Tungabhadra irrigation workers held a protest at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park, demanding contract regularisation, timely wages, equal pay and job security (Express photo/Special arrangement).Irrigation workers employed on the Tungabhadra irrigation project assembled at Bengaluru‘s Freedom Park this Wednesday to protest, raising demands ranging from contract regularisation to wage issues. The All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) represented the workers affiliated with the Tungabhadra Neeravari Karmikara Sangha.The Sangha said in a statement to the press, “Thousands of workers who have been serving the Tungabhadra project for the past 25-30 years, despite performing work of a permanent nature, continue to work under the contract system to this day….”The union had issued several key demands. Apart from the regularisation of the aforementioned contract workers, it called for the abolishment of the contract system altogether with the implementation of a direct payment system.It also called for wage payments on a fixed date, along with the clearance of outstanding dues, including wages, EPF, etc. The Sangha also demanded that illegally deducted wages ought to be repaid with interest. It stated that equal pay ought to be given for the same work, along with job security for the workers.The 1,500 workers at the protest were addressed by the state government’s Minor Irrigation Minister Ajay Singh. Other Congress dignitaries attending the event included MLC and former minister NS Boseraju, MLA for Maski Basavanagouda Turuvihal, and MLC Basavanagouda Badarli.According to the Sangha, the minister and other dignitaries assured that the demands would be discussed at the level of the state government, and would be brought before CM D K Shivakumar and the Water Resources Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy.On Thursday, the AICCTU held another protest at Freedom Park, calling for the State to end the contract labour system across sectors and to regularise workers, alongside other reforms to wages and benefits.