The government's efforts to end the strike of about 50 thousand sanitation workers and about 2 thousand fire department employees in Haryana could not be successful even on Saturday. This has been going on continuously for 18 days. Two rounds of talks were held between employee organizations with Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Krishna Kumar Bedi and senior officials in Kurukshetra, but no consensus could be reached on the issue of regularization of jobs.
After the meeting, employee leaders have announced to continue the strike. At the same time, the government says that 13 out of 14 demands of the employees have been agreed to and in the matter of regularization, legal opinion is being taken keeping in mind the orders of the Supreme Court and the High Court. Now the next big conversation between the government and the employees' organization is being prepared at the level of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
Strike started from August 6, cleanliness system deteriorated in many cities
The strike of sanitation, sewer and fire employees working in municipal bodies of Haryana is continuing since August 6. As the strike extended, the garbage collection system in many cities of the state got affected and garbage started accumulating on the roads and public places.
The situation was particularly serious in Gurugram, where huge amounts of garbage were reported to have accumulated due to thousands of sanitation and sewer workers staying away from work. The workers intensified the agitation with their demands, including regularization and end to outsourcing.
After all, what are the sanitation workers adamant on?
The biggest demand of the employee organizations is to regularize the sanitation workers working on raw and contract basis. Along with this, demands like ending the outsourcing system, regular recruitment on vacant posts and implementation of earlier agreements are also part of the movement.
Employee leader Naresh Shastri says that several rounds of talks have already taken place with the government, but no concrete decision has been taken on regularization. They allege that the employees working for a long time are not getting the benefit of permanent job.
Why did the movement start again after the May 13 agreement?
Employee organizations say that many demands were agreed upon in the talks held with the government on May 13. These included demands like regularization of cleaning, sewer and fire employees, recruitment on vacant posts and assistance to the families of employees who lost their lives while on duty. But the employees allege that despite the agreement, expected action was not taken on the demands. After this, the statewide strike started again in August.
As the movement increased, garbage came out on the streets in the cities.
The strike had a direct impact on the cleanliness system of municipal bodies. There were reports of accumulation of garbage in many cities including Gurugram, Karnal, Panipat, Fatehabad. In Panipat, on August 17, protesters had emptied a dumper full of garbage on the road. Traffic was affected due to this. At the same time, in Karnal, the employees had also closed the main gate of the Municipal Corporation office.
August 21: Employees again increased their agitation
By August 21, the strike had reached its 16th day. During the protest in Karnal, the employees submitted a memorandum regarding their demands and announced to carry forward the strike. At some places, information about preparations for the Mahapanchayat on August 23 also came to light, that is, despite efforts for talks between the government and the employees, the movement on the ground continued to progress instead of ending.
August 22: Government took steps for talks
Amidst the ongoing strike, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini gave the responsibility to Minister Krishna Kumar Bedi to find a solution by talking to the employee leaders. After this, a meeting was held between representatives of the government and employee organizations in Kurukshetra on Saturday. Senior officials were present along with Bedi in the meeting, while from the employee side, representatives of Municipal Employees Union Haryana and other employee organizations participated.
Two rounds of talks, still no solution
Two rounds of talks were held between the two sides on Saturday, but the deadlock remained on the issue of regularization. Employee leaders said that they will not call off the strike without a concrete decision. State President of Municipal Employees Union, Haryana, Naresh Shastri alleged that the government is continuously postponing the issue of regularization. He talked about continuing the strike.
Government said- agreed on 13 out of 14 demands
While presenting the government's side, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Krishna Kumar Bedi said that 13 out of 14 demands of the employee organizations have been agreed upon. The biggest hurdle is the demand for regularization. According to the Minister, legal opinion is being taken in this matter keeping in mind the decisions of the Supreme Court and the High Court, so that the further decision remains within the legal ambit.
Now there will be a meeting with Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini
It was told by the government that a meeting will be held soon between the officials of the employees organization and Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini. Minister Bedi said that the government is trying to find a solution soon through talks. This clearly means that at present the government has not rejected the demand for regularization, but no immediate decision has been taken on it either.
Why are employee leaders angry?
Employee leaders say that despite several rounds of talks, they stand on the same issue. They argue that sanitation workers work in hazardous environments and despite sewer accidents, their families do not get adequate support and job security. The union says that along with making the employees working for a long time permanent, the contract system should be abolished.
What is the biggest challenge facing the government?
The government now faces a double challenge. On one hand, the legal position has to be clarified on the demand of regularization of the employees, on the other hand, due to the long-running strike, the cleanliness system of the cities has to be normalized. At present the strike is not over. Even after Saturday's talks, no agreement was reached between the two sides on regularization. Now everyone's eyes are on the next meeting with Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini.