Pourakarmikas threaten to stop work

Seeking fulfilment of their various demands that are pending since long, members of the Dharwad District SC/ST Pourakarimara-Noukarara Sangha staged a demonstration in Hubballi on Wednesday.

Leading the protest, district president of the association Vijay Guntral and others said that their long-pending demands are yet to be fulfilled by the municipal authorities and despite repeated agitations, they are only being given assurances.

Mr. Guntral said that the association has been fighting for the cause of the civic workers and employees and despite directions from the State Government and Labour Department, the issues raised by the association are not being addressed.

He said that the breakfast scheme for the civic workers, which was launched after a series of agitations, has been stopped without any reason and because of this, the health of the workers is getting affected. The municipal authorities have also failed to provide compensation to families of two pourakarmikas who died during the pandemic, he said.

The municipal corporation is yet to pay wages directly to 738 pourakarmikas working on contract basis, despite a clear direction from the State Safai Karmachari Commission. This apart, the difference in minimum wages amounting to ₹9 crore, provident fund contribution of ₹3 crore, medical bonus of ₹21.70 lakh and DA amounting to ₹2 crore have not been paid yet even after the commission’s direction, he said.

He said that there are several fake names in the list of pourakarmikas and the municipal corporation should immediately conduct spot inspection and remove all such names. Although an assurance has been given on this, action has not been taken yet, Mr. Guntral said.

Gangamma Sidrampur, Galeppa Dwasalakeri, Vijaykumar Gabbur, Manjunath Naganur and others who led the agitation urged the municipal corporation to immediately convene an emergency meeting to address all pending demands. Otherwise, pourakarmikas will be forced to stop cleaning work in the twin cities, they said.