Civic staff protests outside Kejriwal's residence, demands salaries

Scores of municipal sanitation workers on Wednesday staged protest outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence here to demand ‘immediate’ release of funds for payment of their salaries and arrears, threatening to go on an ‘indefinite’ strike if their demands were not met.

"It has been two-three months since workers received their salaries. Despite repeated requests, our demands have gone unheard. Hence, we staged our protest here. We will call off work for an indefinite period if our demands are not met," Mazdoor Vikas Samyukta Morcha president Sanjay Gehlot said.

Gehlot claimed employees from all three civic bodies took part in the protest outside Kejriwal’s residence.

As part of the protest, United Front of Municipal Corporation of Delhi Employees, an umbrella group of MCD workers’ unions, will hold a sit-in at Jantar Mantar later in the day.

"Around 20 unions have joined us over the demands," Rajendra Mewati, general secretary of the Front, said.

Besides salaries and arrears, the employees are seeking regularisation of contract-based employees and unification of the three corporations.

Workers attached to the East Delhi Municipal Corporation had gone on strike over similar demands in October last year. But the strike was called off after Delhi high court directed the city government to release funds to the Corporation.