JOIN USOutsourced staff: CMC to seek probe by labour department
The city municipal council will write to the Labour department seeking a probe to know whether or not the outsourced employees working with the local body were getting statutory benefits.
The condition of the outsourced workers and pourakarmikas was discussed elaborately at the meeting of the city municipal council held here on Monday. Councillor Narayanaswamy raised the issue of untimely death of Manjula, an outsourced worker. He said that the contractor who was providing the service by hiring Manjula, had not paid any compensation to the family of the deceased. He has cheated other workers also by denying them statutory benefits such as employees state insurance scheme and provident fund, the councillor said and sought action against him.
Responding to the concern raised by the member, CMC president B M Mubarak said that immediate steps should be taken to ensure that all benefits are paid to the family of the deceased worker. He also directed the officials to register a criminal case against the contractor. The municipal president asked the commissioner to write to the labour department to conduct an inquiry for ascertaining whether or not the pourakarmikas and contract workers attached to the municipality were being paid their statutory benefits. All the members who were present in the meeting gave their consent for the suggestion.
Councillor T M Shamsheer suggested that all the councillors should pay their one month’s honorarium to the family of Manjula. The other members unanimously agreed to do so.
Narayanaswamy said that 15 pourakarmikas had been working on contract basis with the municipality for years together and their services should be continued. He also sought to release their salaries, which have been pending for the past seven months.
Municipal Commissioner Sathyanarayan said that as many as 82 pourakarmikas were working for the local body. Since fresh tenders had not been floated, the contractor workers are being paid salaries along with regulars. The issue has been discussed with the deputy commissioner, city development cell and the officials of the Directorate of Municipal Administration. They have suggested that a fresh tender could be floated after passing a resolution in the council.
Salauddin, another councillor, said that 15 watermen were also working for the municipality and they should be paid the pending salaries.
The CMC president said that the contractor had included eight persons in the list of employees, who had not been working for the CMC and credited provident fund contributions to their bank accounts.
Some councillors pointed out that pourakarmikas were not being provided breakfast as a result of which they were constrained to work in hunger. The municipal president asked the commissioner to provide breakfast for the pourakarmikas from Tuesday itself.
Muraligowda said that the jetting machine used for cleaning drains had to be repaired time and again. He also said that monkey and stray dog menace had become rampant in the town. The municipal president said that steps had been taken to address the problems.
He said that there should not be any delay in providing drinking water and any work related to supply of drinking water should not be delayed on the ground of tenders. He directed the engineer concerned to respond immediately to complaints of water scarcity.
Salauddin said that the vacant site located close to the KSRTC bus stand was worth Rs one crore and some private persons had encroached upon this property by constructing a compound and laying road. He charged the municipal officials of failure to protect the municipal property.
Shafi, another member, said that the councillors should be provided with a ward-wise list of municipal properties so that it would be easy for them to prevent encroachment. The commissioner said that the work of erecting a board on the CMC properties would begin from Tuesday itself.
Municipal vice president Sakamma and others were present in the meeting.