Scores of municipal sanitation workers of the city today decided to go on an "indefinite strike" from January 27 claiming the civic bodies' "failure" in meeting their demands, including regularisation of salary.
The workers have been sitting on a relay hunger strike for the past month at the Jantar Mantar under various unions.
"Under the banner of Swatantra Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha we have been sitting on relay hunger strike from December 1 but our demands of regular salary, payment of arrears, regularisation and promotion have failed to evoke any response from the municipal corporation authorities or the government," president of the Morcha Sanjay Gehlot said.
"We have decided to go on strike from January 27 since we do not want to cause inconvenience during the festival of Makar Sankranti and the Republic Day celebrations," he said.
It is likely that a large number of teachers, doctors, nurses and engineers, besides the class III and IV employees serving under the three municipal corporations -- NDMC, SDMC and EDMC -- will participate in the strike as their salary payment is also
delayed by two-four months, Gehlot claimed.
Recently, teachers, nurses and engineers of the municipal bodies had also gone on protest raising their demands for timely salaries and other service-related benefits.
However, the East, North and South corporations have levelled allegations on the Delhi government of not transferring their pending dues, thus pushing them into a financial crisis.
The sanitation workers of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) had gone on a strike October last leading to unhygienic conditions in the civic area due to huge amount of undisposed filth in the streets.
The strike was ended after the Delhi High Court intervened and directed the municipal corporation authorities to ensure lifting of garbage.
Meanwhile, scores of municipal employees including a large number of sanitation workers staged a demonstration near the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanding fulfilment of their demands.
"We staged demonstration at Kejriwal's residence today. The MCD employees including even senior officers have not been getting their salaries timely. If the situation did not improve we will also go on an indefinite strike," said Rajendra Mewati, general secretary of the United Front of MCD Employees.
