Consensus reached on some demands of protesting municipal workers: Hry CM

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today claimed that the government and the protesting municipal workers reached a consensus on some of their demands.

Khattar said he was hopeful that the agitators would now call off their strike.

"A consensus has already been reached between the government and the protesters on some demands. They have sought time till the evening to inform the state government about their decision," he said.

"We have assured the unions that all their genuine issues would be sorted out within the next eight days," Khattar said.

However, Subhash Lamba, the general secretary of Sarv Karamchari Sangh, an umbrella body representing various employees unions in the state, said a decision on future course of action will be taken at a meeting of the employees unions tomorrow.

Notably, garbage has piled up in different areas of the state raising a stink as large number of municipal workers have been on strike.

Haryana's Urban Local Bodies Minister Kavita Jain said that the meeting with employee leaders was held under the chairmanship of the chief minister, and the Safai Karamchari Union affiliated with the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh has agreed to call off their strike.

Jain said the state government has decided to constitute a committee on equal pay for equal work under the chairmanship of the chief secretary. The committee would submit its report before May 31, 2018.

The government has decided to enhance the 'Safai Vishesh Bhatta' being given to the municipal workers from Rs 300 to Rs 1,000, she said.

"It was also decided that no new outsourcing contracts on supply of sewermen would be done in the future by urban local bodies (ULBs). The present outsourcing policy contracts would continue till the date of its expiry and thereupon, the outsourced manpower would be shifted to the municipal rolls," Jain said.

"From now onwards, the PF and ESI would be directly deposited by the ULBs in the accounts of the individual employees and a vigilance enquiry would be conducted on the non-description of PF and ESI in the accounts of various employees by the contractors concerned," she told reporters here.

Nearly 30,000 employees of over 80 municipal corporations, municipal committees and councils began a strike on May 9 in support of their demands, including regularisation of contractual employees.

The other major demands of the striking employees include implementation of cashless medical facilities for contractual employees, increasing allowances of both permanent and contractual employees, risk allowance and better safety equipment for those engaged in cleaning sewers.