No labour organisations invited to ESI office inauguration: Sudatta Jain

Mangalore, Oct 26: Airing his grievance about the inauguration of Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) sub-regional office held at a different venue than the office premises, labour activist and general secretary of the state unit Akhila Bharata Karmika Sangha Sudatta Jain also claimed that the inaugural ceremony had been organised with the money collected from a part of the labourers' salary.

Addressing mediapersons at a press conference here on Saturday, he said that organising of the programme in a symbolic way at Sanghaniketan, Gandhinagar inspite of there being enough space at the ESI Hospital in Shivbagh, was tragic. The elected representatives are not concerned about the health of the labour class. Although it gives a sense of achievement that a sub-regional office has been established in Mangalore, the upgradation of ESI Hospital has been neglected along with the health security of the labourers. Union Labour Minister Kodikunnil Suresh and state labour minister Parameshwar Naik attended the inauguration of the sub-regional office without paying a visit to the ESI Hospital. No labour organisation had been invited for the inaugural programme either. It is not right on the part of MLAs and MPs to ignore the health concerns and rights of the labourers, he said, adding that it was a sign of their weakness.

He also said that it was the government's responsibility to build a hospital for beedi workers, which was the major industry in the district. But, apart from a hospital in Mysore, beedi workers do not have a hospital exclusively for them in Dakshina Kannada, he said.

He further said, “Around 50 workers who had been employed in'Nemmadi Kendra' in the district have not received their salaries and are suffering due to this.”

Speaking on the notice served on him by ESI officials, he said that the notice would be responded by another struggle in the future.

Women's labour activist Jayamma, state convenor Dayanand Shetty, Mangalore city convenor Gladwin Lewis and Ullal unit president H Ismail Shafi were present.