Patna: Hundreds of Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) daily-wage workers staged a protest on Tuesday, demanding regularisation of their services and parity in wages.Raising slogans outside the PMC office, the workers alleged the disparity between the salaries and benefits of permanent and daily-wage staff had widened over time. The protesters also announced that they would strike work from July 30 if their demands remain unaddressed.The demonstration was organised under the banner of PMC Employees’ Joint Coordination Committee, which later submitted a memorandum to the municipal commissioner, mayor and deputy mayor. The workers also demanded job security, abolition of the outsourcing and contract system, implementation of assured career progression (ACP) and modified assured career progression (MACP) and payment of pending dues.Chandraprakash Singh, president of the committee, said: “This is our first protest where almost 2,000 workers came together to voice their needs. PMC has over 8,500 such employees who have threatened to go on strike from July 30 if the demands are not met.”Singh alleged that more than 3,000 workers are associated with the PMC for nearly two decades, but are yet to be regularised.According to the memorandum, the workers are seeking regularisation of daily-wage, contractual and temporary employees, arguing that they play a key role not only in sanitation services but also in anti-encroachment drives, revenue collection, office work and implementation of civic schemes. The committee has also demanded that the contract and outsourcing system be abolished and that workers be accorded the status of municipal employees. Until then, it has sought direct payment of wages into workers’ bank accounts and implementation of the principle of equal pay for equal work.The memorandum further demanded implementation of ACP and MACP on the lines of state govt staff, along with payment of arrears.Mayor Sita Sahu said the civic body was supportive of the workers’ concerns. “The workers should get their rights, and we are working towards their betterment. In 2018, we had regularised a few workers and will try to do the same this time as well,” she said.PMC commissioner Yashpal Meena, however, said policy decisions regarding regularisation rest with the state govt and the urban development and housing department (UDHD). “We cannot take any decision on these policies without approval from higher authorities,” he said.
