VIJAYAWADA: As sanitation workers’ strike entered its seventh day on Thursday, the municipal administration department decided to call the agitating employees unions for talks to address the long pending demands of workers.
As per reliable sources, the meeting is going to be held at Interim Government Complex (IGC) in Velagapudi by this Saturday.
However, the agitating union leaders have demanded that the State government constitute a high power committee of union members and municipal department members to study the implications of GO 279 before it is implemented in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across the State.
Meanwhile, AP Municipal Employees Joint Action Committee (JAC) took out a massive rally from Kaleswara Rao Market to Panja Centre in the city, denouncing the government’s indifferent attitude towards workers’ demands that GO 279 be scrapped, minimum salary of `18,000 per month be paid, and contract and outsourcing staff in 110 ULBs of the State be regulated. CPM State secretary P Madhu condemned the deaths of workers that took place reportedly due to the government order, and held the government responsible for the arrests made across the State.
Speaking to TNIE, AITUC State leader A Ranganayakulu said that the union has filed a petition in High Court seeking issuance of orders preventing the municipal administration department from implementing GO 279 in ULBs. Recently, the court has issued stay orders on municipalities of Narsapur, Palakollu, Tanuku, Guntur and Bhimavaram in this regard.
“If government is committed to the welfare of sanitation workers, it should constitute a high power committee to study the government order’s implications before implementing it,” Ranganayakulu said.
The AITUC leader also said that sanitation workers, on Friday, will prevent the private sanitation staff deployed by the municipalities from maintaining cleanliness.