Gram Panchayat Workers to Intensify Strike, Demand Salaries and Pay Hike

Hyderabad: Gram panchayat workers who are on strike for the last 10 days to protest against the non-payment of salaries for up to six months and demanding a pay hike from ₹8,500 per month to ₹19,000, have decided to intensify their agigation.

The gram panchayat workers joint action committee (JAC), at a meeting here on Friday, demanded that the state government hold talks with them immediately and redress their grievances. The JAC threatened to boycott emergency duties of maintaining power and water supply in villages if the government failed to respond on their strike by July 21.

The JAC decided to hold rallies in all the Assembly constituencies on July 18 and submit representations to respective MLAs on their demands. The JAC decided to hold roundtable meetings in all mandal headquarters on July 19 with representatives of political parties, trade unions, civil society organisations etc.

The JAC has decided to hold dharnas involving family members of workers on July 20 and holding dharnas in front of all district collectorates on July 21.