Talks between govt, employees’ union fail | 30,000 on protest path

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 14

Talks between the Haryana Government and representatives of striking sanitation workers failed on Monday, with employees extending their strike by three days till Thursday.

The parleys hit a wall over regular jobs to the employees. The other demands include a minimum salary at Rs15,000 per month, ex gratia for employees, pension, risk allowance, cashless facility for contractual employees and absorption of about 1,400 employees of the Fire Department in the government grade.

The talks in New Delhi were held between the Nagar Palika Karamchari Sangh under the banner of the Sarv Karamchari Sangh and a state government delegation led by Principal Secretary (Urban Local Bodies) Anand Mohan Sharan.

Sources said the delegation expressed inability to give a categorical assurance on regular jobs as it said the government was bound by a judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. It was decided that other demands would be forwarded to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Urban Local Bodies Minister Kavita Jain since a “policy decision” had to be taken on them.

Subhash Lamba, general secretary, Sarv Karamchari Sangh, told The Tribune: “With talks reaching a dead end, employees’ unions will hold a demonstration in support of sanitation workers at district headquarters on Tuesday.”

More than 30,000 employees and workers, including safai karamcharis, of about 90 Municipal Corporations, Municipal Committees and Councils, began a three-day strike on May 9. Three days later, they decided to extend the strike till May 14. And on Monday, they extended it till Thursday.

Meanwhile, Khattar’s media adviser Rajiv Jain said the state government was open to talks with employees so that residents were not inconvenienced due to accumulation of garbage and disruption of other essential services.

Officials, however, said regular jobs to the staff were not feasible as the HC had, on September 2, 2016, already put a stay on regularisation policies issued on and after June 16, 2014. “Later, the Chief Secretary had directed all heads of departments to comply with the HC order. So, it will be impossible to regularise contractual employees,” the officials added.

Will invoke ESMA, threatens Karnal MC 

Karnal: Sanitation workers staged a dharna in the Municipal Corporation’s office here on Monday and took out a procession. They burnt copies of a written warning of invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA). Nagar Palika Karamchari Sangh vice-president Ashok Parocha and district president Virbhan Bidlan said it was unfortunate that the state government was trying to suppress their voice by threatening to invoke the ESMA. The Act restricts employees providing “essential services” from going on strikes. TNS

No alternatives but to protest: Sangh 

Faridabad: With talks reaching a dead end, Haryana Nagar Palika Karamchari Sangh president Naresh Shastri on Monday said striking MC employees wanted to give more time to the state government to consider their long-pending demands. “Employees have been left with no alternative, but to go on strike. All demands are justified,” he said. “During the talks, Principal Secretary (Urban Local Bodies) Anand Mohan Sharan told members of the sangh the matter would have to be discussed with the Chief Minister’s office before he could commit anything,” Shastri said, adding Sharan's appeal to end strike was turned down as no assurance was given on fulfilling the demands. tns