The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) on Thursday organised a protest rally in Visakhapatnam as part of a State-wide ‘Chalo Collectorate’ programme demanding that the Andhra Pradesh government implement a minimum monthly wage of ₹26,000 for workers employed in scheduled industries and in contract and outsourcing jobs.

The rally, taken out from Saraswathi Park to the Collectorate, culminated in a protest meeting addressed by CITU State president Ch. Narsing Rao. He alleged that minimum wages in several scheduled industries, including small-scale industries, shops, shopping malls, private educational institutions, hospitals and petrol bunks, had not been revised for nearly two decades. He claimed that workers in the State were receiving between ₹6,000 and ₹12,000 a month, which was inadequate in view of rising living costs.

Mr. Narsing Rao also sought an immediate increase in the wages of contract workers at Andhra University. Referring to a recent Andhra Pradesh High Court ruling on regularisation, he demanded that eligible contract and outsourcing employees working in various State government departments be made permanent.

The union further sought reinstatement of contract workers whose services were terminated at Visakha Dairy, the steel plant and Synergy Industries. It also demanded implementation of statutory benefits such as provident fund and Employees’ State Insurance (ESI), enforcement of the eight-hour workday, and revision of wages in line with rising prices. CITU district leaders, including K.M. Srinivas, R.K.S.V. Kumar, M. Jaggu Naidu, B. Jagan, and P. Mani, participated in the protest.