The South Kanara Beedi Workers' Federation has urged beedi manufacturers to increase minimum wages to workers.
Addressing presspersons here on Monday, Mr V. Seetharam Berinja, secretary of the federation, said that the March 8 meeting of the sub-committee of the Karnataka Labour Department had fixed minimum wages as Rs 116.20 for every 1,000 beedis rolled. The representatives from workers' unions, manufacturers, and the government were part of the sub-committee.
The beedi manufacturers have not implemented the decision of the sub-committee till now. He said the manufacturers give the reason that the government has not yet notified this decision in the Gazette.
Beedi workers now get Rs 93.24 as wages for every 1,000 beedis rolled. He urged the government to notify the decision in the Gazette and the beedi manufacturers to implement the decision.
Mr Berinja said the Employees Provident Fund has fixed Rs 100 a month as pension for beedi workers. In the current situation, there is a need to increase this pension limit to Rs 1,500 a month. The government should take note of this, and increase the pension limit to beedi workers, he said.
Seeking implementation of these demands, the beedi workers will stage a protest in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district on June 5, he said. Mr Berinja said that there are around 8lakh beedi workers in the State. Of them, nearly four lakh are in Dakshina Kannada district, he added.
vinayakaj@thehindu.co.in