Most North MCD staffers to continue strike till all salary dues are cleared

Employees of North Delhi Municipal Corporation, except for sanitation workers and nursing and paramedic staff, have decided to continue their strike, demanding that they be paid salaries that are pending since October

Employees of North Delhi Municipal Corporation, except for sanitation workers and nursing and paramedic staff, have decided to continue their strike, demanding that they be paid salaries that are pending since October.

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The move comes after unions of nurses, paramedic staff and sanitation workers called off their strike on Saturday, after their salaries dues were cleared by the civic body. All employees of the civic body have been on an indefinite strike since January 7.

Representatives of the Confederation of MCD Employees Union, an umbrella body of civic body staffers said teachers, engineers, horticulture department workers, and clerical staff, among others, will continue their strike indefinitely, since they have only been paid for a month.

“The civic body cleared the pending salaries of only sanitation workers and nursing and paramedic staff. However, other employees have only been given a month’s salary. Additionally, only a month’s pension has been cleared for retired employees,” said AP Khan, convener, Confederation of MCD Employees Union, adding that the workers would strike work till all their dues are cleared.

There are nearly 55,000 employees in the north corporation and the civic body spends around ₹360 crore per month on salary payments.

Deepak Sharma, executive member of the confederation and a representative of the teachers’ union, said that nearly 30,000 employees are still on strike -- they are coming to office but not working.

He said these employees have been hit the worst, since they have been paid for just a month, despite being enlisted for non-teaching tasks such as Covid survey related duties and ration distribution, among others.

There are nearly 9,000 teachers across 714 primary schools of the north corporation. Schools are closed to students, but teachers have to go to schools to register their attendance.

Jai Prakash, mayor north civic body, said, “Salaries of all employees are being released one by one. Agitating employees should understand that the municipality is undergoing a financial crunch, but still arrangements are being made to clear pending salaries. Those protesting should call off the strike and return to work.”