Hundreds of safai karamcharis who had been on strike over the past 27 days over non-payment of wages called off their agitation on Tuesday at the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) HQ in Patparganj.
Swatchatta Karmachari Union president Sanjay Gehlot, who led the strike, called off the agitation saying the EDMC Commissioner had promised bonuses for sanitation workers before Diwali and dearness allowance. The Commissioner, however, was unavailable for comment.
Regularisation of workers
Union leader Deepak Pihal said the municipal corporation had agreed to regularise all contract workers up till 2017.
On Sunday, an order by the Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Environment Management Services (DEMS) called for the regularisation of safai karamcharis. The union, however, refused to call off the agitation as the order had not been passed by a competent authority.
On Tuesday, a revised order was passed by the same official, which stated that “the regularisation process of eligible safai karamcharis will be done in a phased manner subject to availability of funds and vacancies”.
The order also states that it has been issued with the approval of the EDMC Commissioner.
A source in the corporation said that while a verbal declaration to call off the strike was made, a written notice had not been received as of yet.
An official in the DEMS Department said that it would take about three days to clear up the garbage that had collected on the roads.
“Approximately 3,000 tonnes was being left on the roads every day, half of which gets decomposed,” the official said.
