Prakasam contract workers protest for ₹26,000 monthly minimum wage
Thousands of contract and outsourcing employees, along with workers from organised and unorganised sectors, staged a protest at the Collectorate in Ongole, Prakasam district, on Thursday. They demanded that the government revise minimum wages pending since 2009 and announce a monthly minimum wage of ₹26,000 for contract staff.
CITU district general secretary M. Ramesh said the government has not revised minimum wages for over a decade despite a legal requirement to do so every five years. He criticised successive state governments for failing to comply with the law and for showing a lack of sincerity towards workers' issues.
“The state government readily announces concessions worth thousands of crores of rupees to corporate entities, but it is reluctant to raise workers' wages to a level that ensures a decent livelihood,” Ramesh said. He added that rising costs of essential commodities, education, and healthcare necessitate a monthly minimum wage of ₹26,000 for contract staff in all sectors.
The CITU leader highlighted the exploitation of workers in sectors such as granite quarries, polishing units, aqua companies, hatcheries, tobacco warehouses, pharmaceutical industries, private educational and medical institutions, shopping malls, petrol bunks, and security agencies, noting that their wages range from only ₹8,000 to ₹13,000 per month.
Ramesh also alleged that workers are made to work up to 12 hours a day without receiving overtime pay, in violation of the eight-hour workday law. He warned that the agitation would be intensified across the state if the minimum wage is not revised.
