Garbage Piling Up as Pourakarmikas are on Protest for the 30th Time on Wages Issues

By
Alfie Dsouza, Team Mangalorean.
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Garbage Piling Up as Pourakarmikas are on Protest for the 30th Time on Wages Issues

Garbage Piling Up as Pourakarmikas, Drivers, Sweepers and other laborers of Antony Waste Handling Cell Pvt Ltd are on Protest for the 30thTime {ever since the company started their operation in Mangaluru} on Wages Issues and other pending demands, including Provident Fund and ESI benefits etc. Even though the MCC officials had a talk with the AWHCPL workers this morning, but the workers being stubborn are refusing to get back to work, if their demands are not met. If things don’t go well, chances are that the protest may go until Monday, when MCC has called for a meeting with AWHCPL on Monday, 18 June.

Mangaluru: If it’s still stinking out there in the city, it’s because since yesterday, the civic workers of the private company named Antony Waste Handling Cell Pvt Ltd {AWHCPL} handling solid waste for the Mangaluru City Corporation stayed away from collecting solid waste on a door-to-door basis. Today is the second that garbage has not been collected, and the workers are still protesting. The reason due to salary issue- and this issue which was settled by MCC last evening, after making payment to the garbage handling company-but the AWHCPL workers are reluctant to go back to work due to other pending demands of theirs. But as of now, 10 am 15 June, garbage in houses, apartments and public bins has piled up. On an average, 300 to 320 tonnes of garbage gets accumulated in the city. And with garbage not being picked up, stray dogs and other stray animals have been tearing up the garbage bags and feasting on the waste.

This is not the first time that the employees of this waste handling company had issues with getting paid salary in time- as per a driver of the garbage truck, he said there had been about 29 protests since two years relating to salary issues- and nothing much has been done in preventing such issues happening again. It is learnt that there are around 750 civic workers in addition to the 130 drivers employed by Antony Waste Handling Company. Salary for the last month been kept pending for these garbage collectors. The waste handling workers were very reluctant to get back to work if their demands were not meant, and speaking to Team Mangalorean. Padmavathi (name changed) with tears in her eyes said,” It looks like we are working for free. Our last month’s salary has not been paid yet. Our work timings are 6 am till 2.30 pm, but we always work late without any extra pay. I have two kids, my husband is sick and has been bedridden for weeks-how am I suppose to take care of them without salary. Our company has been fooling us with promises and assurances. MCC Mayor and MCC officials have to come up with a proper solution to this ongoing salary issue which has happened so many times”.

Lakshmi (name changed), a waste collector with AWHCPL said, ” Many a times I have gone home crying without any money in my hand on salary day. I have a family with kids, and if we are treated like this how can we live. They make us work for long hours, but when it comes to paying for all the hard work that we did, they are very much reluctant. They make us wait for our salary. Why is our salary delayed when our company gets huge money from the City corporation. What a society are we living in?”

Raghu (name changed) a truck driver with AWHCPL said, “I have been with company for nearly 2 years, since it started its operation.But as far as I can remember we have protested nearly 29 times in order to get our salary. Many a times only after our protests we were able to get paid. Since 4 years our salary of Rs 11,000 has not been increased, even by a rupee. Even though our timings are from 6 am to 2.30 pm, but we always work till 4 pm and beyond, without any overtime pay. Even the maintenance of our vehicles is not taken care of-many a times our trucks break down on the road. Even the tyres are worn out. Not getting paid in time it’s not right. We work hard and many a times over-time with no extra pay, but still if we don’t get paid in time, our faith in the company is lost.”. Another tempo driver said, ” Even though the company has deducted money from our salary towards our PF and ESI funds, but there are no records to prove it. Few workers who got sick had to pay huge from their pocket, since they could not avail ESI benfits, with no proper documents. We will stop working until all our demands are met”

Prakash Kurup- Senior Manager with AWHCPL speaking to Team Mangalorean said, ” Last evening we received the cheque from MCC, and by 11 am or noon, the salary amount will be directly deposited into the workers bank account. The reason for such protests is due to the fact that MCC doesn’t make our payments in time, and they always delay blaming us for our shabby work- which we totally disagree. The pending issues of our workers will be dealt with soon. We have requested them to resume their work, since the garbage is already getting piled up. It is all left to the workers to make their decisions”.

Dr Manjayya Shetty – Health Officer of MCC speaking to Team Mangalorean at the AWHCPL vehicle parking/garage section said, “The payment has been done to AWHCPL last evening, and the workers salary will be given by the waste handling company this morning. There are some issues between AWHCPL and their workers, and due to that we have to bear the consequences. We have called for a meeting with AWHCPL officials on Monday, to settle all these issues, so that no more protests will take place. We have come here to convince these workers to resume their duties, but seems like they are very reluctant to our requests. We will try our best to settle this issue as quickly as possible, so that garbage doesn’t get piled up. If our meeting with AWHCPL on Monday won’t meet our expectations, we may call for a tender from a different company”.

But the Antony Waste Handling Firm workers have nothing to do whether their company has been paid by MCC, to pay them. They are the employees of AWHCPL and not MCC- so their company has to make arrangements so that these poor workers are paid in time- and not keep their salaries pending. No matter what financial problems company face, they need to make certain arrangements in getting their employees paid- and not have press conferences or other company parties to prove their good performances, leaving the poor laborers in dark?

In general, employees of such companies not only lose their jobs, but are often left in the dust. However, one thing should be clear – employees must be paid by any means whatsoever. When it comes to companies in this predicament, they have to scramble – whatever they can do, but take care of their employees and their wages first, and not put them in hardship- which may lead them into protest, resulting in citizens to face the stinky smell of the garbage that is piled outside their houses/apartments or businesses. Until this issue is settled at the earliest, citizens have to cross their fingers and wait.


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