Sanitation workers to go on strike from today

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 21

Sanitation workers have decided to go on an indefinite strike from tomorrow after talks between their union and the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) over the issue of recruitment have failed to bear fruit.

To pacify the annoyed workers, officials of the civic body arranged a meeting with their representatives.

The MCB officials are saying that they have started the process of recruitment of 328 workers, but the union has refuted the claim of the officials.

The union is firm that it will not call off its scheduled strike till the Mayor does not dissolve the councillors’ committee constituted for the recruitment of sanitation workers.

The MCB has already announced to hold the interview of first 50 applicants.

The city has around 65,000 households and 15,000 commercial units, due to which three lakh people are likely to be affected by the scheduled strike. On an average, around 120 tonnes of garbage is collected from the city daily.

The sanitation workers have the responsibility of cleaning 50 wards in the city. As many as 810 workers throw the garbage at the secondary points in the city.

The Sanitation Workers’ Union and the SAD-BJP councillors have been at loggerheads over the recruitment of new sanitation workers.

The MCB is going to recruit 328 sanitation workers on daily wages.

The union said it would recruit the workers on its own, while councillors have presented a new formula and demanded that five workers recommended by each councillor should be recruited.

The councillors have also demanded that all workers who will be hired should be from Bathinda district.

Gora Lal, president, Sanitation Workers’ Union, said, “We are going on an indefinite strike from tomorrow morning. We will be on strike till the selection committee constituted by the Mayor is dissolved.”

Mayor Balwant Rai Nath said, “We are initiating the process of recruitment from tomorrow so there is no question of protesting or going on a strike. If still they go on the strike, we will see.”