Workers feel pinch before Dasara as salaries due for five months

Wanaparthy: Workersof Atmakur, Veepanagandla, Killa Ghanpur, and Revalli government hospitals staged a protest at the collectorate on Monday. They submitted a petition to the additional collector through Prajavani demanding immediate payment of five months’ pending wages and the cancellation of Venkataiah Agency, which has been harassing workers through wage irregularities and PF/ESI payment violations.

Speaking at the protest, Telangana Medical Contract Workers’ Union (AITUC) State secretary P Suresh, demanded the immediate cancellation of Venkataiah Security Services Agency, which has been engaging in corruption by deducting from workers’ salaries.

Instead of paying the fixed Rs 11,250 to sanitation, security, and patient care supervisors working at Atmakur, Veepanagandla, Killa Ghanpur, and Revalli community health centres under the Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad, the agency has been paying only Rs 9,500 for the past three months.

“As per GO 60 and directives from the commissioner of Vaidya Vidhana Parishad, workers are supposed to be paid Rs 12,093. But the agency has been arbitrarily paying lower wages, exploiting workers’ labour,” said Suresh.

He said for the past five months workers have not received wages. Despite the onset of major festivals like Bathukamma and Dasara, workers were facing severe distress due to unpaid salaries. “When questioned, the agency claims it cannot pay because the government has not released the budget for the past six months,” he said.

He appealed to the government to act with humanitarian concern, release the budget immediately.

AITUC district vice-president Sriram, CPI town secretary Ramesh, hospital branch union leaders, and workers including MD Sattar, Anil, Balaraj, Arun, Parvatamma, Chennamma, Nagamma, Shailaja, Manemma, Balakishtamma participated in the protest.