NewsClick

NewsClick
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Covid-19
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • International
  • Sports
  • Articles
  • Videos
search
menu

INTERACTIVE ELECTION MAPS

image/svg+xml
  • All Articles
  • Newsclick Articles
  • All Videos
  • Newsclick Videos
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • Sports
  • International
  • Africa
  • Latin America
  • Palestine
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka
  • US
  • West Asia
About us
Subscribe
Follow us Facebook - Newsclick Twitter - Newsclick RSS - Newsclick
close menu
×
For latest updates on nCOVID-19 around the world visit our INTERACTIVE COVID MAP
Politics
India

Demanding Wages for Last Six Months: Protest by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Civic Workers

Instead of a corrupt privatised contractual system the workers are asking for a system of direct payment of wages to the pourakarmikas
Yogesh S
13 Jul 2018
Protest by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Civic Workers

Image Courtesy: Vinay Srinivas

Thousands of pourakarmikas (civic workers) of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) have not received their minimum wage since January 2018. On July 12, 2018, five hundred civic workers  gathered in front of the BBMP head office in protest and demanded they be paid the wages.

On April 20, 2018 few weeks before the state assembly elections, the workers, under the banner of Guttige Pourakarmikara Sangha (Contractual Civic Workers’ Union), had protested in front of the BBMP head office with the same demand. Sarfaraz Khan, the Joint commissioner (Health/SWM), BBMP, had met the protesters. Khan had said that he will ensure that the workers are paid by April 23, 2018 and also that they are provided with all the safety measures. Nothing has changed for the workers and Khan’s promises were proven to be false.

Civic workers employed by the BBMP were being paid Rs. 7,730 (including provident fund and Employee’s State Insurance Corporation). The Labour department announced on August 4, 2016 that the wages have been hiked to Rs. 14,040. According to the Labour department, this is the highest wage paid for the civic workers in the country. However the workers are far from reaping the benefits of receiving this wage, and Rs 14,040 has remained a mere number on papers.

This has become a nightmare for thousands of workers who work every day in hazardous working conditions to keep the sprawling city clean. Subramani was one such  civic worker from Ward number 77- Dattatreya Temple, who had not received payments for past six months and was forced to take his children out of their school. He, on July 8, 2018 committed suicide, reportedly citing financial troubles.

Along with their wages for last six months, the protesting workers demanded justice for Subramani. They demanded a Rs 25,00,000 compensation for his family along with government housing and a permanent job for his family members.

Also read: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Civic Workers Not Paid Since January 2018

Guttige Pourakarmika Sangha submitted a memorandum to BBMP. In this memorandum, the officials concerned are reminded of their decision on May 25, 2018 to ensure the payments be made by 7th of every month. Out of 17,709 contractual employees of BBMP, only a few have received some part of the payment and majority of them have not received anything. Workers still await the wage for the month of June and the remaining five months. The Union has demanded for an investigation into the reasons and the people responsible for the delay.

The Union noted in the memorandum submitted that the contractors resort to not paying the fixed wage but reduce the amount, arguing that the workers have failed to submit PF and ESI details; and the payments are made without providing wage slips. This is illegal. The protesting workers have demanded that the BBMP should do away with the contract system which has, according to them, given rise to corruption. Instead of a corrupt privatised contractual system the workers are asking for a system of direct payment of wages to the pourakarmikas.

The protesting workers also pointed out that the BBMP has made the worker citizen ratio 1:700 from 1:500. This has resulted in many contractual workers losing employment and has increased the workload on the workers. On July 11, 2018, many “excess” workers were removed. They protested these developments. In the demands submitted to the Mayor Sampath Raj and BBMP office bearers, the workers demanded for the enforcement of Anti-Sexual Harassment law in BBMP.

The Mayor who received these demands has said that Subramani’s family will be provided with government housing and will be given employment; however he was silent about permanent employment and the compensation. He agreed to initiate an investigation into the not paying of the wages, and also has asked for a list of wards in which the workers are not being paid.

Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike
BBMP
Civic Workers
workers' protest
Bengaluru
Related Stories
Karnataka: ASHA, Sanitation Workers Battle Govt Neglect Amid Pandemic

Karnataka: ASHA, Sanitation Workers Battle Govt Neglect Amid Pandemic

Victoria Hospital contract workers.

Contract Healthcare Workers in Bengaluru Get a Raw Deal

Protesters gathered in front of a government office in Tunisia on March 30, Monday.

Tunisian Workers Protest Lack of Government Support COVID-19 Shutdown

Supreme Court

Responsibility on Karnataka Govt to Revive Bengaluru’s Fuming Lakes: SC

Workers of the Coty-Lancaster House in Monaco strike against proposed job cuts.

Monaco Trade Unions Denounce job Cuts at Lancaster Cosmetic House

Karnataka: Transferred MPS Employees

Karnataka: Transferred MPS Employees Taken Back After Year-long Struggle

Violent Police Repression During National Protest in Chile

Students Protest Against 25% Fee Hike

Bengaluru National Law University Students Protest Against 25% Fee Hike

Despite Court Order, Street Vendors Evicted From Vijayanagar

Despite Court Order, Street Vendors Evicted From Vijayanagar in Bangalore

 Bengaluru: Once a City of Lakes, Now Faces Water Crisis

Bengaluru: Once a City of Lakes, Now Faces Water Crisis

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share

Related Stories

Hema Vaishnavi

Hyderabad Floods: How a ‘Global Vision’ for India’s Cities Has Compromised Liveability

19 November 2020
Its been over a month since Hyderabad flooded, and there are still areas in the city whi
Rajendra Chenni

Remembering Gauri Lankesh: Adamant Ideologue to Some, Akka to the Underprivileged

05 September 2020
She was such a diminutive person that most of us would see her as a “Gubbachchi”, a Kannada word which translates to little sparrow, or th
Newsclick Report

Journalists’ Bodies Condemn Attacks on Scribes in Delhi and Bengaluru

14 August 2020
Journalists’ bodies have condemned the attacks on scribes in Delhi and Bengaluru.

Pagination

  • Next page ››

More

  • Delhi Violence: Media Shouldn’t Destroy ‘Presumption of Innocence’ of Undertrial, Says Court

    Delhi Violence: Media Shouldn’t Destroy ‘Presumption of Innocence’ of Undertrial, Says Court

  • cambride analytica.

    CBI Files Case Against Cambridge Analytica, GSR for ‘Illegal Data Harvesting’

  • nitish kumar

    Bihar: Opposition Slams Govt Decision to Take Action for Social Media Posts Against Ministers, Officers

  • siim

    Three Maharashtra Govt Agencies to Probe Serum Institute Fire in Pune

  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with
about