Prakasam stinks as sanitation workers go on strike

Ongole: The sanitation works in the Ongole Municipal Corporation, other Municipalities and Nagar Panchayats were badly hit as the municipal contract workers continue their strike, demanding that the government to resolve their long-pending issues immediately.

About 20,000 contract workers of the Ongole Municipal Corporation, Kandukur, Chirala and Markapuram Municipalities, Addanki, Chimakurthhy, Giddaluru and Kanigiri Nagar Panchayats are participating in the agitation from Monday and not attending the duties. On Tuesday, the workers organised semi-nude protests at the Collectorate in Ongole and ULB offices at other places.

The CITU district secretary, Cheekati Srinivasa Rao said that the YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy promised to address all issues of the sanitation workers, regularise the contract employees by awarding equal pay for equal work during his padayatra before elections, but neglected them after he was sworn in as the Chief Minister. He said that instead of regularising the municipal contract workers, the government has established Outsourcing Corporation thus by throwing the lives of the workers into insecurity.

The municipal workers and employees' leaders demanded the government to solve the issues of EPF by correcting records and see the amount deposited in the accounts of employees so that it will become useful in emergencies. They demanded the appointment of the family members in the vacancy arising out when a municipal worker dies for various reasons.

They also demanded the establishment of the Workers Welfare Board and a hike in salaries of waterworks, streetlight staff and computer operators. They demanded the government to provide masks, gloves and sanitisers to protect the lives of the sanitation workers during the pandemic times. They demanded the government to allow the night sanitation staff to take CLs and off on national holidays. They also demanded benefits of Amma Vodi and other schemes for them by correcting the Aadhaar records and establish municipal workers colonies as part of the Jagananna Housing Scheme for the sanitation workers.

The CITU district vice-president, GV Kondareddy, town working secretary Sriram Srinivasa Rao and others also participated in the programme.