TODAY -
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 12:
Employees of the stone crushers operating in Sekmai area today staged a Wakat Meepham at Pheidinga Bazar appealing to all concerned to ensure them to work in peace and earn their daily wages to run the family.
The protest demonstration by the daily wage earners who are running their families with a meagre amount of Rs 82 they receive as daily wage for the work they do at the stone crushers starting from eight in the morning till 4.30 in the evening came about following the closure of the stone crushers due to monetary demand from various UG groups.
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Around 20 to 40 people are reportedly being employed in each of the 25 stone crushers located in between Koirengei and Sekmai and one-third of the employees engaged in these stone crushers are said to be women.
Starting right from unmarried to married young women, old women to widows and destitute women, these women daily wage earners have been working hard regardless of the weather and working condition to earn their daily wages and to feed their families.
However, these daily wage earners have been rendered jobless after the stone crushers closed shop since May 8 to protest the demands from UGs.
Demanding withdrawal of undue monetary demands from various UGs, both hill and valley based as well as from many other civil organisations, Northern Valley Stone Crusher Owners' Welfare Association has been on a cease work strike since May 8 .
Talking to mediapersons on the sideline of the protest demonstration, 65-year old Leibaklotpi who has been working in the stone crushers for the last 23 years said denial of work following the closure of the stone crushers has caused a lot of hardship in running and feeding her family members.
'After the closure of the stone crusher, I have taken up Lang Chingba (spinning) at home.
But this can hardly fetch Rs 20 in a day.
I don't know how I can look after my family, if there is no work at the stone crushers', the worried woman said.
Gomati, a mother of four children and whose tender palms and fingers have been hardened through long years of work at a stone crusher unit explained that it is not an easy job to work at stone crushers and the employees are being exposed to various risks like the possibility of boulders crushing their feet and hands.
'Let we poor Shinmis (labourers) be allowed to work and earn our daily income.
Otherwise, how would we survive', she pleaded.
When we were getting our wages after every six days, we could borrow money from others and the shop-keepers willingly allowed us to make purchases on credit.
But now everyone is hesitant', Gomati said.
Nungsitombi, a widow who has the responsibility of looking after her two young children and her ailing mother-in-law, said it has been five days that she has not been able to go to work and she spend sleepless nights thinking about what to do and how to run the family.
'I don't know now how to feed my two children and my ailing mother-in-law', she said with a forlorn look on her weather-beaten face.
Slogans like 'Don't deny livelihood of daily wage earners', 'Don't extract money from the sweat of labourers', 'Respect the rights of daily wage earners', etc inscribed on the placards used by around 500 daily wage earners who participated in the demonstration eloquently speak about their plight after the closure of the stone crushers.
Meanwhile, expressing solidarity to the cause, the labourers and owners of the stone crushers located in Langjing Achouba area have also reportedly started launching cease work strike from today.
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HEADLINES - 13, MAY 2008
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