Akshara Dasoha workers stage protest seeking equal wages for equal work

Midday meal workers protest for equal wages, benefits, and humane treatment, demanding government recognition and fair compensation.

Organised under the banner of Akhila Karnataka Akshara Dasoha Employees Association, midday meal workers took out a protest march from Jagat Circle to the office of the Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) here putting forward several demands, including equal wages for equal work.

“The midday meal workers employed on contract basis have been working for meagre wages of ₹3,600-₹3,700 a month for the last 20 years. Promises made to them by successive governments to increase their wages and meet their other demands remain unfulfilled all these years. The previous government led by Basavaraj Bommai promised to increase wages by ₹1,000. But the promise has remained unfulfilled,” State convenor of Dalit Sangharsh Samithi Mariyappa Halli said during the agitation on Wednesday.

“Though workers are promptly discharging their duties for six-seven hours a day, they are not paid minimum wages. We demand that the government regularise the services of midday meal workers and treat them as government employees by extending all benefits that government employees are entitled to,” he said.

Condemning the shifting of the responsibility of maintaining contingency joint account in the midday meal scheme from the head cook to the president of the School Development and Monitoring Committee, district president of the organisation Mareppa Metre demanded the reversal of the decision.

“The government must treat midday meal workers more humanely. Upon the death of a midday meal worker on duty, her family must be provided with a compensation of ₹25 lakh and a job to a family member on compassionate grounds,” he said.

A memorandum, addressed to the Commissioner of Public Instruction, was later submitted to the DDPI. The demands include summer and Dasara holidays for midday meal workers, a lumpsum amount of ₹2 lakh upon retirement, a special allowance for working on special occasions such as elections, measures to protect workers from harassment at the workplace and payment of wages on time every month.

District president of the organisation Mukta Chanda, leaders Udaykumar Sagar, Sunitha Kumbar, Jayakumar Noolkar, Santosh Teganur, Mahadevi Nimbal, Suvarna Shampurhalli and others were present.