Hassan: Building Laborers Protest Seeking Better Facilities

By Srinivasa
Bellevision Media Network

Hassan, 5 Jun 2013: The unorganized laborers engaged in building sector led by Karnataka state building laborers Union staged protest here on Tuesday June 4, urging the authorities for better facilities. The protesters held a rally that begun from Hemavati statue, here.

 

 

The protesters alleged that their Union has strength of over 73,000 members.  The state administration had granted several facilities for building laborers as the Union followed up with their demands.  Meanwhile, it was observed that the laborers engaged in other trades are also registering with Union through middlemen.  It has given rise to corruption and cheating.  Owing to this, the genuine building laborers are not getting their due benefits.  The irresponsibility of labor department officials in checking the contractor’s recommendation letters also causing injustice to genuine building workmen, alleged the protesters.

The Union collects fee of Rs 25 from each laborer and three-year membership fee of Rs 150; altogether Rs 175.  The middlemen are collecting Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 to get membership of Union for laborers engaged in other trades, alleged the protesters.

The protesters presented a memorandum to district administration not to allow unauthorized people except the office bearers who are authorized by Union to enroll the names of genuine building laborers, in order to keep the menace of middlemen at bay.

Karnataka state building laborers Union president H T Rame Gowda, vice president H M Shiva Kumar, Girish, Satyamurti, Shankar, Lokesh led hundreds of protesters at the occasion.