AP temple barbers on strike, demand fixed wages

Demanding fixed wages and job security, thousands of barbers working in various temples of Andhra Pradesh went on a sudden strike on Friday and put devotees to inconvenience.

Barbers from the famed temple of Lord Venkateshwara in Tirumala did not join the protest.

Tonsuring of heads and offering hair to the gods by devotees to fulfil their vow and get a wish granted is an age-old tradition in many temples across the country.

The barbers’ strike has upset devotees, as they were forced to return without offering their hair, regardless of the grant of wishes.

Prominent among the temples which witnessed barbers’ strike were: Sri Vara Siddhi Vinayaka temple at Kanipakam in Chittoor district, Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy temple at Srisailam in Kurnool district, Kanaka Durga temple in Vijayawada, Suryanarayana Swamy temple at Arasavalli in Srikakulam district, Dwaraka Tirumala temple in West Godavari district, Sri Satyanarayana Swamy temple at Annavaram of East Godavari district and Sri Varaha Narasimha Swamy temple at Simhachalam of Visakhapatnam.

For the last few days, barbers have been demanding a fixed salary of ₹15,000 with pension and provident fund facility. At present, the temples pay the barbers on piece rate basis, at the rate of ₹13 for each tonsuring.

“On some lean days, we end up earning less than ₹100 a day. How can we run our families and give education to our children? We want implementation of minimum wages for barbers,” a barber at Kanaka Durga temple demanded.

HYDERABAD: