VIJAYAWADA: With no signs of the State government holding talks with the AP Municipal Employees’ Joint Action Committee (JAC), the agitating sanitation workers under the purview of Vijayawada, staged a massive dharna at Lenin Centre here on Saturday.
Major trade unions, such as the AITUC and CITU, backed the protest and denounced the indifferent attitude of the government towards sanitation workers agitating for the last nine days demanding scrapping of GO No 279, announcement of minimum salary of Rs 18,000 per month and regularisation of contract and outsourcing employees in 110 urban local bodies (ULBs) across the State.
Speaking to TNIE, Municipal Employees Union State leader M David said that the government was not even initiating talks to discuss about the problems being faced by the sanitation workers. ‘‘It’s high time the government responds to our genuine demands.
Already several ULBs across the State are stinking with heaps of garbage. If the strike continues for the next few days there is a probability of a disease outbreak,’’ David said.
Adding that sanitation workers will teach a lesson to CM N Chandrababu Naidu in future for ignoring the services of municipal employees who played a vital role in achieving Swachh rankings for the State at National level. Disclosing the future course of action, the union leader informed that sanitation workers will take out a massive rally on Sunday with sanitary equipments in three assembly constituencies of the city.