CITU backs Visakhapatnam secretariat workers’ demands

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions staged a protest in Visakhapatnam on Monday in support of employees of the Swarna Gramam and Swarna Ward secretariats. CITU leaders and members gathered at Jagadamba Junction as the employees continued an agitation over pending demands. The union’s State president, Ch.

Narasinga Rao, said the government should address the workers’ concerns rather than use what he described as coercive measures. According to Rao, the employees were seeking promotions and notional increments, along with payment of nine months of arrears. They were also demanding a reduction in workload and an end to alleged harassment.

The CITU leader further called for the release of employees arrested during a protest in Vijayawada on Sunday. He demanded that cases filed against them be withdrawn. Rao alleged that permission for the earlier demonstration had been denied and that employees were detained at Dharna Chowk.

The source material does not include a response from the government or any police agency to those allegations. The Visakhapatnam protest was presented as an expression of solidarity with the secretariat employees’ continuing agitation. The report does not state whether the government has agreed to negotiations, addressed the arrears or taken any decision on the workers’ demands.

The employees’ demands, as listed by CITU, combine employment progression, financial claims and workplace concerns. The union’s intervention also broadened the protest to include the treatment of workers who participated in the Vijayawada demonstration. No information was provided on the size of the gathering, the duration of the protest or any disruption caused at Jagadamba Junction.

The available account is limited to the union’s demands and allegations.