavathi Hospitality and Facility Management Services (SPHFMS) in various TTD pilgrim complexes, including Srinivasam and Vishnu Nivasam in Tirupati and two more in Tirumala were stopped from service after the three year contract between the TTD and contractor i.e. SPHFMS for FMS that expired on April 30.

TTD's move on the ground that the contract period of the firm which engaged them sparked spontaneous protest from the workers who resorted to dharna at Srinivasam and also Vishnu Nivasam where about 700 employees were working even as various political parties and trade unions condemned the TTD's decision.

CITU district general secretary and TTD contract employees' honorary president Kandarapu Murali said that never in the history of TTD such inhuman decision was taken by the management.

Despite the change of governments and also TTD chairman and executive officer, all these year the workers were allowed to continue their service in TTD, he said adding that it was sad that TTD left the women and children of 1,400 families to weep on May 1 which stress on the rights of workers world over.

It was also unfortunate that the workers were left in lurch when TTD chairman was celebrating his birth day on Friday, he said taking a dig at chairman Y V Subba Reddy for remaining unmoved on the workers issue .

Meanwhile, city MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy visited the workers staging protest at Vishnu Nivasam and assured them that he would see that the TTD continue their services. He also discussed the issue with CITU leaders.