The activists from Constitutional Rights Protection Forum staged a protest in the city on Tuesday condemning the alleged discrepancies in the payment of salary to civic workers hired on a contract basis by Shivamogga City Corporation through human resource (HR) firms.
Addressing the protest meet, Bhanuprasad B.A., president of the forum, alleged that transparency was not maintained in payment of remuneration for civic workers on contract.
At present, around 500 contract-based civic workers were serving with the Corporation. The Corporation has fixed a salary of Rs. 7,220 for them per month.
According to the existing rules, the salary should be credited to the bank account of the workers. It is unfortunate that the HR firms were paying the salary directly to the workers by flouting the existing law, he said.
Lack of information
Mr. Bhanuprasad added that the workers were also not given payslips. “They have been kept in the dark about the amount deducted from their salary for provident fund (PF) and Employees State Insurance Corporation. In many cases, the employer’s contribution for PF has also been deducted from the salary paid for the workers,” he said.
Violated contract
Though contract-based workers have rendered commendable services in maintaining cleanliness in the city, there has been an inordinate delay in payment of salary to them.
According to the terms of contract, the workers should be paid by the 10th of every month. However, the terms of the contract have been violated many times, he said.
The State government has made it mandatory to pay risk allowance of Rs. 3,000 to the civic workers every month in addition to the remuneration they are getting at present.
The order came into effect in the month of June.
However, the risk allowance has still not been paid to the workers hired by the Corporation, Mr. Bhanuprasad added.
It is the Corporation’s responsibility to ensure that the civic workers are getting their salaries and other benefits they are legally entitled to. It is unfortunate that the Corporation has failed to discharge its duty in this regard, he said.
The protesters raised slogans demanding the Corporation give up hiring civic workers through HR firms and instead appoint them directly.
The protesters took out a procession from Ashoka Circle to Deputy Commissioner’s office. Functionaries of the forum R. Rangappa, Gangadhar, Harish Babu and Saalamma took part in the protest.
