Construction workers’ unions submitting a request urging swift action on pending welfare benefits to Labour Commissioner Seshagiri Babu, in Vijayawada on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: HANDOUT
Construction workers’ unions on Tuesday appealed to the Labour Department to immediately revive the Building and Other Construction Workers’ (BOCW) Welfare Board and restore all welfare schemes mandated under the 1996 Act. The unions also demanded the cancellation of Memo 1214, which they said hindered the proper implementation of welfare benefits.
A delegation of union leaders met Labour Commissioner Miriyala Seshagiri Babu at the State Labour Department office, here on Tuesday. BOCW Secretary Gandham Chandrudu, BOCW Board Chairman Awala Mallikarjun, and BOCW Advisory Committee Chairman G. Raghu were also present during the meeting.
Union representatives expressed concern that families of construction workers who died due to accidents or natural causes since 2018 had not yet received financial assistance from the board. Many such families have been pushed into significant hardship due to delays in disbursing benefits, they said. They appealed to the department to ensure immediate support for these families.
The unions also highlighted issues in the registration process for welfare cards, citing technical and administrative lapses that prevented eligible workers from accessing benefits. Responding to the concerns, Commissioner Seshagiri Babu assured that the department would hold internal consultations on all issues raised and would convene another meeting with union representatives soon.
Among those who participated were IFTU State General Secretary M. Ramakrishna, BCWU Convening Committee member G. Harikrishna Reddy, Meera Vali, Koppula Kumar, Rajasekhar, Subba Rao, representatives of Pragathisheela Bhavana Nirmanam Sangham Raman and Mohan, and TNTUC union leaders.
Published – November 25, 2025 07:07 pm IST
