Beedi workers to intensify stir

HYDERABAD: A round table conference attended by leaders of all political parties and representatives of beedi workers’ unions today decided to intensify the ongoing beedi workers’ stir to achi
Updated on
2 min read

HYDERABAD: A round table conference attended by leaders of all political parties and representatives of beedi workers’ unions today decided to intensify the ongoing beedi workers’ stir to achieve their demands in the coming few days.

All political parties unanimously agreed to take part in agitations by organising rasta rokos on state and national highways all over the state particularly in North Telangana region on November 25. After that, they would take up other forms of protests to intensify the agitation in the region.

The round table also decided that leaders of all the political parties must meet chief minister K Rosaiah to urge him to intervene and resolve the problems of the beedi workers. They wanted the chief minister to initiate a dialogue between the state government and the managements of beedi companies.

The Andhra Pradesh Beedi Workers Unions Joint Action Committee (JAC), which organised the round table conference at CPI state office, was attended by the Congress labour cell president and INTUC leader R Prakash Goud, TDP deputy legislature party leader L Ramana, former minister Peddi Reddy, TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, CPI state secretary K Narayana, BJP national secretary Dr K Laxman, PRP leader J Gowtham and LSP leader K Geeta Murthy.

The meeting criticised the state government for its inaction though the workers were on strike for the last 23 days.

Congress representative R Prakash Goud said that his party was supporting the beedi workers’ stir and PCC president D Srinivas was aware about the beedi workers’ problems. He said that PCC president would meet the chief minister in the next two days to resolve the issue. He also said that the PCC president had tasted the power of the beedi workers in the recently concluded byelections in Nizamabad Assembly constituency.

TDP leaders L Ramana and E Peddi Reddy said that the beedi industry was the lifeline for the people of the north Telangana region where 20 lakh people depended on it.

TRS chief and former union labour minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said that the state government should hang its head in shame for not being able to resolve the problem so far. In fact, criminal cases have to be registered against the chief minister and the labour minister for not being able to implement minimum wages for the beedi workers, he said.

Related Stories

No stories found.

X
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com