Chenani-Nashri tunnel project workers stage protest

Thousands of workers of the Chenani-Nashri tunnel project today held a protest to press for their various demands, including reinstatement of the fired workers and withdrawal of the cases registered against some of them.
Led by Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) state chief and CPIM state secretary MY Tarigami, the workers demonstrated at Chenani, 90 kms from here.
Shouting slogans, the workers demanded implementation of labour laws and the Minimum Wages Act, re-reinstatement of the workers who had been terminated from service by the management from time to time for protesting, withdrawal of "false and frivolous" cases registered against them by police, wages for working overtime, weekly rest day, payment in lieu of national holidays, grant of casual, earned and medical leaves and classification of workers as skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled on the basis of the jobs performed.

"The workers are denied basic statuary facilities and are also being subjected to unlawful victimisation in terms of rampant dismissal whenever they protest through a strong contractor management and administration-police nexus," Tarigami alleged.