New Delhi: Sanitation workers held a protest outside the MCD headquarters on Wednesday, urging the regularization of their employment and the settlement of overdue arrears. They warned of a hunger strike on February 27 if their demands were not addressed.
Additionally, the workers declared a "chakka jam" (strike) across Delhi and vowed to halt sanitation work in the national capital on February 27, citing the corporation's failure to pay attention to their repeated appeals for the regularization of sanitation workers, reported news agency PTI.
Speaking to PTI, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) All Unions Core Committee vice-president Mahinder Singhsaid, "The AAP-led corporation has not fulfilled its promise to permanent the contractual 'safai karamcharis' (sanitation workers). We have repeatedly requested the mayor (Shelly Oberoi) to act on this but no one hears to our pleas."
"If the municipality doesn't fulfil our demand, we will sit on a hunger strike and stage a 'chakka jam' across Delhi," he added.
Around 500 sanitation workers, organized by the MCD All Unions Core Committee, assembled at the gate of the civic centre to voice their protest.
Some even removed their shirts amid the biting cold to register their protest against the administration, reported PTI.
The workers, apart from regularisation and payment of arrears, also demanded permanent jobs for dependents of the employees, who died during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the news agency, the union threatened to stage a bigger demonstration across the city if their demands were not met.
Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Arvinder Singh Lovely extended support to the sanitation workers and offered legal aid to the Core Committee if needed, a statement said.
Leader of Opposition Raja Iqbal Singh also came in support of the sanitation workers and criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for keeping the temporary workers waiting for regularisation, reported PTI.