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.
objection. As the government issued orders for entire State, the
Corporation was unlikely to make it an issue. The workers would launch agitation if the Corporation dismissed some of their colleagues, he said.
