VIJAYAWADA: The long-pending demand of the sanitation workers to get a minimum salary of `13,000 per month will be realised as the High Court gave directions to this effect recently to the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), referring to the affidavit filed by AITUC general secretary A Ranganayakulu.
Speaking to TNIE, Ranganayakulu said that the civic body has a strength of 2,984 sanitation workers in the city who are being paid `11,000 per month salary. Since two years, the workers are agitating against the State Government demanding minimum salary of `15,000 per month. However, the government has issued a GO 151 on August 8, 2016 to provide a salary of `12,000 per month to class IV employees across the State.
But it was not implemented effectively, he said. In this regard, Andhra Pradesh Municipal Workers Union affiliated has filed a WRIT petition with the High Court on June 6, to give directions for the VMC to implement Supreme Court directive ‘Equal Pay for Equal Work’. On June 7, the civic body officials filed a counter in the High Court citing VMC was facing losses and was not in a position to provide the salary appealed by the sanitation staff. The High Court, after hearing the arguments, has given directives to VMC to provide minimum salary of `13,000 per month to the 2,984 sanitation staff, Ranganayakulu added.
VMC additional commissioner (General) D Chandrasekhar said that so far the civic body hasn’t received any directive from the High Court over providing minimum monthly salary of `13,000 to the sanitation staff. The matter will be discussed with the principal secretary of municipal administration department and a decision will be taken, he added.