The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Naidu backs beedi workers

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Sunday, Jun 12, 2011
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Naidu backs beedi workers

Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu has assured beedi workers that his party will take up their cause and fight with the government till their problems are resolved. He accused the government of neglecting their genuine demands including implementation of minimum wages.

Addressing a gathering at a dharna organised by the Joint Action Committee of Beedi Workers' Unions on the concluding day here on Saturday, Mr. Naidu criticised the government for not realising that prices of all essential commodities had gone up considerably since the beedi workers' wages were hiked last about a decade ago.

The State government had promised to hike wages six months back when the beedi workers went on a strike but it had not issued orders so far. The beedi workers' demand for wages of Rs.175 per day was not unfair as they toiled for about 12 hours a day and exposed themselves to health hazards. Their wages must be hiked to at least to Rs.140 as assured in December last.

He said the TDP government had taken care of beedi workers' welfare by issuing appointment letters, implementing provident fund and identity cards and constructing separate rooms for beedi-rolling.

He also sought a policy on beedi workers' health and their children's education.

State executive meet

The extended general body meeting of TDP will be held here on June 14 and 15 to discuss the organisational issues, anti-people policies of the government and people's problems. It will also outline the party's action plan when it's entering third decade.

Party leaders A. Annapurna and M. Kishan Reddy told mediapersons here on Saturday that party's State executive members, sitting and former MLAs, MLCs, MPs and ZP chairpersons, frontal organisations' presidents, president and secretaries of district units, in-charges and coordinators of Assembly constituencies and candidates lost in 2009 polls would participate in the meeting.

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