Over 100 contract employees of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) held a protest at Azad Maidan on Friday to place several demands to improve their current working conditions, chief being a revision in their salaries, which have been pending for several years.
The employees, many of whom have been working at the institute for over a decade, came together to form a union around two years ago to press their demands. Vijay Dalvi, secretary, Sarva Shramik Sangh, said in an institute which talks and teaches about rights, its employees were not even getting minimum wages.
“Our demands are from the TISS administration as they are the principal employer,” he said.
The salary revision that these contract employees are demanding has been pending since 2014. “There is huge discrepancy in the salaries of contract workers as compared to those who are permanent. For instance, a peon on contract earns only ₹12,500 a month, while one who is permanent can earn anywhere between ₹28,000 and ₹35,000 per month,” Siddharth Phadke, who works in the academic section, said.
He said nearly 75% staff at the Mumbai and Tuljapur campuses were on contract, the former has 350 contract staff and the latter has 120. “We have gone on a one-day mass leave to press our demands,” Mr. Phadke said.
Other major issues include restoration of bonus and a five-day week. The employees claim the latter was arbitrarily revoked and turned into a six-day work week in 2017.
Vikas Gangurde, who works in the dining hall department, said another major issue was regarding overtime and pending leave. “A new contractor was appointed in January, who did not consider our pending leave. On an average, all of us had 53 leaves pending,” he said.
Mr. Phadke said the old contractor would pay only ₹12.5 per hour overtime, which was much less than what was mandated by law. “The new contractor has agreed to pay us overtime as per the law, but has been forcing people to take compensatory leave instead,” he said. A group of protesters also met with Minister of State for Labour Bacchu Kadu.
M.P. Balamurugan, acting registrar, Mumbai campus, TISS, said they had been in touch with the employees and on March 11 had agreed to two of their demands, and that other demands were being looked into. “We have been paying salaries in accordance of the law and they receive salaries that are higher than minimum wages. We have already agreed to carry forward 45 days leave and paying overtime according to the Payment of Wages Act,” he said.
