Civic workers to protest tomorrow over salary delay, pay raise

Contract pourakarmikas (municipal workers) are set to launch a protest rally at the BBMP head office on Wednesday over salary delay and pay raise.

Blaming both the BBMP and the garbage contractors, pourakarmikas say they are neither paid on time nor have they received the pay raise announced in August 2016. The state government had nearly doubled their salaries from Rs 7,730 a month (exclusive of provident fund and ESI benefits) to Rs 14,439.

The revised salaries were to come into effect in August. But pourakarmikas say the pay raise hasn’t been implemented. Even the salary payment as per the old structure is irregular.

Vanaja S, a pourakarmika in Subbanapalya (ward No 28), said, “Some of us have not received the salaries for months. What’s more, we have to work without having the necessary equipment such as uniforms, trolleys, hand gloves, etc. The garbage contractor in my ward complains that he has not been paid by the BBMP and hence cannot pay us.”

According to the BBMP Contract Pourakarmika Union, there are nearly 32,000 contract municipal workers in the city and none of them has received the revised salary. A pourakarmika from Jayanagar, who did not wish to be named, accused garbage contractors of not only pocketing their salaries but also abusing them. “The garbage contract system is discriminatory. Even if we are late to work by a few minutes, the contractor starts verbally abusing us,” the pourakarmika complained.

Somareddy, the garbage contractor of Sarvagna Nagar, blamed the BBMP for the delay in payment to pourakarmikas. “We have not received any payment in the last two months and hence have not paid the pourakarmikas. We have not received the revised salaries either.”

Residents of Indirananagar, Koramanagala, Malleswaram and other areas have supported pourakarmikas’ demands. On Monday, they distributed pamphlets among people to raise awareness about the protest and the problems faced by pourakarmikas.