The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Pourakarmikara Sangha staged a protest in Bengaluru outside the head office of BBMP from 10 am on Wednesday. Demands put forth by the pourakarmikas are that of equal pay for equal work, minimum wages of Rs 30,000 for all workers. They have also expressed their disgruntlement with the discrimination based on caste, class and gender they face at work and demanded that dignified working conditions should be made available for them.
The union that is associated with All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) also put forth the demand that they want the contractual system to be done away with and all the employees including vehicle drivers and assistants be employed directly by the civic body.
The press note issued read, "Elderly workers were laid off without notices or workers were transferred. We want the elderly workers to receive due pension and dignity along with three months’ notice if a worker was being terminated."
The workers’ alleged could not avail any provisions either and were not provided adequate safety gears or machinery. “The workers who perform the work are constantly harassed by the policy supervisory authorities,” they mentioned in their press statement.
The sanitation workers who avail maternity leave are being laid off; workers asked the civic body to enforce strict action against the practice. Subsequently, sought respite from the discriminatory behaviour of the BBMP officials as well as the residents of the city.
Seeking the option of sympathetic appointment for kin and compensation if a worker dies on work, they mentioned that the workers who have died did not receive any compensation either from the government or the civic body. They also sought an appointment of a nodal officer to address other issues; and stated that once a complaint is registered, the officer must resolve it within 24 hours.
Speaking to TNM, Nirmala, the president of the association, said, “A newly appointed officer called Basavaraj visited us today [Wednesday] and has assured that our grievances will be heard and resolved soon. He also has assured to arrange a meeting with the Commissioner Manjunath Prasad on either Friday or Saturday.”