Tirupati, April 29: The YSRCP Employees and Pensioners Wing President Nalamaru Chandrasekhar Reddy vehemently condemned the coalition government's plot to abolish the Andhra Pradesh Corporation for Outsourced Services (APCOS), a cornerstone of employee welfare.
Addressing media here on Tuesday, he denounced GO 802 as a move to favour select agencies for profiteering.
"This is an attack on small-scale employees’ livelihoods. We demand the immediate repeal of GO 802," Reddy declared.
Launched in 2019 by former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, APCOS eradicated exploitative middlemen, ensuring fair treatment for outsourcing employees. Previously, workers endured corruption, delayed salaries, and commission cuts. By July 3, 2020, APCOS issued appointment letters to 47,000 employees, and by the YSRCP's tenure end, nearly one lakh employees, 50% women and many from SC, ST, and BC communities, received timely salaries, ESI, and EPF benefits without deductions. "APCOS brought dignity and security to workers," Reddy affirmed.
The coalition's actions betray election promises. A committee, including Ministers Nara Lokesh and Payyavula Keshav, to review outsourcing recruitment suggests a return to a broker-driven system. "Why dismantle a transparent system? This benefits TDP affiliates at employees’ expense," Reddy charged. He noted YSRCP’s efforts to regularize 10,177 contract staff, with over 3,000 appointment orders issued before election constraints; the coalition has neglected the rest.
The YSRCP Wing demands GO 802’s withdrawal and APCOS’s continuation. "We won’t tolerate a return to corrupt systems. The government must prioritize workers over profiteering," Reddy warned, vowing to intensify the fight if the anti-employee agenda persists.