Skip to main content

'Livelihood crisis': Hundreds of Delhi sewer contract workers suddenly retrenched

By Sanjeev Danda* 
Sanitation workers in Delhi have been facing unemployment because of the inability of the government sector to properly integrate them. In a consultation meeting and dialogue with sanitation workers on 27th April 2024 at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi, many such issues were raised by the sewer workers and waste pickers of Delhi. 
The meeting was organized to bring the recommendations of sanitation workers, union leaders, academicians, and members of the civil society to the public domain. The consultation meeting was attended by more than 200 sewer workers and waste pickers to discuss the crisis of livelihood faced by them.
Even though the national capital would come to a standstill if the work of sewer workers and informal waste pickers is not done regularly, there is no provision to properly integrate them into the government setup. In the last five months, hundreds of contractual sewer workers were suddenly removed from their jobs by their contractors which brought their lives to a standstill. 
Hinting at the privatization of sewer work by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Virender Gaur, Chairman, Municipal Workers’ Lal Jhanda Union said that the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act states that permanent natured jobs cannot be done through contracts. Despite this, most of the sewer work which is essential in nature, is done by contractual employees who do not even get minimum wages or proper job security.
Calling the contractual system as Sadabahar ki Ghulami or a system of never-ending slavery, Advocate Kawalpreet Kaur said that the web of corruption that exists under the contractual system cannot be allowed to continue. She also gave an update on the petition filed by contractual sewer workers in the Delhi High Court where the Court has passed an order that no new recruitments will be made until the old workers are reinstated.
Apart from loss of livelihood, sanitation workers also face difficulty in living without social security, safety, or proper health, education and sanitation facilities. Shalaka Chauhan, a labour rights activist said that around 70% of the household space of waste pickers is used for segregation and storage of waste and only 30% is used for living. 
No space is allocated to the informal waste pickers for segregation of waste despite their important contribution to the waste management system and they have to store the waste in their household spaces. This not only exposes their families to many health and hygiene risks but also forces them to live a life without dignity.
Speaking of the social exclusion faced by families of waste pickers, Kamala Upadhyay, a senior social activist, said that in her experience of working with children of waste pickers for over a decade she has seen that schools often deny admissions to such children or make efforts to discontinue their education. These children, who help their families in segregation of waste, also face violence and harassment from police authorities. 
Around 70% of household space of waste pickers is used for segregation and storage of waste and only 30% is used for living
She also said that even in cases of death of a child in an accident in landfills during work, police authorities refuse to investigate or file an official report.
Waste pickers are left with one third of their earlier income, said Rajesh Upadhyay from National Alliance for Labour Rights (NALR), pointing at the fast deteriorating livelihood of sanitation workers. Hannan Mollah, Vice President, All India Kisan Sabha and former Member of Parliament said that in India, only 30% workers are organized and the rest 70% are unorganized which makes it difficult for them to voice their demands to the public.
Suggesting a way forward he said that ‘issue based unity’ is a must in organizing workers so that their voices can be heard by the authorities.
The consultation and dialogue with sanitation workers was organized by Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM) in collaboration with unions and organizations like Delhi Jal Board Sewer Department Mazdoor Sangathan, Municipal Workers Lal Jhanda Union (CITU), Jal Mal Kaamgaar Sangharsh Morcha, Delhi Jal Board Karamchari Union, National Campaign for Dignity and Rights of Sewerage and Allied Workers (NCDRSAW), Sewerage and Allied Workers Forum (SSKM), National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM), Magadh Foundation, Ambedkarwadi Lekhak Sangh (ALS), Delhi Solidarity Group (DSG), People’s Resource Center (PRC- India), Institute for Democracy and Sustainability (IDS), Wastepicker’s Welfare Foundation (WWF), All India Kabadi Mazdoor MahaSangh (AIKMM), Basti Suraksha Manch (BSM), Shehari Mahila Kamgaar Union (SMKU), Association for Social Justice and Research (ASOJ), National Alliance for Labour Rights (NALR), GIG Worker Association, Justice News, and Vimarsh Media.
---
*With Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM)

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

70,000 migrants, sold on Canadian dream, face uncertain future: Canada reinvents the xenophobic wheel

By Saurav Sarkar*  Bikram Singh is running out of time on his post-study work visa in Canada. Singh is one of about 70,000 migrants who were sold on the Canadian dream of eventually making the country their home but now face an uncertain future with their work permits set to expire by December 2024. They came from places like India, China, and the Philippines, and sold their land and belongings in their home countries, took out loans, or made other enormous commitments to get themselves to Canada.
Post a Comment
Read more

Kerala government data implicates the Covid vaccines for excess deaths

By Bhaskaran Raman*  On 03 Dec 2024, Mr Unnikrishnan of the Indian Express had written an article titled: “Kerala govt data busts vaccine death myth; no rise in mortality post-Covid”. It claims “no significant change in the death rate in the 35-44 age group between 2019 and 2023”. However, the claim is obviously wrong, even to a casual observer, as per the same data which the article presents, as explained below.
1 comment
Read more

PM-JUGA: Support to states and gram sabhas for the FRA implementation and preparation and execution of CFR management plan

By Dr. Manohar Chauhan*  (Over the period, under 275(1), Ministry of Tribal Affairs has provided fund to the states for FRA implementation. Besides, some states like Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra allocated special fund for FRA implementation. Now PM-JUDA under “Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan(DAJGUA) lunched by Prime Minister on 2nd October 2024 will not only be the major source of funding from MoTA to the States/UTs, but also will be the major support to the Gram sabha for the preparation and execution of CFR management Plan).
Post a Comment
Read more

Operation Kagar represents Indian state's intensified attempt to extinguish Maoism: Resistance continues

By Harsh Thakor Operation Kagar represents the Indian state's intensified attempt to extinguish Maoism, which claims to embody the struggles and aspirations of Adivasis. Criminalized by the state, the Maoists have been portrayed as a threat, with Operation Kagar deploying strategies that jeopardize their activities. This operation weaves together economic, cultural, and political motives, allegedly with drone attacks on Adivasi homes.
Post a Comment
Read more

How Amit Shah's statement on Ambedkar reflects frustration of those uncomfortable with Dalit assertion, empowerment

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Dr. B.R. Ambedkar remains the liberator and emancipator of India’s oppressed communities. However, attempts to box him between two Brahmanical political parties betray a superficial and self-serving understanding of his legacy. The statement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha was highly objectionable, reflecting the frustration of those uncomfortable with Dalit assertion and empowerment.
Post a Comment
Read more

This book delves deep into Maoism's historical, social, and political dimensions in India

By Harsh Thakor*  "Storming the Gates of Heaven" by Amit Bhattacharya is a comprehensive study of the Indian Maoist movement. Bhattacharya examines the movement's evolution, drawing from numerous sources and showcasing his unwavering support for Charu Mazumdar's path and practice. The book, published in 2016, delves deeply into the movement's historical, social, and political dimensions.
Post a Comment
Read more

Ideological assault on dargah of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti will disturb pluralistic legacy: Modi told

Counterview Desk Letter to the Prime Minister about "a matter of the utmost concern affecting our country's social fabric": *** We are a group of independent citizens who over the past few years have made efforts to improve the deteriorating communal relations in the country. It is abundantly clear that over the last decade relations between communities, particularly Hindus and Muslims, and to an extent Christians are extremely strained leaving these latter two communities in extreme anxiety and insecurity.
Post a Comment
Read more

Defeat of martial law: Has the decisive moment for change come in South Korea?

By Steven Lee  Late at night on December 3, soldiers stormed into South Korea’s National Assembly in armored vehicles and combat helicopters. Assembly staff desperately blocked their assault with fire extinguishers and barricades. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol had just declared martial law to “ eliminate ‘anti-state’ forces .”
Post a Comment
Read more