Dewas (Madhya Pradesh): During a Municipal Corporation Mayor Public Hearing in Dewas, a distressing incident unfolded as a female contractual employee attempted suicide by dousing herself with petrol. The dramatic act highlighted the dire circumstances faced by approximately 45 women employees operating under a contractual system within the Municipal Corporation. These employees had convened at the public hearing to demand payment of their long-overdue salaries.
The aggrieved women, employed by an IEC Worker Corporation associate organisation, disclosed that despite diligently fulfilling their duties until November 2023, they have not received their salaries for the past five months. The non-payment of wages, promised before Diwali, has plunged these workers into financial turmoil, with mounting debts and relentless pressure from creditors.
Efforts to secure payment have been met with bureaucratic indifference. Despite numerous appeals to senior corporation officials, including the Commissioner, there has been a lack of tangible action or resolution. The management of the institution has cited pending bills from the corporation as a barrier to disbursing salaries, exacerbating the workers' plight.
The prolonged ordeal has left the employees feeling abandoned and desperate. With no respite in sight and their financial burdens escalating, some are contemplating drastic measures such as suicide. They hold both the contracting company and the Municipal Corporation accountable for their precarious predicament, emphasising the urgent need for intervention and redressal.
The harrowing incident underscores broader issues of exploitation and neglect faced by contractual workers in Dewas, shedding light on systemic failures in ensuring fair labor practices and timely wage payments.
