Municipal workers demand withdrawal of GO No 279

Vijayawada: Municipal workers under the banner of AP Municipal Employees JAC staged ‘Chalo Vijayawada’ protest by taking out procession from Tummalapalli Kalashektram here on Wednesday, demanding the government to scrap GO No 279, promulgated by
the Department of Municipal Administration.

Major trade unions like AITUC, CITU, YSRTUC, INTUC and AICCTU backed the procession which passed on the busy Mahatma Gandhi Road and Eluru Road culminated in a meeting at Alankar Centre. Addressing the gathering at the protest camp, CITU State secretary M A Gaffor said that GO No 279 would eventually lead to the displacement of the workers.

“The contractors would cut down the man power and utilise limited work force, to save big bucks. Also, they would not pay the workers as per the standards. The big corporators will only exploit the workers’ capabilities,” he said. About 40,000 outsourcing workers rendering their services in the municipal department. Since last decade a majority of the sanitation workers has played a pivotal role in the beatification works across the State. No measures were taken by the State government in recruiting and regularising the service of the workers, even after the retirement of the permanent employees, he alleged.

Speaking on the occasion, YSRTUC State president P Gowtham Reddy alleged that TDP government has issued the GO aimed at terminating the services of DWCRA groups in local bodies and handover the sanitation contracts to Telugu Desam leaders. Majority of the municipal workers are hail from weaker sections and the said GO would hit their livelihood.

The municipal workers jobs are at risk with the government’s plan to privatise the services in the local bodies, he said. INTUC State leader Venkata Subbaiah came down heavily on the State government for its inefficiency to provide facilities to the employees including salary payment through GO 10, regularisation and implementation of PRC.

The sanitation workers are facing difficulties to meet their daily needs and majority of them were deprived of housing facilities. Focus should be laid by the State government to address the genuine demands of the JAC include health cards, GPF accounts for permanent employees and a pay scale of Rs 15,432 per month and DA to outsourced and contract employees, he said. JAC chairman K Umamaheswara Rao, AITUC State general secretary Asalu Ranganayukulu and leaders from thirteen districts of the State also took part in the protest.