Mid-day meal workers demand wage hike; to hold demonstrations on Sept 24

A mid-day meal workers' federation on Wednesday demanded that their minimum wages immediately be hiked to Rs 18,000 per month with pension and social security.

The demand by Mid Day Meal Workers' Federation of India (MDMWFI) comes a day after Modi announced an increase in the monthly honorarium of ASHA and Anganwadis workers.

According to the announcement, ASHA workers drawing an honorarium of Rs 3,000 will get Rs 4,500 and those who getting Rs 2,200 will get Rs 3,500 from October.

The honorarium for Anganwadi helpers will be hiked from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500.

"MDMWFI demands immediate increase in the wages of mid-day meal workers and implementation of the decisions of the 45th Indian Labour Conference - recognition as workers, minimum wages of Rs 18,000 per month and pension and social security," the federation said in a statement.

"Mid-day meal workers, the majority of whom are women from socially backward sections, work for six hours a day and get a meagre salary of Rs 1,000 per month for ten months a year. They have been ignored even in this latest announcement by the Modi government," it added.

To protest the "callous attitude" of the government, the MDMWFI will organise demonstrations throughout the country at block and district centres on September 24 and will give a memorandum to the prime minister, the statement said.

On Tuesday, a federation of Anganwadi workers and helpers had demanded that their minimum wages be increased to Rs 18,000 per month and they be given pension and social security.