Porters demand wage hike to Rs 9 at AP Beverage Corporation

Amalapuram – Andhra Pradesh: A general body meeting of the AP Beverage Corporation porters (Hamaali) union was held under the auspices of CITU on Tuesday at the Amalapuram depot. During the meeting, union leaders, including State Secretary V Kondalarao and CITU District President G Durgaprasad, demanded an increase in the export wage rate for porters to Rs 9 in response to rising living costs.

Demand for wage hike

Speaking at the meeting, V Kondalarao and G Durgaprasad emphasized that the state government has not increased the porters’ wage rate since November 2023. They highlighted that while inflation has driven the cost of essential commodities and services up by 200 percent, the porters continue to receive a wage of Rs 7.35 per unit of export. The union leaders demanded an immediate increase in the wage rate to Rs 9 to help workers cope with the increased cost of living.

Call for social security implementation

In addition to the wage hike, the union also demanded that the state government implement social security benefits for the porters. These include group insurance, Employees’ State Insurance (ESI), Provident Fund (PF), and Accident Insurance (AI). The leaders argued that these measures are necessary to provide porters with the same protections enjoyed by other workers in formal sectors.

The meeting was chaired by M Rama Rao, with participation from union members including M Durgaprasad, D Srinivasa Rao, M Srinivas, and D Mani Prasad. The leaders reiterated their commitment to pushing for the wage hike and social security benefits, urging the government to act swiftly in addressing the porters’ concerns.