Firemen threaten to go on strike

The city’s firemen have threatened to go on strike to press for their demands. They are protesting against several issues including not getting adequate safety gears to more working hours than specified by the high court.

The city’s firemen have threatened to go on strike to press for their demands.

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They are protesting against several issues including not getting adequate safety gears to more working hours than specified by the high court.

Two unions representing firemen, the Mumbai Fire Services Union and the Mumbai Agnishaman Dal Ladhau Kamgar Sanghtana, have threatened to go on a strike, if there demands are not met within the next seven days.

“The firemen are doing multiple jobs. They are attending close to 50 calls every day, now the civic administration is posting them as lifeguards and also asking them to conduct fogging activities in mill compound. All these are not the fire brigade’s job,” said Sharad Rao, president of the Union.

According to the data available with the fire brigade, there are about 1,500 firemen in the department. “The high court had directed that the firemen’s duty should be only eight hours, and the BMC is not following this,” added Rao. “The protection equipment and other life-saving equipment have not yet been given to the firemen.”

On Wednesday, the firemen will protest by reporting to work in plainclothes and skip ancillary duties assigned to them of lifeguards and pest control.