Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A sudden strike by over 300 daily wage municipal employees on Saturday morning disrupted Bhopal’s door-to-door waste collection for nearly four hours.
Most striking workers were drivers involved in garbage collection, protesting after receiving only half of their October salary.
The strike began soon after the first collection round, with drivers parking vehicles at plants across the city’s 21 municipal zones, bringing waste collection to a halt. Workers alleged their pay had been unfairly cut to 15 days.
The protest ended by noon after employee leaders met Municipal Commissioner Sanskriti Jain at corporation headquarters in Mata Mandir. Officials said the confusion arose from miscommunication by AHOs (Assistant Health Officers) and supervisors.
According to administration sources, October salary was intentionally split into two parts: payment for October 1–15 was released early based on manual attendance, while the remaining 15 days (October 16–31) are being processed under the newly implemented face attendance system.
Despite prior communication, misinformation spread among workers, triggering the strike. Following clarification, all organizations agreed to resume work.
Confusion cleared
Anil Shravan, District President of All India Sanitation Workers Union, said: “We also didn’t have the correct information earlier, which caused confusion. Everything is clear now, and we expect the remaining salary to be credited in a day or two.”
BMC clarifies
BMC Commissioner Sanskriti Jain said, “We are investigating who spread misinformation about salary cuts. The strike has been withdrawn after clarification. The system is functioning normally, and pending salary is being disbursed soon.”
