MUNICIPAL employees in Andhra Pradesh have conducted a 16-day heroic struggle against the state government as it continued its adamant towards the genuine grievances of the lower strata of the society. It is not the case that the demands of the workers are a huge burden, as they are getting a paltry wage of Rs 8,300 at present. Their demands include a minimum wage of Rs 15,432, implementation of the 10th PRC for all permanent employees, skilled and unskilled wages to engineering workers, health cards to all, abolition of outsourcing and contractualisation and payment of wages as per GOs 46, 47, 48, and 49 to contract and outsourcing employees. Their demands fell on the deaf ears of the TDP government led by Chandrababu Naidu. He reneged on his election promise to substantially hike the wages of contract workers and is now adopting intimidating and anti-worker approach.

Majority of municipal workers, nearly 85 percent belong to the marginalised sections (SC/ST/OBC). The state government which parroted social justice on the birthday of Dr. BR Ambedkar did precious little to ameliorate the woes of municipal workers, who have been doing menial work to eke out their livelihood. The talk of ‘Swatch Bharat’ and ‘Swatch AP’ has no relevance when the very agents who bring cleanliness in the society are being treated shabbily by the governments. As the pleas to solve their issues were ignored by the state government, municipal workers and employees under the banner of the Joint Action Committee, consisting of the CITU, AITUC, BMS and INTUC unions, plunged into an indefinite strike action.

Since then the JAC had conducted many struggles, chalked out various programmes to force the government to yield to their justified demands. There were relay fasts, dharnas conducted in various districts. People’s representatives were given memorandums by the leaders of the JAC. Unable to digest the growing dissatisfaction amongst the general public, the AP government resorted to knee-jerk reactions and tried to break the strike action with an iron hand. Attempts were made to get the garbage cleaned by the permanent workers, police, NGOs  etc, and all these were successfully foiled by the united spirit shown by the JAC.

Police lathicharged women workers at various places, in which some women suffered injuries. In many municipalities, leaders of the AITUC and the CITU were taken into custody. Eluru MLA used unparliamentary language against the striking workers. Many people’s representatives belonging to the ruling dispensation used filthy language against agitating workers and tried to suppress the strike action.

The negotiations between the chief minister and the leaders of the JAC did not fructify due to the adamant attitude of the government. Refusing to concede even small demands, Chandrababu Naidu government has shown its contempt for the marginalised sections of the society.

The call of ‘Chalo CM Camp Office’ in Vijayawada given by the JAC irked the TDP government. It tried to brutally suppress the huge procession from Tummalapalli Kalakshetram in Vijayawada and arrested the leadership of the JAC, the CITU and the CPI(M) from the midst of the procession itself. K Subbaravamma, secretary, CITU, AP state, MA Gafoor, general secretary, CITU, Obulesu, AITUC leader, Raghu, CPI(M) state committee member, Ch Baburao, CPI(M) state secretariat member were arrested along with 400 workers and taken to One Town Police Station. Many women workers were dragged on the roads by their hair and frisked away by the police. Despite all the intimidating tactics, municipal workers stood their feet and solidly rallied behind the JAC.

In support of the municipal workers strike, there were many solidarity actions by various sections of the working class in the unorganised sector and financial sector unions like the AIIEA in the LIC. In the roundtable meeting held at Vijayawada, P Madhu, CPI(M) state secretary participated and lambasted the TDP government for its anti-working class approach. He demanded the government to commence the negotiations forthwith with the striking workers in order to reach a solution instead of resorting to authoritarian measures. Roundtable meetings were also held at Bobbili and other places too.

Chalo Collecorates were organised on July 25 by the JAC and it evoked violent response from the government. The siege of collectorates was sought to be suppressed with an iron hand while the workers put up solid resistance to it. In many districts, the chalo programme was met with brutal resistance. P Madhu and Ch Baburao fell unconscious at Vijayawada due to the lathicharge by the police. K Ramakrishna, CPI secretary, MA Gafoor, G Obulesu were also arrested along with thousands of workers. At Vizag, 2500 people were arrested and another 1000 were arrested throughout the State. At Kakinada, hundreds of municipal workers laid siege to the Kakinada Collectorate and the Party staged a rasta roko led by Dadaala Subbarao, CPI(M) state secretariat member. Labour minister K Achayyanaidu was gheraoed at Srikakulam. Apart from the CPI(M), the CPI, CPI(ML) and YSR Congress parties also expressed their solidarity to the  call of Chalo collectorate.

Owing to the relentless struggle of the municipal workers, the state government had to come down from its adamant position that “No talks till withdrawal of strike” and negotiated with the JAC. After a series of negotiations, it was agreed to hike the monthly wage of municipal workers by Rs 2,700. It was also agreed to pay the salaries of municipal workers under the head of 010, to enhance the wages of workers for every two years, to take a decision in the cabinet on hiking the wages of skilled and semiskilled workers in the engineering department.

Though the negotiations were not entirely satisfactory to the workers, yet the CITU had agreed to the common understanding reached by the JAC with the government. The 16 days strike went on with full steam despite the divisive tactics and authoritarian measures adopted by the Chandrababu Naidu government. The workers achieved victory over an unwilling government, which was bent upon scuttling the united strike action by creating wedges between the partners of the JAC. This victory had infused confidence in the municipal workers and will  surely augur well for the future struggles.

Steadfast Struggle by

Telangana Municipal Workers

R Sudha Bhaskar

FORTY-FIVE thousand municipal contract workers have been on an indefinite strike in Telangana for the last 24 days. The strike began on July 6. The chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, with an eye on the impending Greater Hyderabad municipal elections ‘announced’ a wage hike only to those contract workers in GHMC purview, only on July 16 at 11pm. This was on the eve of a statewide bandh call given by the 10 Left parties in solidarity of the striking workers. Unperturbed by this announcement, the JAC of the municipal unions under whose aegis the strike has been going on decided to continue the strike, barring in Hyderabad. The Left parties also went ahead with the bandh that was supported by Telangana Telugu Desam Party, Congress and Mahajan Socialist Party. The bandh was successful in many parts of the state while it was partial in Hyderabad. The first state bandh after the formation of Telangana put the KCR government on the defensive especially from the fact that despite being given by the Left parties, it evoked support from across the political spectrum. Even the BJP conducted dharnas on the bandh day seeking resolution of the problems of workers.

Since the JAC is constituted by unions affiliated to the CITU, AITUC, BMS, HMS, IFTU, AIUTUC and TNTUC, all the central trade unions stood like a backbone to this strike. The ten Left parties plunged into direct action from July 16, though they have been supporting the strike from the beginning.

BEGINNING OF

THE STRIKE

This strike is a symbol of discontent that was brewing for the last few months among the workers. Except for constantly repeating all the promises, nothing tangible has materialised to the people of Telangana in the last one year rule of the TRS government. Even before the government could celebrate its first birthday on June 2, big statewide strikes erupted in state road transport, state electricity, emergency ambulance services etc. In fact the leading unions in these sectors were being run by TRS supporters themselves. All these strikes materialised due to the collective efforts of all unions in the respective industries. It is a sign that sections of working people in Telangana are getting disillusioned by the TRS government’s performance.

In all the 29 municipalities, 28 nagara panchayaths and 7 corporations 45,000 municipal contract workers started this indefinite strike seeking hike in contract labour wages. There is a tradition right from the days of united AP that after the Pay Revision Commission finalises its report to the state government, the employees lowest basic of the unskilled, semi skilled, skilled employees has been given to contract employees, through a separate Government Order. From 8th PRC onwards this tradition is in a vogue. Now, even after 10th PRC came into operation from 15th February this year, contract employees and workers who were expecting the above practice to materialise, got disappointed. Their decision to go for strike action proved in unequivocal terms that workers are not ready to be satisfied with mere ‘gossip’.

Chief Minister KCR announced a number of times, after the formation of Telangana, that there would be no need to strike or to undertake struggles. The government itself will deliver all their requirements. Municipal workers wages did not increase from July 2013. Even after 13 months of KCR government, there was just rhetoric but no action. Vexed with this situation the workers got into agitation mode. For the first time, along with regular employees, who also got 27 per cent IR (Interim Relief), various forms of agitations were carried out by workers during the month of May. When KCR was participating in Swachh Hyderabad campaign, he promised to the workers that their wages will be increased but did not deliver. 

A TURNING

POINT

On July 15, the ten Left party leaders undertook an indefinite hunger strike in solidarity of the striking workers. In a sign of repressive move, the police attacked the hunger strike camp and forcibly removed the fasting leaders. They were arrested and taken to Gandhi Hospital and later released. The chief minister’s office issued a press release threatening the workers to immediately join duties or else police and military would be deployed to tackle the strike. The Left parties called for a statewide bandh protesting the repressive actions of the government and in solidarity with striking workers. After the successful bandh, the Left leaders are now on a statewide ‘bus yathra’ touring all the 9 districts starting from Nalgonda. In all places three to six thousand workers of municipal, gram panchayats and NREGS field assistants participated along with other downtrodden masses in the public meetings.

The police repression during this strike so far has been unprecedented. Police threatened women sweepers in their homes at wee hours of the day to start work. They however resisted the police threats. Overall 11,000 workers and leaders were arrested, 270 were booked under false cases. 22 were confined in police stations for days. When strike disrupting temporary workers were opposed by the striking workers, they were severely beaten.  The media has played a positive role in this strike. In general, municipal workers got public sympathy. Although INTUC and TRSKV (of the TRS) did not give strike notice, their workers also participated in this strike.