BHOPAL: Ahead of Diwali, the sanitation drive in Bhopal will hit a roadblock if the demands of BMC contractual and temporary workers were not met.
The drivers, cleaners and other contractual and temporary workers engaged in sanitation work have threatened to go on an indefinite strike from November 10, if their demand of regularization is not met. The employees of Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) are demanding regularization and other amenities on a par with other regular employees.
With Diwali just round the corner, the cleanliness in the city will face a hit if the sanitation workers strike their work. The civic body is already reeling under finance crunch, and regularizing the workers would add to the financial burden. There are around 7000 workers who are working on contractual basis with the civic body. Working on a monthly wage of Rs 6,000, the contractual employees say that the amount is too meager to meet their family monthly expenses. At the time of their joining, the contractual employees were assured of temporary status with a salary of over Rs 15000/month and also a regular job in the civic body. Around 1200 contractual workers were given temporary status. Now these temporary and other contractual workers are demanding regularization.
The state government had also issued an order for regularisation of temporary workers, however, even after a year, the order has not been executed. On the other hand, the contractual workers are to be given temporary status.
The workers are demanding their upgradation to their due category and on failure of which they would go on an indefinite strike after November 10.
The office bearers of the employees union Chain Singh and Sabir Khan, who represent sanitation workers and drivers, said that they have handed over a memorandum to the BMC officials and will have a meeting with them on Wednesday.
If the civic body agreed to our demands, we will call off our strike or else we will shun all work from November 10.
If the municipal body has money to hire vehicles at higher rates, then why is there no money for the workers who are working day and night to keep the city roads clean, said Khan .
