Construction workers protest urging govt to fulfil demands

Mangaluru: Members of the Karnataka State Building and Other Construction Workers Federation, Dakshina Kannada district committee, staged a protest outside Mini Vidhana Soudha in Mangaluru on Wednesday. They demanded that the central and state govts fulfil various national and state-level demands of construction workers.Committee district general secretary, Yogesh Jappinamogaru, called on the govts to release the overdue monthly pensions that were withheld for the past two months. He also urged the immediate disbursement of pending educational financial assistance from 2022, as mandated by the high court. Additionally, he called for urgent intervention by the welfare board and the state govt to address issues related to the renewal of construction workers' registrations.Highlighting the dire conditions in the sector, Yogesh emphasised that despite the boom in construction projects, millions of workers continue to live in unsafe conditions. Migrant workers, in particular, face severe hardship, while women in the sector experience wage discrimination and are denied equal pay. Sexual harassment remains a persistent issue, he added.CITU district general secretary Sunil Kumar Bajal criticised the previous BJP govt and the NDA govt for consolidating 29 labour laws into four codes, including the Building and Other Construction Workers Act of 1996 and the Cess Act, stripping workers of essential benefits and protections. Nationwide protests have been organised in response to protect the livelihoods of construction workers. Bajal warned that if the govt fails to meet their demands, the protest will intensify across Karnataka.A campaign was held from Oct 1 to 15 in areas where construction workers reside, as part of the ongoing struggle for their rights.