Shimla sanitation workers to go on strike over MC move to abolish annual salary hike
Irked by the Shimla Municipal Corporation’s decision to abolish the annual 10 per cent salary increment, the Shimla Environment, Heritage Conservation and Beautification (SEHB) Society has decided to go on an indefinite strike from May 15.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the society’s union, affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), held here on Tuesday. Door-to-door garbage collectors, supervisors, road-sweeping staff and other workers were among the attendees of the meeting.
CITU state president Vijendra Mehra condemned the MC’s decision, terming it “dictatorial”.
He said the three per cent dearness allowance (DA), announced in lieu of the 10 per cent annual salary increment, would result in a monthly loss of Rs 700-Rs 1,000 for each worker in future.
Accusing the corporation of pursuing anti-labour policies, Mehra alleged that while the civic body increased garbage collection charges, water supply rates and property tax by 10 per cent every year, the funds generated were not being used for the welfare of SEHB Society workers.
Instead, he claimed, the corporation diverted the money towards “wasteful expenditure”. “The workload of the society’s workers has quadrupled over the past few years. The number of households assigned to each worker has increased from 80 to 300. However, instead of raising their salaries, the corporation has abolished the 10 per cent annual increment and implemented a three per cent DA. The three per cent DA should have been given in addition to the annual increment,” he said.
Mehra alleged that the municipal corporation had unnecessarily spent Rs 2.5 crore on QR codes, an amount which, he claimed, could have been used to employ 150 additional workers, and ease the burden on existing staff.
He said workers had decided to intensify their agitation against the decision, and warned that no employee would report for duty during the strike. The demonstration is poised to affect the town’s cleanliness.
