Deccan Herald:Bengaluru Library Workers Protest over Pay and Benefits

Library workers in Bengaluru, India have been protesting since July 20th over the governments unwillingness to meet to discuss compensation and the level of work asked of the employees, the Deccan herald reports (CW: suicide).

The library workers have been wearing black armbands to bring attention to the issue. The government claims that they are only housekeeping employees who work two hours, but the workers are quick to point out that while they are often hired as housekeepers, they often work long hours carrying out central functions of the library, including receiving, tagging, and tracking down items.

Workers have been attempting to sit down with officials since May of last year, though they have often been met with run arounds and delays; leading to one instance where a Library Assistant attempted to take his own life to draw attention to the negligence of the government and the employees' plight.

Supporters have also been quick to draw connections between the workers' fight and the need for expanded funding to libraries in India. State level funding has led to unequal services across the nation that S. R. Ranganathan called home. In his life, Ranganathan called for a national library legislation to advance access to information in India, now the custodians of the nation's history, culture, and literature are struggling just to make ends meet.

S R Ranganathan

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/metrolife/metrolife-cityscape/why-are-bengalurus-library-workers-protesting-750280.html

S R Ranganathan

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/metrolife/metrolife-cityscape/why-are-bengalurus-library-workers-protesting-750280.html