05 July,2014 08:45 AM IST | | Ankoor Anvekar
The Maharashtra Rajya Mathadi Transport and Kamgar Union says that the government’s decision will adversely affect the livelihoods of mathadi workers and onion-potato traders in the city and state
Mathadi workers
With the Central government having issued a general resolution (GR) regarding its decision to de-list onions and potatoes from the Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMC), mathadi workers and onion-potato traders face looming uncertainty.
JOBLESS SOON? The mathadi workers' union claims that the state's decision to dissolve onion-potato APMC markets will affect thousands of families that depend on them. File Pic
The government's decision has irked the Maharashtra Rajya Mathadi Transport and Kamgar Union, and at a meeting held on Friday at the Mathadi Bhavan in Vashi, the union announced a statewide protest against the government's decision.
The union said that
all mathadi workers and traders across the state will go on a day-long strike on July 17, and APMC markets in the state will be shut on the same day.
The union has raised concern over the lakhs of workers, traders and truck drivers who will lose their jobs if the onion-potato APMCs are dissolved. They expressed alarm after the Centre, on Wednesday, said it would bring onions and potatoes under the purview of stockholding limits under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, in order to prevent any holdings in the market. The government's decision allows farmers to sell their produce in the open market, which the union says is an impractical decision.
Tanajirao Jagdale, joint general secretary of the union, said, "The government's decision will affect thousands of families who depend on the APMCs. In Mumbai alone, over 20,000 mathadi workers and traders will face an uncertain future if the onion-potato APMC is dissolved."
APMC directors from across the state are scheduled to meet in Vashi on July 17, and agitate against the decision.
