Municipal workers to go on strike from Sept. 1

Oppose privatisation of sanitary services

Up in arms against the government for not fulfilling the demands of sanitation workers in urban local bodies, the members of the Joint Action Committee of municipal employees and workers’ associations announced that they would go on an indefinite strike from September 1.

In a roundtable here on Monday, CPI(M) State general secretary V. Umamaheswara Rao demanded that the government should immediately withdraw G.O. No. 279 (privatisation of sanitation maintenance) by the Municipal Administration Department and regularise the part-time, contract and outsourced workers besides providing equal pay.

Mr. Umamaheswara Rao said that the government had promised to fulfil other demands including health cards to workers, the release of salary to employees in Vijayawada and Vizag municipal corporations through 010 head account three years ago.

JAC chairman K. Umamaheswara Rao alleged that the Telugu Desam Party government had failed to provide salaries to sanitation workers as per the 10th Pay Revision Commission and only hiked the salaries from ₹8, 300 to ₹11,000 after a 16-day strike by the workers in the past.

‘No job guarantee’

Municipal workers’ association representative M. David said that the Supreme Court had ordered the governments to regularise the contract workers who completed 10 years in service but no such rules were being followed here.

“G.O. 279 is a threat to workers as there will be no job guarantee. Despite sanitation workers being the main reason behind all the Swachh rankings and awards the government is neglecting us,” Mr. David said.

Protest planned

Before going on the strike, the workers plan to protest at the office of the Directorate of Municipal Administration on August 30.

JAC members and representatives of various employees and workers associations were present.