Govt fixed wages should be paid: Labourers Assn
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, August 14 2014 :
Contractors who provide wages lower than the rate recently fixed by the government should be removed, president of CAF & PD Labour Welfare Association Momba Oinam, has said.
During as press meet held after the agitated labourers had thrown away the enrolment forms at the gate of contractor RK Rameshwar of Changangei in Imphal west today, Momba Oinam asserted that state government fixed the new rates of wages for the labourers on August 1 last and selected RK Rameshwar of RK Fortune Developer Private Ltd.
as the new contractor.
With intimation from the said contractor, labourers resumed their work at Sangaiprou godown from August 4, he continued and alleged that issue of new enrolment forms by the contractor to the old labourers who have already worked over 20 years and whose identities have been verified is unreasonable.
'There is apprehension that the contractor may resort to recruit new labourers', he pointed out while demanding that the policy to unseat old labourers who have been doing the work for over 30 years must be halted immediately.
He also said it amounts to violation of the right to life of the labourers.
Even though the CAF & PD has recently hiked the wages of labourers at the rate of over Rs.24/- per quintal of rice, the contractor is planning to pay only Rs.4/-, he contended and demanded that the rates fixed by the government should be paid to the labourers and the contractor who was not selected with proper procedure should be removed.
The Association further urged the government to select a qualified firm with proper tender.