No pay for peeling eggs: Midday meal workers protest at Freedom Park, demand fair wages and worker status

Midday meal cooks across Karnataka allege non-payment for egg peeling work, seek higher wages, legal recognition as workers, and improved welfare benefits.

Bengaluru witnessed strong protests by members of the Midday Meal Cooks’ Association at Freedom Park, as workers accused the government of failing to pay wages for peeling eggs supplied under the school midday meal scheme. Protesters claimed that nearly 95% of workers who peel eggs in schools have not received any payment, despite official guidelines fixing a minimum rate for the task.

According to the association, the government had fixed 30 paise per egg as peeling charges. However, in many schools across the state, workers have allegedly not been paid even this amount. Earlier, egg peeling was required only once or twice a week, but now cooks are peeling eggs daily, significantly increasing their workload without corresponding pay.

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The workers highlighted that they are being burdened with multiple responsibilities, including cooking, cleaning, and food preparation, without adequate compensation. In schools with 100 students, only two cooks are deployed, making the workload extremely heavy. They demanded that a minimum of three cooks be mandatorily appointed in schools with up to 100 students to ensure manageable working conditions.

The association also urged the government to increase the egg peeling allowance from 30 paise to ₹1 per egg, citing rising living costs and increased workload. They further demanded that midday meal cooks should no longer be labelled as scheme workers and instead be legally recognised as workers, making them eligible for minimum wages and labour protections.

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Key demands included implementation of minimum wages, ₹10 lakh compensation in case of death, and accident medical assistance ranging from ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh. Protesters said that despite repeated appeals, their concerns remain unaddressed, forcing them to take to the streets.

Holding placards and raising slogans, workers appealed to the government to urgently intervene, ensure pending payments, and improve their working and welfare conditions.