Samkrg workers take out 'Aakaliyatra'

Srikakulam: Workers of Samkrg Pistons took out 'Aakaliyatra' (hunger march) on Wednesday, as part of their protest programme for the past 100 days against the alleged highhandedness of the management. The workers had earlier been dismissed by the management while they were protesting against its anti-labour policies. They alleged that the local MLA Meesala Neelakantam and minister Kondru Murali are responsible for the stubborn behaviour of the management. The management of Samkrg Pistons at Arinam Akkivalasa of Etcherla mandal in the district dismissed nearly 650 workers for demanding implementation of the wage agreement between the workers and the management made in 2010. With this, the workers staged several dharnas, rallies and half-naked demonstrations in front to the factory as well as the Collectorate. Meanwhile, the government discussed the issue with the management and urged it to reinstate the workers. The management brushed this aside leading to the workers taking up protest programmes and intensifying their agitation. In this context, they took out a procession, walking nearly 30 km from the factory to the Collectorate. Demanding that the dismissed workers should be reinstated, they said that they would intensify the agitation if the demand is not met. Minister of State for Communications and IT, Dr Killi Kruparani, recently intervened on behalf of the workers and urged the District Collector to solve the problem. But this too failed to yield any result. The workers who had taken out the procession on Wednesday were disappointed when they were not allowed to meet the Collector. They staged a sit in protest in front of the Collectorate and raised slogans against the Samkrg management. As the workers insisted on meeting the Collector, the police arrested them and took them to One Town police station. CITU leaders Govindarao and Panchadi Paparao alleged that the management is flouting the government orders to reinstate the dismissed workers and it was doing this with the connivance of the government officials. They warned that if their demand was not met, they would begin agitating along with their families in front of the factory.