Workers of two MCDs call off 16- day strike
Delhi’s 60,000 sanitation workers from two municipal corporations called off their 16- day strike on Wednesday that had crippled the garbage disposal system in nearly 70 per cent of the city, posing a major health hazard.
The announcement to end the stir, which began on January 27 to press for payment of their dues, was made by the Swatantra Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha.
Delhi’s 60,000 sanitation workers from two municipal corporations called off their 16- day strike on Wednesday that had crippled the garbage disposal system in nearly 70 per cent of the city, posing a major health hazard.
The announcement to end the stir, which began on January 27 to press for payment of their dues, was made by the Swatantra Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha, an umbrella body of 38 unions of sanitation workers and Class IV employees of East and North Delhi Municipal Corporations.
The leaders of the Morcha said they have decided to resume work as municipal officials, during a hearing on the strike in the Delhi high court, assured that there will be no delay in payment of salaries to them in the next 5- 6 months. Doctors, nur-ses, engineers and teachers employed with the two BJP- ruled municipal bodies had also joined the agitation, but withdrew after the Delhi government and li e u t e n a n t - g o v e r n o r Najeeb Jung separately announced financial assistance totalling around ` 1,000 crore five days ago.
“We have decided to call off the strike and bring Delhi back on track. The sanitation workers will resume work on war footing to clean the city from Thursday,” said Sanjay Gehlot, president of the Sanyukt Morcha.
Following the financial assistance, the corporations have paid salaries of the employees for the months of November, December and January. Rajendra Mewati, general secretary of United Front of MCD Employees, which has membership of various sections of employees of the civic bodies, said his union has decided to only suspend the strike. “The strike was suspended feeling that the court will help us in finding a permanent solution of our grievances which is yet to be achieved,” he said. As heaps of garbage caused health hazards in various areas of North and West Delhi, the AAP government had on January 30 deployed hundreds of PWD and Delhi Jal Board workers to remove the trash.