City's waste management workers strike work

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The BBMP Pourakarmika Sangha, a union of members involved in the transportation of solid waste, went on strike on Monday demanding regularisation of jobs.

The union members have also demanded an end to the contract system being followed by the BBMP for garbage collection. They argued that it was against the labour laws and led to exploitation of workers. Implementation of the IPD Salappa report is also a major demand made by the workers.

An announcement was made at the protest site in Freedom Park that if the Chief Minister does not declare an end to the contract system and bring all workers under direct payment system, workers will march to Vidhan Soudha to press for their demand. The workers had earlier staged a protest at the BBMP head office. They had also submitted a memorandum to the Joint Commissioner of Solid Waste Management.

“These workers, including helpers, loaders, cleaners and auto-tipper drivers, do not get even minimum wages and have not heard about ESI or PF. To make matters worse, they are not provided with essential safety gear and many of them get infected with various diseases,” the Sangha had stated in a press release.

There are over 7,000 workers across the city who are responsible for the collection of garbage from households and then transfer it for further processing. AICCTU State President, Clifton Rozario, addressed the striking workers and said, "Exploitation has no religion, caste or language barriers. They are our oppressors and we have to fight against our oppression.