Hyderabad: GHMC sanitation workers up the ante, seek more pay

Hyderabad: Sanitation workers played an important role during the Covid pandemic as they kept the city clean even during the lockdown. They are continuing duty by maintaining streets, inner roads, main roads and colonies clean on a daily basis. The sanitation staff who work for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) are facing several issues as most are not permanent; some are not even receiving the minimum wage. They have put forth several other demands before the administration and urged it to fulfil.

The sanitation workers on Monday staged a massive protest at the GHMC head office demanding officials to meet demands like making permanent those working on contract and provide a minimum wage of Rs 26,000. The protest caused traffic jams at the Tank Bund road. The police took most protestors into custody.

During the protest, the All-India Trade Union Congress Telangana municipal staff and outsourcing workers also raised slogans against the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao. Addressing the protesters, AITUC Telangana State Municipal Staff and Outsourcing Workers Union president K Asuratnam said, "Sanitation workers who are continuously providing their services put their health at risk so that society can have clean roads, but it is so disappointing that they are not receiving equal pay."

Around 28,000 sanitation workers are currently working on contract and outsourcing basis in the GHMC. Some are being registered through a biometric system. While the rest are not registering their attendance based on which salaries are being given by the GHMC officials.

A sanitation worker, Yadamma did not receive her full monthly bill even though she punched every day on the biometric machine for entire month. After she asked for pay, she was told that biometric machines were not working in that area. The sanitation workers also alleged that their salaries are being cut on the basis of biometric attendance even after they register regularly. They said there are many technical issues in the machines in many areas, but not being resolved. They demanded authorities to remove the biometric attendance system.