JOIN USMCD employees plan protest over pending wages, regularisation
Employees of the North and East Corporations have decided to stage a protest at Civic Centre on Thursday demanding salaries, clearance of dues and regularisation of contractual employees.
Workers’ unions said that unification of the three corporations is the only way out as all the sources of income has gone to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.
“We have given a notice to the municipal corporations citing the reasons for going on strike. We feel trifurcation of the unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in 2012 is the cause of North and East Corporations being bankrupt today as all the sources of income has gone to South Corporation,” said Rajender Mewati, general secretary, of United Front of MCD Employees.
Employees’ unions said that workers have been sitting on relay hunger strike at Jantar Mantar for the past couple of weeks.
Officials with the East Delhi Municipal Corporation said that some departments have not given salary for over two months.
“I have not received salary for the past three months now. I can manage because I am a class 1 employee. But it’s too difficult for class IV employees to look after daily expenses if they have not been paid for months,” said an official with east civic agency.
The East Delhi Municipal Corporation requires over Rs 100 crore to pay salaries and other benefits to its over 32,000 employees. Even the North Corporation is in the red and it requires Rs 171 crore to pay salaries and other benefits to its over 70,000 employees.
The cash-strapped corporations have been demanding funds from the city government. Even the Delhi BJP had attacked the AAP government for delay in issuing funds to MCDs.
After the High Court order the city government should not delay giving funds to the three municipal corporations as recommended by the Fourth Finance Commission, it added.
The party threatened a protest if funds are not given to MCDs soon. City unit chief Satish Upadhyay, also a councillor, said the AAP government has to accept its responsibility of providing funds to the BJP-ruled corporations as pointed out by the Delhi High Court.
He said the Fifth Finance Commission should be set up within eight weeks as directed by the court.