Dengue breeding checkers (DBC) of the city’s three municipal corporations – north, south and east – went on an indefinite strike, on Monday, over their demand of regularising their employment.
Devanand Sharma, president, Anti-Malaria Ekta Karamchari Union (AMEKU), said that the DBCs – who are deployed to check mosquito breeding – have been working without a permanent post at the civic bodies for the last 26 years. AMEKU is backed by the trade union body Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).
The three civic bodies have employed a total of 3,500 DBCs on a contractual basis, while the AMEKU, which represents a section of these workers, stated that they will sit on a hunger strike, starting Tuesday, outside the Civic Centre, on Minto Road.
“DBCs have been working for 26 years without permanent employment. It is a shame that this provision is yet to be applied to us We receive minimum wages, ₹15,000 per month, but we have faced delays in receiving this as well. When we call for a strike, the wages are given immediately. How is this possible when the civic bodies say that the Delhi government has not allocated the pending fund?,” wondered Mr. Sharma.
Mr. Sharma added that the civic bodies had assured the regularisation of DBCs in 2017, however, no progress was made over the years
Apart from DBCs, a small section of the civic body’s sanitation workers also went on strike, on Monday.
The regularisation of contractual workers has led to a political tussle between the BJP-led civic bodies and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Delhi government. Last week, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) Mayor, Mukesh Suryan, said that the civic body will regularise all contractual workers if Delhi Government makes budgetary provisions and necessary approvals for the same. Mr. Suryan added that the files regarding the matter had been forwarded to the Delhi government earlier, on the three occasions, but the civic body had received no response on the matter.
According to the chairman of SDMC’s Standing Committee, BK Oberoi, the regularisation remains pending due to a shortage of funds. Mr. Oberoi added, “The government owes us close to ₹1200 crores in funds. If we were to regularise the workers, their salaries will be doubled, where is the fund to do this? We hired DBCs on the recommendation of the government, however, the 1350 permanent posts for DBCs are yet to be created.”
The chairman of North MCD’s Standing Committee, Jogi Ram Jain, echoed a similar view. He stated that the civic body was “ready to regularise contractual workers” but placed the onus on the government.
