Return to work or face salary stoppage, Gurugram sanitation workers told

Officials said that sanitation workers might also face legal action for disrupting the work of private agencies

As the sanitation crisis lingers on in the city, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) on Friday issued an ultimatum to striking sanitation workers to return to work, failing which payment of their salaries will be withheld.

Sanitation workers protesting at old MCG office, in Gurugram on Friday. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Officials aware of the development said that sanitation workers might also face legal action for disrupting the work of private agencies employed for sanitation services in Gurugram.

MCG warned its 3,200 on-roll employees to immediately rejoin duty, said officials. MCG officials said that despite several meetings, these workers have not agreed to end their strike resulting in the entire city being strewn with filth and garbage.

MCG joint commissioner, Swachh Bharat Mission, Naresh Kumar said that in view of the workers’ strike, special teams of civic officials have been deployed on a short-term basis. “The salaries of the workers joining the strike will also be deducted for the days they have not worked. We have prepared a list of workers who have been involved in creating a hindrance to the sanitation work across the city,” he said.

Officials said they were giving regular salaries to the on-roll employees, but they are not reporting to duty.

Kumar said that the private agencies have informed them that the on-roll sanitation workers are creating a ruckus when they go to lift garbage. “We have deployed more private sanitation agencies to clear the residential areas and market areas. The situation might get better by next week,” he said.

The strike has been going on for the last 20 days and the striking employees have also obstructed special teams from work, said officials. The joint commissioner said that resident welfare associations (RWAs) have complained many times that the areas have not been cleaned and waste has bene lying for the last many days.

Joginder Singh, a resident of Sushant Lok 2, said that MCG should register cases against the employees on strike. “These sanitation workers have not worked for a single day throughout the year and have created ruckus whenever they were asked to clean the lanes properly. They are still not letting private workers clean the residential areas. If MCG fails to do so, residents will protest and file complaints against them,” he said.

Meanwhile, the on-roll sanitation workers continued their strike protesting the outsourcing of sanitation services to private agencies.

Naresh Malkat, state secretary of Nagar Palika Karamchari Sangh said presently they are preparing for a state-wide rally on Sunday in Rohtak. “We will continue to fight for our demands till the authorities fulfil it,” he said.

Meanwhile, six agencies hired for sanitation services in Gurugram have been served notices for non-compliance of contract parameters and are at risk of having their tenders terminated. The agencies have not yet begun work despite reminders, and if they do not start within the week, penalties and blacklisting may follow, officials said.