Ghaziabad: Cleaning work hampered as sanitation staff strike work

Workers are pressing for eight demands including regularisation of contractual staff, who number about 5,100; deployment of about 3,600 more workers on an urgent basis; and operation of garbage collection vehicles by the corporation itself, among others

The cleaning works in different localities have been hampered as hundreds of sanitation workers of the municipal corporation have gone on a work strike since February 5 to press their eight demands including regularisation of contractual staff.

The protesting workers mainly include contractual staff and their leaders said that about 3,000 workers have abstained from work and many are taking part in a sit-in protest at the main entrance of the Ghaziabad municipal corporation office in Navyug Market. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The corporation officials said they are trying to ensure that sanitation does not get hampered in the 100 residential wards.

The protesting workers mainly include contractual staff and their leaders said that about 3,000 workers have abstained from work and many are taking part in a sit-in protest at the main entrance of the Ghaziabad municipal corporation office in Navyug Market.

“We are pressing for our eight demands including regularisation of contractual staff, who number about 5,100. We also want the corporation to deploy about 3,600 more workers on an urgent basis. The corporation should take up operation of garbage collection vehicles and not take them on contract,” said Rahul Chauhan, district president of Uttar Pradeshiya Safai Karmchari Sangh.

“Officials are trying to use pressure tactics on our workers and want them to return to work. But, we will continue our fight and not bow down under pressure,” Chauhan said.

“In Kaushambi, cleaning of roads and drains have got affected. We are in touch with local supervisors who said many workers have not reported for work and that they are trying to get the work done with the available resources,” said VK Mittal, resident of Kaushambi.

Resident Jugal Kishor from Shalimar Garden said cleaning works have been hampered in his area since the past two days.

“Our locality also has a commercial area with shops. Since the past two days,the area is littered with garbage. The solid waste lifting activities have also been hampered,” Kishor said.

The corporation officials said only about 150-200 contractual workers are on strike.

“We have about 4,500 people on our rolls and about 2,763 of them are contractual. They get paid ₹17,500 (gross) salary per month and this is the highest in Uttar Pradesh. We will sent the demands of the striking workers to the state government. We are pursuing talks to get workers to return to work,” said Mithilesh Kumar, corporation’s city health officer.