BENGALURU: Members of BBMP Contract Pourakarmika Association and All India Central Council of Trade Union (AICCTU) staged a dharna in front of the BBMP head office on Wednesday demanding better wages, regularisation of pourakarmikas (PK) working on contract and to provide other perks that they are entitled to.
The dharna was called off after Mayor B. N. Manjunath Reddy assured to convene a special meeting along with the BBMP commissioner G. Kumar Naik to decide on their demands on December 8. “PKs are the oppressed class and they perform the menial job of keeping the city clean for a paltry salary of Rs 6,991.
They have been demanding an increased wage of Rs 15,000 and to regularise the services of those who have been working for the last 10 to 15 years. Facilities like ESP and Provident Fund in addition to mandatory safety and technical equipments should be extended. They should be provided toilet and drinking water facilities at each of the ward offices,” said Clifton D’ Rozario, President of the BBMP Contract Pourakarmika Association.
“We demand the immediate implementation of recommendation of reports (for welfare of PKs) submitted by IPD Salappa committee, Karnataka State Contract Employees Expert Board and three member officials committee and other perks that we are due for. PKs are eligible for better working condition and dignity. We are the more harassed section as our jobs are not secure,” he added.
The High Court has directed BBMP to hire 4,000 PKs which has been pending for long. Ironically, though 98 per cent of the PKs are from Schedule Caste (Madiga community), only 600 out of 4,000 posts are reserved for this community, he added. Vinod, a driver at Ward 21, Hebbal Nagar said, “If the vehicle goes on repair, we have to pay from our own pockets. This is in addition to the cost incurred on diesel for the vehicles.”
“The BBMP can no longer turn a blind eye to the problems faced by these labourers”, said Shankar, Vice-President of the AICCTU laborers union.
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