Municipal workers in Andhra Pradesh to continue strike as talks with government make no headway

Municipal workers in Andhra Pradesh to continue strike as talks with government make no headway. Minister Botcha Satyanarayana rules out salary hike for now, but says the government is ready to give salary for strike period, implement PF, offer retirement benefits, among others.

Leaders of the outsourced workers’ unions have announced that their State-wide indefinite strike in support of their demands, including a hike in honorarium and regularisation of services, will continue.

The union leaders met Adviser (Public Affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy and Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana in the third rounds of talks held on January 6 (Saturday).

Andhra Pradesh Municipal Workers’ and Employees’ Federation general secretary K. Umamaheswara Rao said the government did not agree to their demand for regularisation of services or hike in their honorarium.

The workers had demanded that either their honorarium be enhanced or a yearly bonus of one month’s salary be paid to them, both of which were allegedly declined by the government.

“The Ministers said the government will pay an honorarium of ₹21,000 to some sections of sanitation workers, including outsourced underground drainage workers (UGDs), sanitation vehicle drivers and malaria workers. The government had already issued a G.O. last week regarding a provision of Occupational Health Allowance of ₹6,000 to these workers, in addition to their honorarium of ₹15,000. Now, the government has only said they will merge them and give a sum of ₹21,000. Technically, there is no rise,” said Mr. Umamaheswara Rao, who took part in the meeting.

After the G.O. was issued, the Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) had demanded that the allowance be extended to park workers as well. The government reportedly did not agree to this demand as well.

The government refused to agree to their demand for an honorarium to outsourced workers of the engineering department as per the rules laid down in the 11th Pay Revision Commission (PRC).