In response to the call given by the joint forum of trade unions, workers took out a protest rally in Hassan on Tuesday. Hundreds of anganwadi workers, midday meal workers, plantation workers and contract employees took part in the procession from the Hemavati Statue Circle to B.M. Road. They staged a dharna at N.R.Circle, blocking traffic movement.
They demanded a hike in minimum wages for employees of unorganised sector, abolition of contract labour, repeal of anti-farmer laws, and end to privatisation of public sector units. The protesters said that the lockdown imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic left lakhs of workers in misery. The governments did not come to their rescue but extended financial assistance to corporate companies. The new liberalisation policy adopted by the Union Government had increased unemployment and poverty, they said.
The protesters came down heavily on the government for the steep hike in fuel prices. With the increase in the price of petrol and diesel, the cost of essential commodities had gone up many times. The governments had not responded to the problems faced by the poor, they alleged.
