Protest against BBMP move to regularise only 4k workers

Thousands of civic workers hit the streets on Tuesday in protest against the BBMP’s decision to regularise only 4,000 of them.

A total of 18,000 pourakarmikas are being paid directly by the BBMP since last year. All of them were expected to be regularised as decided by the state government in June 2017 when it abolished the contract system in solid waste management across Karnataka. But last month, the civic body invited online applications for only 4,000 posts. Applicants should not be more than 45 years old and must read or write Kannada.

The protesters feared genuine workers would be left out. “The government has excluded more than 70% of the workforce by putting the 45-year age limit. Many workers have served for 25-30 years under the contract system and are 45 years old or more,” said a representative from the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU). “Many illiterate workers will find the Kannada qualification a hindrance.”

BBMP Commissioner Anil Kumar B H promised to write to the government, requesting for regularising all the 18,000 workers. He said the online application process would be put on hold until the issues raised by the pourakarmikas were addressed.

The commissioner requested the workers not to pay middlemen, including their supervisors, to apply online on their behalf.

He said that only assistant executive engineers of solid waste management would be authorised to help the workers file the applications.