Will remain on strike until demands are met, assert Anganwadi workers in Visakhapatnam

Anganwadi workers protest in Visakhapatnam against State govt's apathy towards their demands.

Hundreds of Anganwadi workers staged a protest near Gandhi Statue outside the GVMC building in the city on Wednesday as part of their State-wide agitation against the ‘apathetic attitude’ of the State government towards their demands. The agitation entered the 23rd day on Wednesday.

A large number of Anganwadi teachers, ayahs, and ‘minis’, employed in Bheemunipatnam, Pendurthi and urban projects were among the first to arrive at the venue.

Addressing the protesters, Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union district general secretary L. Devi said that the workers would continue their agitation till the State government met their demands and the workers would not be cowed down by threats of termination from service.

Floor Leader of the CPI-M in the GVMC, B. Ganga Rao, CITU general secretary R.K.S.V. Kumar, union leaders Brundhavathi, P. Mani and president Y. Thulasi alleged that the Jagan Mohan Reddy government has left the Anganwadi workers in the lurch by failing to respond to their demands.

They demanded payment of minimum wage of ₹26,000, payment of gratuity and deletion of unnecessary apps from their mobile phones. Instead of providing a solution, the government was threatening to terminate them from service, which was very unfortunate, they said, and deplored the ‘adamant attitude’ of the YSRCP government towards Anganwadis, municipal workers and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan employees.

They opined that it was wrong on the part of the State government to inconvenience the striking workers through arrests and booking of cases by the police.

The union leaders warned that no government which had earned the wrath of workers in the past had managed to get re-elected in the past. They alleged that former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was defeated as he had also suppressed agitations by Anganwadi workers.