Sanitation workers refuse to go by biometric attendance

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 18

After the new Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Bathinda (MCB) took over, sanitation workers have stopped marking attendance on biometric machines and the work of cleaning the city at night.

Earlier, Commissioner Sanyam Aggarwal had started the biometric attendance of sanitation workers and cleaning of main markets at night to score good numbers in the Swachta Survey 2018.

Initially, the union had protested against both steps but due to the survey they accepted these and started working accordingly. However, workers have again started protesting against it.

Irked over the non-fulfillment of their long-pending demands, workers have refused to go by the biometric attendance in protest.

On the instructions of union president Vinod Kumar Mali, they handed over the biometric machines to sanitary branch officials and stated that till the time the state government and the MCB did not fulfil their demands, they would not mark the biometric attendance and will not do work at the night.

They threatened that if required, they will suspend other work as well.

On Wednesday, after the general house meeting, sanitation workers met Mayor Balwant Rai Nath and gave him the 72-hour advance notice of going on a strike. The period got over yesterday.

Vinod Kumar Mali said it was not clear yet if they would go on strike from tomorrow, but they have stopped using biometric attendance and doing work at night in protest.

He said the commissioner and mayor always gave them false assurance on their demands, but they continued to work for the city.

However, they have decided not to accept any assurance till they are not given anything in writing, he added.

Irked sanitation workers are demanding that keeping in view the rising population of the city, around 1,500 workers should be recruited, sanitation workers’ old pension scheme should be implemented, employees Seventh Pay Commission allowance instalment should be released at the earliest, an office should be made for each attendance point, educated sanitation workers, who are working in the office for a long time, should be promoted, the jobs of 15 sanitation workers should be regularised and jobs of those employees who have completed the training period should be regularised among other things.

Demands raised by workers

Irked sanitation workers are demanding that keeping in view the rising population of the city, around 1,500 workers should be recruited, sanitation workers' old pension scheme should be implemented and employees Seventh Pay Commission allowance installment should be released at the earliest