Municipal workers in Gudur stage protest for regularisation of services, other demands

TIRUPATI: Tension prevailed at Gudur Municipal office in Tirupati district on Tuesday with protests held by the municipal workers under the aegis of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). Major demands of the municipal workers include regularisation of employment of their services, equal pay for equal work, long-pending wage arrears and advanced machinery for sanitation purposes.

The municipal workers sat in a protest before the municipal office and raised slogans against the indifferent attitude of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Government in addressing their long-pending demands. Intensifying their agitation, the enraged municipal workers were also involved in a heated argument with Gudur municipal commissioner Venkateswara Rao and even prevented him from entering into his office. All of a sudden, the municipal workers also tried to lay siege to the municipal office, leading to a minor scuffle at the place.

With the situation going out of control, the police shifted the agitating CITU leaders to other locations to restore normalcy in the place. “The YSRCP Government has utterly failed in implementing the promises assured for the municipal workers in the State. It is very pathetic, the officials lent a deaf ear to the demands of the municipal workers agitating for the last two months. We will intensify our agitation and stage a protest before the Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s camp office in Tadepalli, if our demands are not implemented at the earliest,” a CITU leader said.

Almost an hour later, the municipal workers called off their protest after the police involvement.