Mahbubnagar Municipal workers threaten to launch indefinite strike from today

Mahbubnagar: The staff in Mahbubnagar, Badepally and Narayanpet municipalities have decided to go on an indefinite strike from April 25.

According to Akula Venkatesh, general secretary of Mahbubnagar District Municipal Workers Association, even though they were giving regular representations to the government and they had staged one-day protest in front of the offices of District Commissioner of Municipal Administrations (CDMA) on April 11, till date the government had not come out with any kind of assurance to increase the salaries of the municipal staff.

“Earlier on April 11, we staged a protest in front of all district commissioner and municipal administration offices. At that time the government had orally agreed to increase the salaries, but till date no steps were taken. Now we are fed up with the government’s tactics and have decided to go on an indefinite strike from April 25. Our demand is to increase the salaries of all the municipal workers as per the government’s G.O released earlier and it should be on equal terms with the GJMC workers,” observed Venkatesh.

Venkatesh further said that the prior to TRS government came to power, the earlier governments used to increase the salaries of municipal workers as per the GO circular, however the TRS government is playing double game and it is giving powers to the respective municipalities to increase the salaries of their staff as per the revenue incomes earned by them.

That means those municipalities with lesser revenues will pay less pay to their staff, while those with higher income will pay higher salaries. “This government is saying one thing and doing another. They are doing a grave injustice to the poor municipal workers who toil day in and day out to keep the cities clean and green.  We will not let the government to go scot free until we get justice,” added the general secretary.

With the support of CITU, the municipal workers association joint action committee has given a strike call to all the municipality workers across all the districts in Telangana (except GHMC) to take part in the indefinite strike and demand equal salaries on a par with the GHMC staff.

“If we follow the government’s order, then we will have to live on the mercy of municipal commissioner, municipal chairperson and the counsellors. Why should we bow to them when we are working for the good of the society? We will fight until last to get our demands fulfilled,” said Venkatesh.