Sanitation workers clean our cities, but they are denied even minimum wage

Sanitation workers' exploitation, poor working conditions and apathy towards them is on rising trend

After a decade-long legal battle, the Supreme Court in April 2017 ruled that permanent jobs be given to 2,700 contract workers of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), India’s richest municipal corporation.

These contract workers, who sweep streets, collect garbage and clean sewers, were not entitled to health and other benefits, vacation, rest days and pension. They will now get back pay of two years and employee benefits, such as weekly offs and medical leave without a pay cut.

Milind Ranade, a textile engineer who is a general secretary of the Mumbai’s sanitation workers’ union–he got