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Fair deal sought for contract workers

Staff Reporter

Strike by workers of Dr. Reddy's Labs enters 16th day

VOICING THEIR CONCERN: Workers of Dr. Reddy's Labs sit on a relay hunger strike at Miryalaguda in Nalgonda district on Thursday. — PHOTO: NAGARA GOPAL

MIRYALAGUDA (NALGONDA DT.): The relay hunger strike launched by the workers of Dr. Reddy's Labs against the management policies reached the 16th day on Thursday.

Taking serious exception to the termination of two permanent employees — Bh. V. Suraparaju and L. Someswar Rao — by the management on January 13, the workers under the aegis of the CITU and TNTUC erected a tent in front of the Revenue Divisional Officer's office here on March 7.

Payment of minimum wages and bonus for the contract labourers, granting of leave as per rules and providing basic facilities for them are the other major demands put forth by the agitating workers.

The pharmaceutical giant opened its plant at Pedda Devulapally in Tripuraram mandal in 1987 and it has been in expansion mode.

"The management has not been paying minimum wages for the contract workers for a long time. It terminated me from the services with a lame excuse as I was instrumental in forming the Contract Labours Union," Mr. Suraparaju, the CITU district council member, told The Hindu .

He alleged that the management collected Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) from the contract workers and didn't pay it back to those who left the jobs.

"About 500 contract workers are working here without a job security. There were no safety measures to protect them from hazardous chemicals," he said.

Discussions

The representatives of the management and workers held talks in the presence of Labour Department officials at Hyderabad on Wednesday to find out a solution to the problem. However, the management sought time till March 28 to come out with its views, it was learnt.

"We are going to step up our agitation if the management doesn't yield to our demands," CITU district president Tiramdasu Gopi, who took part in the deliberations, said. Attempts to contact officials of Dr. Reddy's Labs to know their side of the story proved futile.

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