Sewermen union plans strike against contract system

Various safai karamchari and sewermen unions have once again expressed disappointment with MC officials and announced that they will stop lifting waste if their demands are not met. The unions also staged a dharna on the MC premises.

On Monday, a joint meeting of multiple unions was held at the office of the Punjab Safai Mazdoor Federation under the chairmanship of Punjab secretary Sunny Sahota. Representatives from several unions participated and unanimously decided to oppose the corporation’s plan to hand over door-to-door garbage collection work to private contractors through a tender process starting November 13.

Expressing strong opposition to this move, union members warned that if the corporation proceeds with the tendering process and introduces the contract system, all unions will go on strike from November 14. The proposed strike would result in a complete shutdown of essential municipal services, including garbage collection, sewerage management, and sanitation. The unions stated that the responsibility for any disruption will lie with the government and the MC.

Union leaders also highlighted that outsourced employees have not received their salaries for the past three months, causing severe financial hardship.