HYDERABAD: In a surprise move, the State government on Thursday evening announced almost 50% pay hike for sanitation workers in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits but with a rider — it will be applicable to only those who reported for duty at least earlier in the day. In what came as a shock to the rest, it declared that their services would be terminated immediately.
The government remained silent on the municipal employees in the rest of the State. The municipal staff have been on an indefinite strike for the last 11 days demanding pay hike and regularisation of services among others. The municipal unions and Left parties, which had earlier called for a statewide bandh on Friday, went into a huddle late evening and decided to press ahead with their planned protest. They termed the government move ‘unjust, dictatorial and arbitrary’ and demanded that pay hike be made applicable to all the municipal employees across the State and none be sacked.
The government announcement came in the wake of criticism that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who also holds the municipal administration portfolio, was being indifferent to the strike and resultant garbage piling up in Hyderabad and rest of the State.
As per the government orders, sanitation workers in GHMC limits will get 47.05 per cent salary hike but this will be applicable to workers who had heeded the government appeal and reported for duty by Thursday morning. Termination orders for the others have also been issued. Besides, the hike is not applicable to workers of other municipal bodies and panchayat raj department.
According to the increased pay scale, sanitation workers in GHMC will be paid Rs 12,500 per month as against Rs 8,500. The salary of drivers has also been raised from Rs 10,200 to Rs 15,000.
The hike is fulfillment of a promise made by the Chief Minister as part of Swachh Hyderabad, a release from the Chief Minister’s Office said.
Fight On
47.05% pay hike for GHMC sanitation workers
Hike only to those who heeded govt appeal & joined duty
The rest to be sacked
Hike not applicable to municipal employees in rest of State
10 Left parties to go ahead with bandh today
Vow to disrupt Pushkaram bus services too
TSRTC running 1,160 Pushkaram special buses from different parts of Telangana to the various pushkar ghats in the five districts of the state. It is running 3083 trips and an estimated 1.16 lakh pilgrims have availed of its services on Tuesday alone.