NEW DELHI: More than ninety employees of Hardayal Municipal Library have been on an indefinite strike since June 30. The agitated employees are protesting against unpaid salaries for seventeen months. Along with this, they protested against the ill-treatment of the library administration.
Poonam Baby (38), who works as a cleaner also protested with her colleagues. Poonam said that her economical conditions turned worse as she did not receive a single penny for her service. “Only I know how I am a bearing my family expenses. I have to mortgage my gold jewellery for my family’s daily spending.” She also alleged that Poonam Prasar Jha, secretary of the library, de-regularised them from permanent workers to temporary workers, flouting the norms of the managing committee.
In the murky summer, using hand-made fans to beat the heat, the protestors raised slogans such as “Hmari maange poori karo” (fulfil our demands). Om Parkash Prajapati who has been transferred to the Kirari Branch of the library, said that the library is a private library owned by the secretary’s husband Anil Jha, who is also a member of governing body.
They also raised serious allegations against the secretary and her husband. Ashish Kumar, library attended said, “The administration recruited their relatives as interns, giving stipends of more than `30,000 from our salary cuts.”The students who go to the library to study complained that the place was not cleaned properly for the last few days which affected their learning process.
Anil Jha, member of the governing body denied the claims and rebutted that the protesters were indolent. He added that they give them more work that’s why they rebelled against them. “These people want to work only for six hours despite knowing that government working hour,” said Anil.
Further slamming the allegations, he showed the copies of the documents and said, “Look at these copies, these are the proper orders passed by the managing committee of the library. The protest is not over salary disbursal, but against us.”