ANANTAPUR: The All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) staged a rasta roko at the Sapthagiri Circle here on Thursday, in protest against the anomalies in the fresh wages offered to 37 contract workers of the Central Park and Municipal Guest House under the administration of the Municipal Corporation of Anantapur.

Their contract was annulled by the civic body on its expiry last month along with another 260 contract workers working for the public health engineering and maintenance departments (Officially, the number of contract workers in the civic body is 180, put together).

All the ousted contract workers had laid a siege to the civic body's office for about week earlier and paralysed its functioning, demanding continuation of their service.

The civic body had agreed to renew the contracts of all the workers after the leaders of Congress, CPI (M) and CPI led by the Anantapur MP, A. Venkatarami Reddy, held talks with the officials. But, the workers of the guest house and park were offered reduced wages from Rs. 1,300 per month earlier to Rs. 1,050 now .

The agitated workers launched a relay hunger strike three days back under the aegis of AITUC demanding old wages. The AITUC leader, Imam, led the rasta roko at the Sapthagiri Circle. There are 32 workers in the municipal park and five in the guest house.

The official workers (180) would get Rs. 2.1 lakhs in wages every month and the workers' unions led by the trade unions distribute the amount among a total of 296 workers (unofficial), based on the seniority.

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