‘Beedi Company Owners Should Settle Beedi Workers Demands Soon’- Ramanath Rai
Mangaluru: Addressing the media persons at the Congress Office, Kadri, Mangaluru about his concern towards the Beedi Workers, former state minister Ramanath Rai said, “It has been the third day that the Beedi Workers association members have been protesting day and night regarding the increase in the wages, even though the government had agreed on 12 April 2018, that they should get Rs 210 per 1000 beedis rolled. But until now the Beedi Company Owners have not obliged, and the workers are still getting the earlier wages of Rs 180.72”.
“With the prices of daily commodities going up, including Rs 1000 for a gas cylinder, petrol rate hike, vegetables prices hike etc, these hard working beedi workers are struggling to support their families with the income they make now. I see a hundreds of families surrounding my hometown in Bantwal, where many of the people roll beedis, for their lively hood. Though the beedi industry is a strong business in the coastal region, and even though several workers are dependent on the industry for their livelihood, the company owners have been ignoring them and their demands. In the past, the Central government had extended facilities like bonus, maternity allowance, medical facility, etc, for the beedi workers. Assistance was offered to the beedi workers through the Beedi Welfare Fund,” added Rai.
Rai further said, “With Beedi Factories, Cashew Factories and Tile factories many people got jobs in DK, but many companies are not treating their employees as per the government rules, so these workers have to stage protests, indefinite hunger strikes etc. My humble request to the Beedi Company workers is to compromise with the beedi workers association, and try to settle their demands at the earliest, so that they can support their families”.
MCC Mayor Bhasker K, Former MCC Mayor Sashidhar Hegde, corporators Naveen D’souza and Appi, were among many others present during the press meet.
After the press meet, Team Mangalorean visited the spot where the beedi workers were protesting in front of Bharat Beedies Pvt Ltd building, Kadri Road, Mangaluru, where U Jaganath Naik- Vice President of South Kanara Beedi Workers Federation speaking to Team Mangalorean said, “This is the third day and night protest we are into. As per the recommendations of a committee of the State government, the beedi workers should be paid Rs 210 per 1,000 beedis and also dearness allowance. The government had accepted this recommendation and issued an order for its implementation in April 2018”
“But the owners of the beedi firms had not implemented it. After a Statewide protest on June 2, 2018, dearness allowance of Rs10.52 per 1,000 beedis was implemented by the owners. But they had not implemented the minimum wages part of the deal so far. Beedi firm owners had still not paid dearness allowance of Rs 12.75 per 1,000 beedis which had been agreed to in 2015, which they should pay now. The owners should provide work to the beedi workers at least six days a week. By not paying the dearness allowance agreed in 2015, the beedi firm owners had made profits running into crores of rupees” he alleged.
Naik further said, “In the meantime, beedi firm owners had claimed that the minimum wages had been increased. With this premise, they had gone ahead increased the price of per packet of 25 beedis by Re 1. Bharat Beedi company had claimed that it was producing crores of beedis per day and employed thousands of employees. The company had also claimed that it was exporting beedis. While this company was making crores of rupees in profits, it was not ready to share a small part of it with the workers. The managing partners of Bharat Beedi co have not even bothered to meet us, and settle our demands. A decision on our protest will be taken today, whether to continue our protest or not”.