BWSSB contract workers on strike from today

Contract valvemen, sewage treatment plant operators and sanitary workers at the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) are going on an indefinite strike starting Tuesday.

The board has a 2,300- strong contract workforce. Most of the staff have been doing non-clerical jobs for the past 10-15 years and say the BWSSB doesn’t pay them enough. Adinarayana, a contract worker, said staffers like him did more work than regular employees. “The regular staff work only for eight hours and are paid no less than Rs 50,000 a month simply because they are on the regular pay scale,” he said. “We put in long hours and have to fight for even the minimum wages. The BWSSB promised us a bonus but till date, nothing has moved forward.”

As part of the strike, the workers will hold a sit-in outside the labour commissioner’s office. Kemparamaiah, the BWSSB’s engineer-in-chief, insisted that contract employees were being paid as per their cadre.

“We hired them on contract because the government has instructed us not to employ Group ‘D’ workers on a regular basis,” he added.