BENGALURU: With the Assembly elections round the corner, the state government has conceded to the demand of BBMP pourakarmikas, by deciding to regularise their jobs. Members of the Karnataka Pourakarmika Sangha and BBMP Pourakarmikara Sangha, affiliated to the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), were on protest following the recruitment order issued by the BBMP to 3,673 pourakarmikas against the finance department’s approval for the appointment of 16,000 civic workers.
This apart, the body had alleged that many pourakarmikas were appointed to the BBMP illegally by presenting fake documents and giving bribes. It wanted the recruitment order to be scrapped.
The government conceded to the demands of the BBMP Pourakarmikara Sangha to regularise the jobs of all pourakarmikas. The government has assured that steps will be taken for permanency and notification will be issued within one or two weeks.
On Tuesday, Jayaram Raipura, BBMP Special Commissioner, Finance, addressed the protesting pourakarmikas and said that the file in regard to making all the pourakamrikas permanent is before the chief minister, and assured that the same would be approved within two days and the procedure including the issuance of notification would be done within a period of two weeks.
He also assured that the jobs of all 16,000 pourakarmikas working under the BBMP would be regularised together, and until then, the present recruitment process with regard to 3,673 workers would be kept in abeyance. Hence, the strike has been called off, said Nirmala M, the president of the body.
On the basis of this assurance, the protest was withdrawn. “If pourakarmikas are not made permanent, we will have no option but to hit the streets,” stated Maitreyi, AICCTU state committee member.