Thousands of sanitisation workers protested at Albert Ekka Chowk here on Friday in support of their demands. They were demanding that Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) restore their increased salary, which it started to pay them from the month of
April and after paying the increased salary for three months RMC stopped it. The workers were demanded Rs 8,000 should be paid to them instead of Rs 6,000.
In order to encourage the workers during lockdown imposed by the Government, an additional incentive of Rs 2000 was being given along with salary.
This incentive was given in the salary of March, April and May, but this amount was withheld in the salary of June.
Angered with this, thousands of sanitation workers of the corporation gathered at the spot and called an emergency meeting. After the meeting, all the workers blocked the road near Firayalal Chowk at Main Road and raised slogans against the RMC. However, during the protest they also flouted the social distancing.
RMC Mayor Asha Lakra, who reached the spot for talks, said that the corporation has already spent crores of rupees during the period but at the time of economic crisis, the civic body is also short of funds. “For this, the corporation had already sought financial help from the State government, but there is no support from the Government yet,” she added.
“If the Government does not provide any financial help to the corporation, then from where will the corporation be able to help the workers? However, the corporation is requesting the Government to immediately give money to the corporation, so that the workers can be given incentives,” said Lakra.
Amid the resentment of the sanitation workers, the RMC has made changes in the salaries of its workers.
Earlier, an unskilled labourer used to get a salary of Rs 267 per day which has now been increased to about 295. At the same time, Rs 314 have been given to unskilled laborers, Rs 405 to skilled, Rs 471 to non-skilled and Rs 406 to clerical staff. In the directive issued by the Municipal Commissioner, it has been said that all the sweepers working on daily wages will get this benefit from the month of October last year.
Meanwhile, Jharkhand Pradesh Professional Congress, (JPPC) President Aditya Vikram Jaiswal expressed concern over the protesting Corona Warriors of RMC over their pay scale. He said that the RMC has enough money to make a budget in the project but during the Corona crisis, the corporation does not have the money for the sanitation workers doing the cleaning work of Ranchi city during the global epidemic.
Jaiswal said that RMC sanitation workers are doing their work at a very low pay scale and are engaged in cleaning the city at just Rs 6000 per month and he extended his support to protesting workers. He also demanded that sanitation workers of the RMC should get their increased salary regularly so that he can run their family. He has said that the sanitation workers have made notable contributions in protecting the city from Corona infection.