TTD contract staff launch relay fast for salary hike

Tirupati: TTD Contract Employees Union (TTDEU) launched a relay fast here on Friday to press the TTD management to increase the salary of all the contract employees. Recently, the TTD in the form of incentive hiked the salary of contract employees working in TTD but confined the monitory benefit only to those working on contract basis in TTD and also under societies in various TTD organisations more so in temples rendering religious duties in the shrines.

In other words, the workers engaged by Sulabh and FMS (Facility Management Services) contractors in TTD were not covered under the incentive benefit. Against the backdrop, TTDEU began the relay fast which would be held for five days till February 19 to draw the attention of the TTD management, ahead of its crucial Trust Board meeting on 19th of this month to see all the 14,370 contract employees get salary hike as per GO Ms No 11.

Speaking on the occasion, TTDEU general secretary T Subramanyam criticised the TTD management for showing discrimination towards a section of contract employees. He said as many as 6,941 workers engaged by Sulabh and FMSs for health and sanitation works in TTD pilgrim amenities complexes in Tirupati and Tirumala were denied even the performance-based incentive i.e. salary hike.

TTD is trying to wash off its hands on the ground that the incentive will not be applicable to those working under contractors with whom the TTD entered into an agreement for health and sanitation work hence it is the contractor to increase or not increase the salary, conveniently forgetting that these workers are also engaged in the services essential for pilgrims visiting Tirumala.