Forced to lessen strength, pushed away from public eye: LHMC sanitation workers’ protest remains unheeded

The protest of contractual sanitation workers of Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) and Kalawati Saran Hospital against their lay-off continued for the 17th day on Friday.

Yet there has not been any dialogue between the workers and management.

Their numbers are being forcefully lessened and there are attempts of pushing them away from the public eye, alleged general secretary of the institute’s sanitation workers’ union, Sevak Ram.

वर्कर्स यूनिटी को सपोर्ट करने के लिए सब्स्क्रिप्शन ज़रूर लें- यहां क्लिक करें

The workers’ union has again written a letter to the institute’s director and to the station head officer (SHO) of Mandir Marg police station, under whose jurisdiction the area falls.

Laid off without notice

Sanitation workers who had been working for over a decade in the institution were laid off without any prior information.

When they reached their workplace on June 1, they were informed that the tender had been renewed and that they no longer were employed there.

On appeal to the high court, an order was passed in their favour, on May 31, saying that they must be reinstated immediately.

Police retracting assurances

According to Sevak Ram, the police are not allowing more than ten protesters on the demonstration site.

The SHO had assured the sanitation workers on Wednesday that up to 15 protestors would be allowed on the site.

This was after detaining as many as 80 sanitation workers along with their lawyer Surya Prakash on Wednesday morning when they had gathered near Bangla Sweets square at Gol Market near the hospital in RK Ashram.

Workers’ kids left in the scorching sun

The children of protesters were, however, not allowed to stay with their parents and were left out of the police station in the scorching heat.

Detained sanitation workers were released around 5 pm with the assurance that a meeting with the institution’s director would be arranged and they could continue their protest on the footpath but not on the road.

The next day, i.e. on Thursday police again objected to the number of protesters saying that only ten people are allowed and not 15.

LHMC and Kalawati Saran Hospital come under the central government.

The workers allege that the new contractor threatens them saying he has “deep connections” with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and health ministry.

Fired for unionizing

The protesters allege that the management and contractor fired them because of unionizing and the supervisors are demanding Rs 30,000 as a bribe for reinstating them.

The court order also states that the workers should be taken back on the job without any commission or premium.

Despite the high court order, they have not been taken back on the job and are allegedly being threatened by the contractor saying no matter where they complain, he won’t budge.

(वर्कर्स यूनिटी के फ़ेसबुक, ट्विटर और यूट्यूब को फॉलो कर सकते हैं। टेलीग्राम चैनल को सब्सक्राइब करने के लिए यहां क्लिक करें। मोबाइल पर सीधे और आसानी से पढ़ने के लिए ऐप डाउनलोड करें।)