The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) on Monday initiated the process to evoke ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act) on sanitation supervisory staff after all the efforts to end the deadlock between official and workers went in vain. The move is considered essential considering repeated strike by sanitation workers in east Delhi.
Talking to The Pioneer, EDMC Mayor Neema Bhagat said "We have already conceded all their demand. Their two months' salary has been released as demanded along with others but still they are adamant with some of the demands including promotion.
"There is a process to complete before promoting anyone as checking their files or others things such as any vigilance enquiry pending against them. But despite all the efforts they are not ready to end the deadlock. We were left with no option expect taking stringent measures to mitigate the problem forever," she added.
The Mayor further said that Delhi is suffering of piles of garbage lying everywhere especially in EDMC area and they (workers) despite of cooperating and even blackmailing now.
A senior EDMC official said that DMC Act empowers us to terminate the services in case of negligence of duties. He also mentioned that an FIR can also be lodged according to the act.
"The move was taken after several negotiations to find a solution failed. A number of meetings held with senior functionaries at different levels including Mayor of East Delhi but workers were adamant with their demands, threatening to halt essential civic services. They are also preventing others to perform their duties and even junior sanitation staffs have stopped working," he said.
He also said that the supervisory staffs are not covered under the labour laws hence they cannot go on strike," he added.