Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Railway Contract Workers’ Union has asked to recruit contract workers in view of the increasing workload.
In a letter to the general manager of South Central Railway here on Tuesday, the union demanded payment of one month’s salary as a bonus and extend all eligible benefits/ facilities as per rules.
The letter mentioned those contract workers who are working as box boys, coach cleaning, A.C., laundry, loading & unloading etc at the Hyderabad, Secundrabad divisions, Kachiguda, and Nampali railway stations along with 17 MMTS railway stations are not benefitting as per the rules.
“In Nampali railway station, three days’ wages were reduced for one day absentee. At Kachiguda railway station, two months’ salary was not paid by the contractor to his workers due to non-clearance of all service contract bills by the railway management,” the letter said.
Workers are being laid off for simple reasons. A worker who takes an off due to ill health suffers a three-day cut in the salary. Some contractors keep bank passbooks and ATM cards so that the workers have no power over their hard-earned money. “The contractors are treated their workers like machines and not human beings,” the letter said.
The letter demanded ten benefits/facilities for the contract workers:
1) D.A should be paid from 2022 October 1st and paid a minimum wage of Rs 18,486/-.
2) One month’s salary as a bonus should be paid to all workers during the time of Dussehra festival
3) Salary should be paid on 7th of every month and give pay slips to all workers.
4) ESI cards should be given to all workers.
5) Straight all irregularities in P.F cutting and extend the facility to all workers.
6) 18 earned leaves should be given to all the workers.
7) 12 causal leaves should be given to all the workers.
8) 12 festival holidays/ National holidays per year should be given to all workers.
9) Two dresses and one pair of shoes should be given to all workers.
10) Accidental insurance schemes should be given to all workers.
The letter concluded that contractors who fail to provide minimum wages and benefits should be permanently blocked.
