Delhi: On Strike, Municipal Mosquito Breeding Checkers Press for Written Assurances

New Delhi: The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU)-backed Anti-Malaria Ekta Karamchari Union (AMEKU) stressed that its demand for a written assurance over job regularisation is legitimate as the indefinite strike of domestic breeding checkers (DBCs) of the three municipal corporations enters its twelfth day here on Friday.

In the meetings that have been held in the past few days, officials of Delhi’s three municipal corporations are giving “positive signs,” however, that "is not enough" as yet for the strike action to be withdrawn, union leaders added while speaking to NewsClick.

Hundreds of employees of the national capital's civic body, who are deployed to check to breed of mosquitoes, went on an indefinite strike last month to demand immediate regularisation of their posts – it was promised to the protesting union in writing in 2017 following a similar action.

Since then, several meetings have been held between the municipal officials and union delegation; however, no breakthrough has been achieved so far, Devanand Sharma, president, AMEKU, told NewsClick on Friday.

“Yesterday [on Thursday] too, there was a meeting in which MCD officials gave us positive signs on our demands. But they refused to give any written assurance,” said Sharma, adding that any assurance which is not in any written format “is not enough.”

There are as many as 3,500 DBCs or Domestic Breeding Checkers in the national capital employed on a contractual basis since 1996 by the three municipal corporations - North, South, and East. Currently, no such permanent post exists within the three corporations.

The striking employees rue that they are bereft of benefits that a municipal worker is currently entitled to in the absence of any permanent post. This includes coverage under social security schemes, along with increased pay.

“We have been promised, time and again, of the creation of multi-task staff posts for our enrolment. But nothing has come out of such assurances till now,” said Madan Pal, general secretary, AMEKU, adding that hence, the demand for a written assurance this time is only legitimate.

According to media reports, a file for creating posts has been passed by the house and sent to the Delhi government for approval on multiple occasions, but to no avail.

“If our demands are not met immediately, we’ll be left with no other option but to intensify our struggle,” Pal said.