CITU demands equal pay for equal work
Thousands of workers staged statewide protests on the call given by the General Council of the Centre of Indian trade Union (CITU) demanding regularisation of jobs and equal pay for equal work.
Protests were held in all the district headquarters and at the block level. In Shimla, the protest was held outside the premises of Deputy Commissioner’s office.
During the protest, the workers demanded a concrete policy for regularisation of workers, cessation of hiring practices for contract and outsourced workers, a move towards permanent recruitment, integration of existing contract and outsourced workers into permanent positions without layoffs,etc.
CITU state president Vijender Mehra said that despite performing the same task as regular employees, they were often paid significantly less and were denied legal social security and benefits.
“Workers are frequently overworked and are often required to work 12 hours instead of the mandated eight hours while being denied basic benefits such as EPF, ESI, gratuity, pension, bonuses, and medical provisions. Delayed salary payments are common, with some workers receiving their dues only after several months. Moreover, deductions for EPF and ESI are often taken from their already meagre wages,” he said.
