Skip to main content

Delhi transport workers not paid wages for two months, union warns protest action

By Harsh Thakor 
The problems of the employees of Delhi Transport Corporation are aggravating, day by day.DTC Employees Ekta Union' wrote a letter to the Chief Minister of Delhi informing him about the problems faced by the employees.
The union says that the pensioners of Delhi Transport Corporation have been denied pension for the last 2 months. Apart from this, the union has demanded redressal from the Kejriwal government to discuss the issue of ensuring the contract workers.
The union alleges that even after a considerable period, they have received no response from the Delhi government. This is the reason the union has written a letter on both the above problems yesterday, 28th December, demanding immediate solution to both the problems.
The letter written by the union states that the pensioners and widows of the deceased employees are facing innumerable difficulties.. There is no ration in the houses of the pensioners or money to pay the rent of the house. Pensioners were forced to ask for food from the neighbourhood.
DTC Employees Unity Union has also written in the letter that many pensioners shared their pathetic circumstances with the union.
The union has appealed to the Delhi government to pay the pension as soon as possible. The union has also declared to protest with the pensioners if the pension is not paid immediately.
At the same time, the Union has written another letter to the Chief Minister. Here the union has raised issue making the contract workers permanent. The union says that if the government will abide duration to confirm the employees, then it must unhesitatingly pay normal wages for normal work.
The union has written a letter to the Delhi government demanding to ensure a meeting at the earliest to discuss the problems of the DTC employees.
It may be noted that last month, the DTC Employees Ekta Union had warned of agitation on December 17 for non-payment of two months' arrears of salary to the contract employees.
On December 12, on the call of DTC employees' union “DTC Workers Unity Center” affiliated to AICCTU, the employees expressed their anger by protesting outside various depots of Delhi Transport Corporation.
The union has warned the DTC management and the Delhi government of a major agitation if the salaries are not paid soon.
According to a press release issued by the union, the union claims that both the DTC management and the Delhi government have been consistently negligent towards the demands of the employees of the Delhi Transport Corporation. Due to stubborn and anti-labour attitude, in the past also the employees have been compelled to resort picketing and even going on strike.
There have been reports of non-payment of salaries to the employees of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). DTC contract employees fear that the condition of the Delhi Transport Corporation may also become like that of the MCD contract employees.
DTC Workers Unity Center (ACTU) demands that the government and management should immediately release the salary of all employees and pension of retired employees.
The union believes that the responsibility of running the public transport properly is as much the responsibility of the employees, but the government is not acting in a responsible manner.
It may be known that the contract employees of DTC have been demanding permanent work for a sustained period. The union says that the management and the Delhi government have placed the demand of confirmation of contract employees and increase in the number of DTC buses in the dust. Along with this, there is a lot of dissatisfaction among the corporation employees in the union regarding the privatization of DTC.
DTC contract workers allege that the current condition of DTC is deteriorating because of the intensifying privatization of DTC and corrupt officials present in the management. It is regrettable that the different parties in the capital of Delhi are not raising their voice to save the public transport to the extent with which they invest money and power in the corporation elections.
The DTC Workers' Unity Center (ACTU) has warned the management and the Delhi government that the union it will be imperative for union leaders to intensify the stir if the salaries are not disbursed at the earliest.
Various organizations of DTC contract employees have warned the management and the Delhi government of igniting a major agitation for non-payment of salaries immediately.
An ideal illustration of the plight of workers all over the country with the crisis of globalisation accentuating, placing the working class at the merciless hand of the capitalist or corporates. It has become a routine practice of managements to abstain from regular payment of salaries or wages. This makes it all the more vital for workers of all spheres to unite on issues, to safeguard basic rights.
---
Harsh Thakor is a freelance journalist who has covered mass movements in India

Comments

TRENDING

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Where’s the urgency for the 2,000 MW Sharavati PSP in Western Ghats?

By Shankar Sharma*  A recent news article has raised credible concerns about the techno-economic clearance granted by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) for a large Pumped Storage Project (PSP) located within a protected area in the dense Western Ghats of Karnataka. The article , titled "Where is the hurry for the 2,000 MW Sharavati PSP in Western Ghats?", questions the rationale behind this fast-tracked approval for such a massive project in an ecologically sensitive zone.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah  The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad*  The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.

Structural retrogression? Steady rise in share of self-employment in agriculture 2017-18 to 2023-24

By Ishwar Awasthi, Puneet Kumar Shrivastav*  The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) launched the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) in April 2017 to provide timely labour force data. The 2023-24 edition, released on 23rd September 2024, is the 7th round of the series and the fastest survey conducted, with data collected between July 2023 and June 2024. Key labour market indicators analysed include the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR), and Unemployment Rate (UR), which highlight trends crucial to understanding labour market sustainability and economic growth. 

Venugopal's book 'explores' genesis, evolution of Andhra Naxalism

By Harsh Thakor*  N. Venugopal has been one of the most vocal critics of the neo-fascist forces of Hindutva and Brahmanism, as well as the encroachment of globalization and liberalization over the last few decades. With sharp insight, Venugopal has produced comprehensive writings on social movements, drawing from his experience as a participant in student, literary, and broader social movements. 

Authorities' shrewd caveat? NREGA payment 'subject to funds availability': Barmer women protest

By Bharat Dogra*  India is among very few developing countries to have a rural employment guarantee scheme. Apart from providing employment during the lean farm work season, this scheme can make a big contribution to important needs like water and soil conservation. Workers can get employment within or very near to their village on the kind of work which improves the sustainable development prospects of their village.

'Failing to grasp' his immense pain, would GN Saibaba's death haunt judiciary?

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The death of Prof. G.N. Saibaba in Hyderabad should haunt our judiciary, which failed to grasp the immense pain he endured. A person with 90% disability, yet steadfast in his convictions, he was unjustly labeled as one of India’s most ‘wanted’ individuals by the state, a characterization upheld by the judiciary. In a democracy, diverse opinions should be respected, and as long as we uphold constitutional values and democratic dissent, these differences can strengthen us.

94.1% of households in mineral rich Keonjhar live below poverty line, 58.4% reside in mud houses

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  Keonjhar district in Odisha, rich in mineral resources, plays a significant role in the state's revenue generation. The region boasts extensive reserves of iron ore, chromite, limestone, dolomite, nickel, and granite. According to District Mineral Foundation (DMF) reports, Keonjhar contains an estimated 2,555 million tonnes of iron ore. At the current extraction rate of 55 million tonnes annually, these reserves could last 60 years. However, if the extraction increases to 140 million tonnes per year, they could be depleted within just 23 years.