The report aired by a national media outlet against the CITU regarding the unloading of COVID vaccine carrier boxes in Thiruvananthapuram is baseless and untrue. According to the report, workers asked for excess wages to unload the vaccine carrier box at the TB center in Thiruvananthapuram, and refused to unload it until they were paid.
This is untrue, and there has been no wage dispute in this regard. All vaccine loads that arrived in the state after the commencement of the vaccination drive were unloaded free of charge by the workers. This load does not contain vaccines, but only the carrier boxes to transport the vaccine bought by the state government to different places.
The workers had not started any dispute regarding the wages. However, the reporter arrived at the scene while the officials were calculating the amount, and distorted the facts to suit their agenda. This media house has made a conscious effort to discredit the workers whose contributions to the Covid efforts are invaluable.
Workers are the ones who are involved day and night in Covid defense activities and nowhere has there been any dispute over wages. During the first wave, these workers contributed Rs 5 crore to the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund. It is highly reprehensible that the news has been fabricated in such a way as to create contempt towards these workers who have contributed their efforts and earnings to society.
The media should step back from such vile practices. The District Committee of the Head Load & General Workers’ Union (CITU) is providing this explanation as it has come to our notice that this news item has been wilfully spread across the country by communal fascist organizations, including in northern India. It is our request that this fabricated news item should be rejected summarily.