No jeans/t-shirt at work: Sanitary staff protest commissioner’s diktat

KANPUR: Commissioner, Kanpur division, SC Sharma has directed sanitary workers to not to wear jeans and t-shirts while on cleaning-up job.

During inspection of Kanpur Development Authority office on Monday, the commissioner had found safai karamcharis cleaning the floor dressed in jeans and t-shirt.

Taking objection to the dress, he had directed that no employee of the KDA should report to work in casuals.

The commissioner, however, did not specify what particular dress they should wear.

The sanitary workers have taken strong objections to commissioner’s diktat and threatened to go on strike.

› They are not school going children that they should follow the dress code... If the dress code is to be made mandatory it should be made in all government offices and in all districts. Why KDA alone? BACHAU SINGH, president of the Karamchari Samanvya Sangh

Bachau Singh, president of the Karamchari Samanvya Sangh, said, asking the sanitary employees to follow dress code is childish.

“They are not school going children that they should follow the dress code. Employees will protest if they were forced to follow the dress code,” he said.

“If the dress code is to be made mandatory it should be made in all government offices and in all districts. Why should it be imposed in the KDA alone?” he asked.

When contacted, the commissioner said he had issued a number of guidelines for KDA staff on Monday and not wearing casuals was one of them.

“We do not wear t-shirt and jeans for fashion. It is a rough and tough wear which helps us in doing cleaning operations easily. Pant, shirt or Kurta/Paijama was neither convenient nor affordable,” said a sanitary worker.

Other employees too said that t-shirt and jeans are preferred for convenience, durability and the little maintenance that it requires.