Intellectuals and activists urge Karnataka to abolish contractual labour system

“Pourakarmikas working as garbage vehicle drivers and loaders have been on a strike for the past few days, demanding that you implement your written assurance made to them on 1st July 2022, that these workers would be freed from the exploitative and illegal contract system and brought under the direct payment system,” read the letter issued on Thursday.

“The contract labour system is nothing short of bonded labour and is used to deny workers, who are primarily from the Dalit community, their most basic rights. Under this system, the workers are not paid wages for months together, denied minimum wages, social benefits, weekly holidays and any leave, etc,” the letter said, adding that some of these workers had been working for decades.

The letter referred to the chief minister’s 1 July 2022 assurance to abolish the contract system and bring all pourakarmikas under the direct payment system. (Express Photo)

Organisations such as Health for All, Ahara Namma Hakku, Bahutva Karnataka, All India Lawyers’ Association for Justice, All India People’s Forum, All India Progressive Women’s Association and All India Students’ Association have signed the open letter.

The letter further said, “Despite the chief minister having made this announcement over eight months ago, workers continue to be forced to work under highly exploitative conditions. It is a matter of great concern to us, as citizens, that on one hand large amounts of money are given to these contractors and on the other hand, the rights of the workers are trampled upon.”

The individuals who have signed the letter are as follows:

Baraguru Ramachandrappa, writer and critic

K Marulasiddappa, writer and poet

G Ramakrishna, writer

Banjagere Jayaprakash, writer and social activist

Roopa Hasan, poet

K S Vimala, women rights activist

Janardhan Kasargadde, poet

Dr Vijayamma, veteran journalist and writer

B Suresha, filmmaker and director

Mansore, film-maker and director

Veerasangaiah, farmer leader

D Gopalakrishna, farmer leader

Du Saraswati, writer, poet and theatre-activist

Sabita Bannadi, writer

Niranjan V P, educationist

Manjunath Adde, writer and journalist

Leela Sampige, writer

Dr Veena Shatrugna, retired deputy director, National Institute of Nutrition

Fr Anil D’Souza, Loyola Vikas Kendra, Mundgod

Dr Joseph Xavier, Indian Social Institute, Bangalore

Dr Sylvia Karpagam, public health doctor

Pauline Priya S, SS Enterprises, Bengaluru

Vinaya Okkunda, writer and poet

Gulabi Bilimale, women’s rights activist

Sandhya Rani, social activist

Akanksha, writer

Ravikumar, writer

Bharati Devi, writer

S Byregowda, retired principal

Dr K Puttaswamy, senior writer

Venkatesh Prasad, theatre activist

Umashankar Swamy, cinema director

Sahyadri Nagaraj, journalist

Deepa Girish, writer

H N Arathi, writer

Kiran Kumari, activist

Kavi Dayanand, writer

N A M Ismail, senior journalist

Nagesh Bayalu, lecturer

H L Pushpa, senior writer

Swarna Bhat, activist

Dr Jayalakshmi B, Writer

L N Mukundraj, senior writer

Narasimhaswamy, lecturer

Purushothama K, student

Ravikiran Rajendran, theatre activist

Shashank S R, student activist

Shreenidhi, activist