The employees of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) held a silent protest outside the DCW office on Tuesday as they have not been paid salaries for the last three months.
The protesting contractual employees gave a memorandum to DCW Member Secretary Alka Diwan, requesting her to release their salaries.
DCW Chief Swati Maliwal said the entire contractual workforce of the women’s body have been denied their salaries for the last three months.
“Over 90 per cent of them earn less than `25,000 (per month). They are on verge of leaving their jobs,” Maliwal said. “I believe they are continuing only because they understand that the programmes of the Commission -- 181 helpline, Rape Crisis Cell and others -- will close down if they do so,” she added.
She urged lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung to “immediately intervene” and ensure salaries are paid to the DCW staff.
“I have worked sleepless nights to build the current DCW. It is really painful to see its work sabotaged in this manner by the present Member Secretary,” she said.
According to Maliwal, Member Secretary Alka Diwan, appointed by Jung, had refused to release salary of the contractual staff.
Maliwal had dubbed Diwan’s appointment as illegal, saying she was the VAT Commissioner and doing part-time work in DCW.
She said many of those who work on contract at DCW are women who have been victims of acid attacks and even orphans.
