SRIKAKULAM: With the management of cashew factories agreeing to hike the wages of workers by 12 per cent, the workers have called off the indefinite strike proposed to be launched on Friday. About 200 cashew factories are located in and around Palasa where more than 15,000 workers have been working.
The factory management have agreed to increase the wages of workers by 12 per cent. Workers are involved in various activities that include boiling, peeling, packing, transporting of cashew nuts in the factories where the management pay the wages based on the quantity of work, not as daily wages. For example, the management pay Rs 21.75 per kg for peeling of cashew nuts.
Palasa Cashew Workers’ Association leader Ambati Krishna said that though they had decided to launch an agitation from Friday, it was called off due to fruitful talks with the management. He also said the management had agreed to increase the wages of labourers doing any type of work by 12%.
There are more than 800 factories situated in the Srikakulam district, he said and added that although they had staged several protest demanding setting up of ESI hospital at Palasa for the past few years, neither the Central government nor the State government has responded positively over the issue. “We shall intensify our agitation for an ESI hospital in Palasa,” he added.