There could be lot of fireworks over the sanitation staff contract issue and other aspects during the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) council meeting, which would be conducted on Thursday.
There are close to 3,000 sanitation staff, who work under contract with the VMC but now the corporation plans to invite tenders and entrust the job of monitoring, cleaning and sweeping the roads to an agency to ensure better sanitation in the city. But employees union and a few political parties are opposing the move, saying it would be against the workers interests.
As per rules, VMC has to invite tenders every year to recruit employees to work under contract system.
Besides paying salaries to employees, VMC also pays EPF and other benefits to them and employees unions are apprehensive such benefits would be scrapped, if an agency is handed over the contract.
CPI (M) City secretary Babu Rao said the move lead to privatisation of sanitation works in the city and eventually it could affect the cleanliness as well. More importantly, if tenders are called and an agency is entrusted with the job of sanitation, there will be scope of corruption and affect the livelihood of many employees, he said. On the other hand, VMC officials defended the move saying that existing staff would continue to work and all their benefits like EPF and others would also be continued.
Employees union and some parties oppose the corporation move of inviting tenders and entrusting job to an agency
