India : Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation threatens termination of protesting sanitation workers
Even as some striking safai kamdars of New West Zone (NWZ) of Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation (AMC) returned to work on Friday, AMC issued warnings to terminate them if the rest did not. It also offered an option for sanitation workers of other zones to seek transfers to NWZ which covers the city’s poshest areas.
The AMC also resorted to police protection for the job by alternate arrangements after nearly 650 workers under Gujarat Mazdoor Sabha (GMS) went on strike on August 22, demanding permanent jobs. Municipal Commissioner Mukesh Kumar confirmed hat nearly 20-25 resumed duty on Friday. “We are expecting more to join back in the coming days,” he said. “As per the circular issued by the Solid Waste Management Department, those seeking a transfer should submit it in writing to the ward’s public health supervisor,” said solid waste management director Harshadrai Solanki.
The strike had seen a major conflict when garbage was dumped outside the homes of senior BJP leaders last week. About 35 were arrested and there was an FIR lodged. “Now, the work is done under police protection,” said a senior AMC official. However, Amrish Patel, GMS president, denied any rift among protesting workers and claimed that the strike continued with none of the members resuming work. “There is no calling off the strike till there is a confirmation of our demands being met by AMC,” he said.