The Hindu        08.03.2011

Sanitary workers call off strike

The sanitation workers, who have been on agitation path for the last one week, called off their strike on Monday following issuance of a GO hiking the minimum wages by the State government.

As many as 3,226 people are working on contract basis for carrying out sanitation works in the city. With issuance of GO 333 dated March 7, all the workers, who are working on contract basis, would be eligible to draw a minimum wage of Rs. 6,700 per month. It is one of the important demands of the CITU-affiliated Municipal Corporation Workers' Union, which spearheaded the strike in the city.

Barring permanent workers of about 1,000, the sanitary workers in the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) are drawn from DWCUA and CMEY groups. At present they are being paid a salary of Rs. 3,900 per month. The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is paying about Rs.1.5 crore per month for workers engaged on contract and outsourcing basis. With the hike in the minimum wages, the Corporation would have to shell out at least Rs.3.5 crore per month.

Rally

The sanitary workers took out a rally – vijayotsava yatra – from Tummalapalli Kshetrayya Kalakshetram to VMC main office in the evening following the government orders. CITU city secretary M.V. Sudhakar said they submitted a letter to Municipal Commissioner G. Ravi Babu stating that the workers would join duties in view of the government orders. When asked about the workers on whom axe fell for not attending duties, he foresaw no problem.