Forest dept daily wage workers begin indefinite stir

: Karnataka State ForestDepartment Daily Wage Employees' Association today began anindefinite strike at nearby Alape-Padil,raising various demands,including regularisation ofservices of daily wage workers and those working under petty cash payment system in the department.
Addressing the protestors, Association state presidentA M Nagaraju said there were scores of daily wage labourerswho had been working in the department for over 15 years expecting that their jobs would be regularised.
These workers had also not been included under the Karnataka Daily Wage Employees Welfare Act and were not entitled to pension and social security, he said.
District chief conservator of forests Hanumanthappa, who reached the spot, said daily wagers could not beregularised as they had been appointed on contract basis.

Talking to reporters, he said there was no document to prove that they had been working for more than 15 years.