Seeking inclusion of the midday meal workers under the schedule of state government’s minimum wages Act to provide minimum wages and other facilities, AIUTUC plans to hold ‘Suvarna Soudha Chalo’ on Tuesday.
In a press release on behalf of the State committee of AIUTUC, Bhuvana Ballari said the government had remained apathetic towards the rightful demand of the midday meal workers, who were responsible for providing nutritious food to lakhs of school children.
At present there were 1,18,580 persons including 42,250 chief cooks and 71,330 cooking assistants preparing food for the children across the State. However, they were being paid just ₹3,700 and ₹3,600 monthly and that not on a regular basis. Many a times, they were being paid wages once in three months and that too they were provided work only for 10 months. There was no seniority incentive and they were being treated like ‘D’ group employees and also there were no retirement benefits, she said in the release.
The other demands included payment for the whole year and extending other benefits. To press for the same, the workers would march to Suvarna Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday, the release said.
