Nurses, sanitation staff call off strike after North Corp clears pending dues

The civic employees of the north corporation had gone on an indefinite strike from January 7 against non-payment of their salaries for the last 4-5 months and pending pensions.

Sanitation employees and the nurses and paramedic staff of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation called off their 24-day-long strike on Saturday. The move comes after the civic body released pending salaries upto December of these employees. However, teachers, engineers, horticulture department staff, clerical staff of the civic body continued to be on an indefinite strike under the aegis of the Confederation of MCD Employees Union.

The mayor of the north civic body said that the sanitation employees will return to work from Sunday and clear the streets that are filled with garbage. (HT PHOTO).

Jai Prakash, mayor, north corporation, said, “Salaries of sanitation employees along with nurses and paramedic staff have been cleared till December so we have appealed to them to call off the strike to which they agreed. A meeting with the agitating sanitation employees was convened today (Saturday) where we assured them to consider their other demands of regularisation as well. Sanitation employees along with nurses and paramedic staff have called off their strike. We have also released two months salaries of teachers and other employees and we appeal to them to return to work.”

The mayor said that the sanitation employees will return to work from Sunday and clear the streets that are filled with garbage.

The civic employees of the north corporation had gone on an indefinite strike from January 7 against non-payment of their salaries for the last 4-5 months and pending pensions.

“The sanitation employees and nurses have called off their strike as their salaries have been cleared till December and demands have been met. But the Confederation does not acknowledge the pick and choose method of the civic body hence employees of other departments such as engineers, teachers, horticulture staff etc will continue their strike. A decision on the further strategy will be taken on February 1,” Ramniwas Solanki, general secretary of the Confederation said.

Confirming the development, president Hindu Rao Hospital Nurses’ Union, Indu Jamwal said that their pending salaries have been cleared so the strike has been called off.

“The strike at all the hospitals of the north civic body (Hindu Rao, Kasturba and Rajan Babu TB hospitals) have been called off and we have returned to work,” Jamwal said.