In response to the call by the Bihar Rajya Anubandh-Mandeya-Niyojit Sewakarmi Sanyukt Morcha, about 1000 contractual-honorarium workers belonging to 17 unions (affiliated as well as not affiliated to the Morcha) staged a massive protest on 1 March 2016 in Gardanibagh, Patna, on the following issues: protesting the Nitish government’s policy of repeated extending the tenure of the high level committee and procrastinatingon the crucial issue of regularization of contractual and temporary workers; demanding regularization of contract-honorarium workers; and demanding passing of the Bill related to service security until the age of 60 and ‘equal pay for equal work’ in the current session of the Bihar Legislative Assembly. Apart from these demands, the Mahadharna also announced a 3-day protest from 10 to 12 March to demand removal of anomalies in payment and fixation of honorarium. It was announced that during this period all contract-honorarium workers would work wearing black bands.
The Mahadharna was addressed by Comrade Rambali Prasad, State President Pradeep Kumar Pappu, honorary President Ranvijay Kumar, Bihar Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad Employees’ Union General Secretary Shivshankar Prasad, Karyapalak Sahayak Sewa Sangh Ashish Kumar, AIDS Niyantran Karmachari Sangh General Secretary Dayashnkar Prasad, Sankhyiki Swayamsewak Sangh President Manjay Kumar Chandravanshi, Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalaya Union President Vidyavati, ASHA Union President Shashi Yadav, Rasoiya Sangh President Saroj Choube, Samvida Ameen Sangh President Ravishankar, Midday Meal Karmachari Sangh leader Dinesh Prasad Singh, Shikshak evem Visheshagya Sangh President Rakesh Kumar, Jeevika Karmachari Welfare Association State President Pradeep Kumar Singh, Shiksha Abhiyan Karmachari Sangh General Secretary Shashi Kumar, Anuj Kumar of Sakshar Bharat, TET-STET Shikshak Sangh President Markandeya Pathak, ITI Sangh President Chandrashekhar Verma, Samaveshi Shiksha Sangh spokesperson Santosh Kumar, and Kastura Gandhi Vidyalaya Sangh President Atul Bansal.
The speakers at the dharna questioned the intensions of the Nitish Kumar government on the question of regularizing the lakhs of contract-honorarium workers in Bihar. They alleged that the workers who were already deprived of their rights are now being also deprived of the right to fight elections; it was pointed out that this is unconstitutional.
