Finding fault with the state government for “using artisan workers like slaves”, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar has demanded the State government to immediately make artisan jobs permanent. Otherwise, the Bharatiya Janata Party would wage a movement along with artisan communities.
Bandi Sanjay Kumar asked the state government to convert the engagement of artisan workers in electricity
companies into regular posts. Around 20 thousand artisan workers across Telangana had been living on bare minimum wages for 18 years, he added.
Leaders of Telangana Vidyut Artisan Conversion JAC met the Union Minister Bandi Sanjay and submitted a petition at the MP’s office in Karimnagar on Monday. They recalled that the previous government had promised to regularize the engagement of artisan workers and had given orders to merge them with the electricity company.
“We are living without dying in the hope of (our jobs) becoming permanent one day. We are working overtime with insufficient salary experiencing job insecurity or emotional distress. We appealed to the Union Minister to think with a humanitarian approach and take the issue to the notice of the CM and do justice”, they said.
On this occasion, Bandi Sanjay said that the demand of artisans was fair. He asked the government to keep its promise. On the contrary, it was questioned how reasonable it was to cancel the relevant government orders and bring the new Factory Act-1946 Standing Service Rules to the fore in power companies and convert the artisans into outsourced employees.
As per the promise given by the previous government, the artisans’ engagement should be converted into regular posts in line with their educational qualifications. Otherwise, the Union Minister warned, they will launch a movement together with the artisans.
Besides, ASHA workers also submitted a memorandum to the Union Minister appealing to the latter to make the state government pay minimum wages to them. They appealed to the Union Minister to also make the State government issue health cards to them. The Minister assured that he would take the issue to the notice of the government.
