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Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, February 20
About 1,800 safai karamcharis in the city today went on an indefinite strike with the announcement that no cleanliness work will be carried out till their demands are met.
Members of the Punjab Safai Mazdoor Federation said they had given numerous ultimatums to the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, but to no avail.
The federation is demanding recruitment of safai sewaks along with sewermen. The members said in 2014, an agenda was passed in which it was mentioned that 2,000 safai sewaks and 500 sewer men, but till now nothing has happened.
Chandan Grewal, president of the Punjab Safai Mazdoor Federation, said they had been raising the demands since long but no decision had yet been made on the matter.
“Now, the members are left with no other option but to leave any cleanliness-related work. What can the staff do? Jalandhar is a big city, it needs more employees for cleanliness and sewerage-related works,” Grewal said.
He said at present, there were nearly 1,850 safai karamcharis and 300 sewermen.
Recently, an agenda of recruiting 160 sewermen and 50 safai sewaks on a contractual basis was also passed and union members have said this resolution must be dismissed.
They also demanded that on the basis of seniority, the safai sewaks and sewermen must be promoted as supervisors. Also, JCB operators, who were posted on a contractual and outsourced basis for years, must be regularised.
Besides, the federation members have also been demanding that the old pension policy must be reinstated and Class IV employees must be brought under the old pension scheme and the system of recruiting the employees on a contractual basis should be scrapped.
Grewal said now, the members would not stop the agitation and start the work once their demands were met.
Notably, residents today faced difficulties as the safai karamcharis went on a strike and garbage could not be collected from houses.
The demands
The Punjab Safai Mazdoor Federation is demanding recruitment of safai sewaks along with sewermen. Members of the federation said in 2014, an agenda was passed in which it was mentioned that 2,000 safai sewaks and 500 sewer men will be recruited , but to no avail. On the basis of seniority, the safai sewaks and the sewermen must be promoted as supervisors. Also, JCB operators, who were posted on a contractual and outsourced basis for years, must be regularised. Besides, they have also been demanding that the old pension policy must be reinstated and Class IV employees must be brought under the old pension scheme and the system of recruiting the employees on a contractual basis should be scrapped.
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