* Seminar held to discuss problems faced by 7,200 CDGK workers
* No new induction since 1992
By Jamil Khan | KARACHI
SPEAKERS at a seminar highlighted the pathetic working conditions faced by the city government’s sanitary workers. They also demanded that the government abolish the ban on the induction of new officials and said that issues faced by the present employees should be resolved on urgently.
The seminar was held at a local hotel on Sunday. Various union leaders from different towns spoke about the plights of sanitary workers. They unanimously adopted four resolutions and demanded that the government should abolish the ban on recruiting new sanitary workers, and urged it to take action against bribe-taking officials and the illegal deduction in salaries as bribe. They also urged the government to retire employees who have completed their 25-year service.
It is pertinent to mention here that in 1992, a total of 14,000 sanitary workers were employed in the city government and its 18 town administration. At present, only 7,200 sanitary workers are employed by the city government.
Since the ban that was placed in 1992 on recruiting new workers, the defunct Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) and all five District Municipal Corporations (DMC) have had around 14,000 sanitary worker and in the last 16 years, half of the workers have either retired or died causing a serious dearth in sanitary workers.
Municipal Workers Trade Unions Alliance Chairman Zulfiqar Shah said that the staff shortage has hampered the task of keeping the city clean and has resulted in the present workers working beyond their limits without any incentives. “Every sanitary worker has to perform the duty of four workers, this violates the Labour Law and should be stopped at once,” he demanded.
He added that over two dozens sanitary workers of Saddar and Lyari towns have fulfilled their 25-year service but for the last two years, they have not been granted their retirement. “These overage and exploited workers have knocked on all doors for their retirement but corrupt officials in the Civic Center are waiting for bribes to forward their retirement files,” he said.
Other speakers at the seminar were Karamat Bhatti, Master Samuel, Peter Bernard, Sadhu Younus Bhatti, and Pervez Inayat. They also mentioned the fact that corrupt officials of the city government and town administrations employed to supervise the cleanliness operation, illegally cancel half-days and weekly holidays of the sanitary workers. “Besides such malpractices, in various town administrations, sanitary workers have to pay bribes to draw their monthly salaries. This matter should be stopped,” they said.
– Published in Daily Times | Dec 22, 2008
Jamil Khan -- The Journalist 