Contract Employees Protest for Job Regularization in Telangana
Contract employees working under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan in Telangana have been staging relay hunger strikes for the past 14 days. These employees, working at district, mandal, and school complex levels, are demanding the regularization of their jobs. A large number of these workers are women, some earning as little as 3,000 rupees per month.
In the previous government, the employees’ basic demands were ignored. Before the elections, they held a 36-day hunger strike, during which Revanth Reddy, then Congress party’s PCC Chairman, assured them that their jobs would be regularized if Congress came to power. Despite the Congress government now being in office for over a year, led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, no action has been taken to address the workers’ concerns.
Once again, the contract employees have resorted to protests, urging the government to fulfill their promises. The Chaitanya Women’s Association has come forward to support the workers, calling on the government to address their minimum demands immediately.
The protesting workers have pointed out several issues, such as the appointment of only one teacher for every 250 children and being forced to work long hours. They are demanding an end to these exploitative practices and the provision of benefits given to regular teachers. Their demands also include 180 days of maternity leave, health cards, insurance, and retirement benefits for women employees under Samagra Shiksha.
The Chaitanya Women’s Association has reiterated its commitment to standing by the contract workers. They have urged the government to take swift action to meet these demands and provide the workers with the job security and benefits they deserve.
