Nearly half of the total strength of Group ‘D’ employees of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) have been working as contractual employees and are waiting for their regularisation.
Majority of them are sanitation workers who were engaged 10-20 years ago and even more but they have yet to get permanent employment in the corporation.
Unions representing these employees have said that they have been waiting for formation of standing committee so regularisation process could start.
Besides this there are several other issues which they wanted to be addressed to protect of interests of corporation employees. There are nearly 80,000 sanitation workers in the corporation out which 30,000-35,000 are permanent employees while remaining is on contract basis.
Their key demand is regularisation of their service.
“Many of the sanitation workers have been working since late 90s and few were employed after 2000. Unfortunately many of them at the stage of retirement without availing adequate facility against their hard work,” said Sanjay Gahlot, President of Delhi Safai Karmchari Aayog.
Gahlot said that the current regime has promised to fulfil their demand hence they are waiting for standing committee’s formation.
“MCD’s standing committee has power to regularise services of employees and the matter will hopefully placed before the panel after its formation. We have requested the BJP-led dispensation to bring a proposal before the committee as early as possible,” Gahlot said. The associations also demands arrears from 2006 to those whose services were regularised later, insurance facility for them and cashless medical facility besides others.
“As per the rule, sanitation workers who got permanent appointment after 2006 are eligible for arrears from 2006 but the civic agency has not released their due amount. Secondly, contractual employees have no insurance facility, no cashless treatment facility, etc. After change in guard, the new regime will have to take decisions to provide then to the employees,” said Rajender Mewati, leader of a union related to MCD sanitation workers.
The BJP leaders from MCD claim that they have regularised services of thousands of employees in the past and will try to address their problem this time also.
“Our Government in MCD regularised services of 7,099 employees in 2007 when Arti Mehra was Delhi Mayor, nearly 5,000 employees were given permanent letter during Vijender Gupta’s tenure, 5,000 during Yogender Chandolia’s tenure, 5,000 during Mahek Singh’s tenure. This time also, the BJP-dispensation will make all possible effort to protect interests of sanitation workers and other fourth class employees,” said a senior leader requesting anonymity.
