Shillong, November 24: Muster Roll Workers in Sericulture Department from different parts of the state accompanied with members of Thma U Rangli-Juki (TUR) today demanded the state government to immediately regularize their services.
The workers has also demanded protection of all their rights and benefits as workers including revision of wages to reflect their skills and conforming to labour practices and policies, making them full stakeholders in the Sericulture industry of the State taking them into confidence while making major decisions and ensuring transparency and accountability in the functioning of the department and industry of the State.
Addressing newsmen here on Thursday, a muster roll worker in the sericulture department, Rita Mary Khongsha said, “We demand that state government should regularize our services so that we will have a job security. We are disappointed with the way the government has treated us. There are workers who have been working in the department since 1971 and still their services have not been regularized.”
It may be mentioned that the workers engaged in work in Sericulture department for several years, some employed as way back as in 1977. These people have worked as Muster Roll Workers undertaking several skilled tasks such as planting and tending Mulberry bushes, maintaining Mulberry gardens including weeding, manuring, insecticide spraying etc.
She informed that since the month of January this year the muster roll workers under sericulture department have been working under contractual basis.
“Last year too we were asked to stop work in October, recalled in January on contract basis. In February we worked only for 13 days for manuring the bushes. We did not work the entire month of March. We were recalled again for work from April to September 20, and this has greatly affected our livelihood,” she said.
She further said that in November, they were asked to join again to hoe and plough the farm, but later were told that they would be hired as contract labourers.“We expressed our unhappiness about being engaged as contractual workers although we made it clear that we would work as we needed to earn,” she said.
Meanwhile, TUR member Angela Rangad said sericulture is one industry which is very viable and the government should put in extra effort to further uplift it, because it is a unique industry and it can support the livelihood of many individuals and it is also profitable.
“The government is proud in producing many silk shawls (Jain Ryndia) and they really promote this in various fashion shows, tourism events etc, however the government has turned a blind eye to the main people engaged in making the silk scarves,” she said.
She added, “They have delayed in regularizing their services even though the government have form time to time stop the services of the muster roll workers and if the government wants to promote the industry they will first have to look into the needs of the workers.” She said that even the private firms depend on government farms so avail the raw materials in which these people are servicing and serving.
The muster roll workers have also decided to submit a petition to the Minister of Sericulture Department government of Meghalaya on their demands next week.
