Safai karamchari unions go on strike

Safai karamchari unions held a protest against the Municipal Corporation and stopped lifting of garbage from several areas and raised slogans against the Commissioner. With this, the waste lifting and cleanliness work of the city got affected.

Recently, to assess the on-ground situation of cleanliness, Local Bodies Minister Ravjot Singh along with a team of officials had visited various areas of the city, including the bus stand, railway station, Garha Road, PIMS Road and Damoria Bridge, issuing instructions on the spot.

The minister had directed Municipal Corporation officials to ensure proper daily lifting of garbage. He emphasised that there should be no delay in this task. He added that in areas where garbage accumulated in large quantities, lifting must be ensured both in the morning and evening.

General secretary of the Safai Mazdoor Federation, Punjab, Sunny Sahota said the attitude of MC officials have been disappointing as they don't pay heed to the demands of the unions. He further added that the strike will continued till the demands are accepted.

The unions also gave a memorandum of their demands to the chairman of the Safai Karamchari Commission, Punjab, Chandan Garewal. Garewal also joined the strike and expressed concern over the working style of Municipal Corporation higher officials and deliberately ignoring the demands of the employees.

"The complaint will be made to the local minister Dr Ravjot Singh and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The most important demands of the unions are that safai karamcharis, sewermen, drivers etc, working on festival holidays, should be given some amount of money and JCB operators working in different departments in the Municipal Corporation workshop for 15-20 years should be made permanent. The vacant posts of safai karamchari, sewerman, gardener, beldar, chowkidar, etc. in the Municipal Corporation should be filled as soon as possible.