As Haryana stinks, Khattar blinks
MC EMPLOYEES’ STRIKE Consensus reached, says CM; workers to take final call on stir today
CHANDIGARH: As Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday said consensus had already been reached on some demands of striking employees, civic bodies employees ’ union leaders said they will hold their union’s executive meet on Thursday to decide on their ongoing strike.
While interacting with mediapersons after convening a meeting between urban local bodies department and representatives of agitating MC employees, Khattar, said, “A consensus has already been reached on some demands of employees.” He expressed hope that the strike would be called off.
However, president of Nagar Palika Karamchari Sangh, Naresh Shastri, said, “We are not satisfied with the assurance given by the chief minister that all our issues will be sorted out within next eight days. We want action on our demands now, not an assurance.”
“The Sangh executive committee will hold a meeting on Thursday to take a final call on the next step,” he said adding that the workers’ stir was still on.
Meanwhile, urban local bodies minister Kavita Jain said the state government had decided to constitute a committee on one of the workers’ demand — equal pay for equal work — under the chairmanship of the chief secretary. The committee will submit its report before May 31, she added. On the question of workers’ other demands, including regularisation of their services and hike in allowances, she said it had been decided to enhance the sanitation workers’ allowance from ₹300 to ₹1,000. “It was also decided that no new outsourcing contracts on supply of employees, including sanitation workers and sewermen, will be done in future and the present outsourcing policy contracts will continue till the date of their expiry and thereupon, the outsourced manpower will be shifted to the municipal roll,” she said.
“From now onwards, the provident fund and employees’ state insurance will be directly deposited by the urban local bodies department in the accounts of the individual employees as was demanded by workers,” she added.
Around 30,000 employees of 87 civic bodies had gone on threestrike on May 9, intensified it on May 11 and extended it till May 14. The striking staff have now pushed it till May 17, though final decision will be taken on Thursday at their meeting in Rohtak.