Anganwadi workers seek better pay and conditions
The Hindu
Anganwadi workers & helpers in Visakhapatnam launch strike, protest before ICDS office. Raised slogans against govt for false promises & meagre salary. Demanded to be treated as govt employees, ₹5L retirement benefits & gratuity. Complained of additional work hours & apps. Strike to continue until demands met.
Following a call given by the union members, a large number of anganwadi workers and helpers from the district have launched a strike and staged a protest before the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) office at Marripalem here on Tuesday.
Raising slogans against the government, the members of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union supported by Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) alleged that the government has cheated them by making false promises.
The members demanded that they be treated as government employees and should be given retirement benefits of ₹5 lakh. They have also demanded provision of gratuity.
During the protest, the members said that the government has been paying them a meagre salary of ₹11,500. The government had promised a salary higher than those being paid to the workers in Telangana, but failed to do so. They also alleged that due to non-payment of bills properly, they are forced to spend money from their pockets.
Some of the workers said that they are being bothered with additional work hours and being asked to use various apps. They also warned that the strike would continue until government concede their demands.
CITU leader P. Mani and others were present.
No room for complacency till counting is completed, Chandrababu Naidu tells TDP-BJP-JSP contestants. The TDP-BJP-JSP alliance will register a comfortable victory in the general elections over the YSRCP, he says. Alleging that the YSRCP has conspired to create disturbances on the counting day, the TDP national president advises the chief counting agents and their teams to see to it that the officials adhere to norms related to counting.