Sanitation workers in east Delhi are planning to go on an indefinite strike yet again from July 27 to protest against unpaid arrears in salaries and other promised incentives.
Over 25,000 East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) workers are likely to participate.
Final resort
Sanjay Gahlot, the president of the Swatantra Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha, which is one of the biggest sanitation workers’ union in east Delhi, said the strike had been called as a final resort after attempts to reach out to the EDMC officials and newly elected legislators failed.
“We have been protesting outside the EDMC office in Patparganj since the new party took over, but nothing has happened. They have been avoiding us saying there are no funds,” Mr. Gahlot said.
The union has around 25,500 workers under it, all of whom will not report for work till their demands are met. The strike has been called to protest against workers not receiving salaries for three months, pensions, pending arrears for the past three years, and cashless medical cards for workers.
According to Mr. Gahlot, the EDMC will not react till a strike is notified. Instead, he added, it will push their demands under the carpet citing ‘financial problems’.
“If we don’t receive salaries till the 15th of this month, it will be the third month in a row that we haven’t been paid,” said Sachin, a sanitation worker at Gandhinagar.
‘Arrears never came’
He added, “Last time, after the strike was called off and the corporation promised that our demands would be taken care of, many people like me bought utilities for their house and gifts for their families on loan. We thought we would repay the loan after we received arrears, but that never happened.”
This is the fifth time in the last one year that sanitation workers in east Delhi have gone on strike.
In fact, just last week a faction of the supervisors’ union — the All Municipal Corporation Staff Union — called a five-day strike for non-payment of arrears.
The strike was called off after the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) was invoked and the functionaries promised to fulfil their demands.
