The New Indian Express 11.04.2017
Municipal employees urge government to scrap GO 279
VIJAYAWADA:
Speakers at the roundtable meeting organised by the AP Municipal
Employees’ Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Monday demanded that the
State government scrap GO 279, promulgated by the Department of
Municipal Administration, and provide salaries for the employees under
GO 151.
Addressing the gathering, CITU joint action committee convener K
Umamaheswara Rao said that GO No. 279 would eventually lead to
displacement of workers. “The contractors will cut down the manpower
and make the limited men to work for saving big bucks.
Also,
they will not pay the workers as per the standards. The big corporators
will exploit the workers’ capabilities,” Rao said.
Over 40,000 outsourcing workers are rendering their services in the
municipal department. Since last decade, majority of the sanitation
workers have played a pivotal role in the cleaning works across the
State. No measures were taken by the State government in recruiting and
regularising the services of the workers even after the retirement of
permanent employees, he alleged.
AITUC State secretary A Ranganayakulu alleged that Telugu Desam
government had issued the GO aimed at terminating the services of DWCRA
groups in local bodies and handing over the sanitation contracts to
Telugu Desam leaders.
Majority of the municipal workers are
hailing from weaker sections and the GO will affect their job security
and hit their livelihood. The government plan to privatise the services
of the local bodies has put the municipal workers at risk, he said.
INTUC State leader Venkata Subbaiah came down heavily on the Telugu
Desam government for its inefficiency in providing facilities to the
employees, such as salary payment through GO 010, regularisation and
implementation of Pay Revision Commission.
