Convention of construction workers in Hubballi on Saturday

Karnataka State Construction and Unorganised Workers Union to host Hubballi convention to discuss long-pending issues of construction workers. Despite 19 welfare schemes, technical glitches have prevented workers from getting benefits. Union to submit memorandum to Labour Minister Santosh Lad, seek early action.

A Dharwad district-level convention of construction workers will be held in Hubballi on Saturday to highlight and deliberate upon the long-pending issues related to construction workers in the unorganised sector.

Addressing presspersons in Hubballi on Wednesday State president of the Karnataka State Construction and Unorganised Workers Union Duragappa Chikkatumbal said that despite repeated pleas, several of the demands of the construction workers have remain unfulfilled, while several of the government schemes even have not reached them.

Although the Karnataka State Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board has been constituted for the welfare of construction workers and 19 schemes have been announced for their welfare, technical glitches have prevented the workers from getting the benefits, he said.

He said that as per a Supreme Court direction, the thousands of crores of money collected as cess should be utilised for the welfare of the workers only. But because of political middlemen, many ineligible persons are being registered as construction workers, depriving the genuine beneficiaries of the benefits, he said.

Mr. Chikkatumbal said that after the new government assumed power in the State, the union brought to the notice of the Minister and authorities concerned the pending issues. However, nothing has improved yet, he said.

“So we are organising the convention to highlight our demands and have invited all the elected representatives to apprise them of our demands. Labour Minister Santosh Lad will inaugurate the convention and we will once again submit memorandum on our demands and seek early action,” he said.

Union office-bearers Kuber Lamani, Shivakumar Bandiwaddar, Laxman Gudarad, Jyoti Pattar and Nabirasul Nadaf were present.