Pourakarmikas seek pay parity

Bengaluru: The BBMP Guttige Pourakarmikara Sangha on Wednesday protested at Karmika Bhavan demanding equal pay for equal work for all contract pourakarmikas.

They said the state government had promised in June to regularise all pourakarmikas in Karnataka but later decided to absorb only 11,000 pourakarmikas, of whom 5,500 are in Bengaluru, ignoring the fact that Bengaluru has over 25,000 workers.

The pourakarmikas said most of them have not been paid for several months now, and even amenities like drinking water, toilets, safety equipment, are not provided to them.

In a press release, the Sangha said: “The contract pourakarmikas in BBMP are performing the same duties as directly recruited pourakarmikas do. Yet, they are paid wages which are less than one-third of the wages and allowances received by the regular employees.”

The Sangha said that Labour Commissioner told the workers that the Labour Department has sent a letter to the BBMP commissioner seeking an explanation as to why the wages of pourakarmikas were delayed.

He assured the protesters that he would hold a meeting with the BBMP officials in two to three weeks to address their grievances.