THE day of October 2, 2007, is important for rural sanitation workers in the state. The then Congress government appointed these employees on the same day through gram panchayats on a monthly honorarium of Rs 3,525 to keep the villages clean and tidy. The number of these employees in the state is about 11,000. The government gave the right to pay an honorarium to the gram panchayats, with this decision of the government, the foundation of forced labour and harassment was laid. Most of these workers belong to dalit families, for getting honorarium, the workers had to work in the houses and fields of influential people of the gram panchayats, and many workers were fired and salary deductions were made.

ORGANISATION FORMATION
In the year 2009-10, CITU started organising these employees from Jhajjar district. However, the union got first success in 2016. On September 17,  2017, the first state-level demonstration was held at the chief minister's residence in which more than 1,200 employees from 12 districts took part. Under the pressure of the movement, on February 6, 2019, Haryana had to issue orders for giving a monthly salary of Rs 11,000 and uniform allowance of Rs 3,500. But the Rural Safai Karamcharis Union Haryana (CITU) continued its agitation, calling it inadequate and with other demands. The strike lasted for a total of 18 days. Under the pressure of this 18-day strike, on September 12, 2019, the chief minister himself had to declare a monthly honorarium of Rs 12,500 , EPF provision, issue of identity cards, Rs 10 lakh accident insurance coverage, and to cover the employees in the ESI and fix the norm of work.

MOVEMENT DURING THE LOCKDOWN

It was decided to hold a state-level rally on March 15, 2020, in Uchana to implement the agreement issued in September 2019 and the agreement made with the government. But it had to be postponed due to Covid-19 pandemic. Work pressure on employees increased during this period.  While citing the Corona disease, it was decided not to pay the uniform allowance of Rs 3,500 and the arrears for four months. In protest against this, on April 18, the union launched a black badge movement at their workplace. Wrote letters to the CM through the panchayats from May 5-16, in which around 1,000-gram panchayats sent letters to the chief minister. From June 22-26, five days dharnas were organised in 52 blocks and on June 28, 1,256 employees protested at the district level in 17 districts. On June 25, the director of the panchayat department called the CITU leaders for talks; but no solution was found. On June 30, in the state and 17 districts and 62 blocks, meetings were held under this campaign. Around 1,800 union workers and employees participated in these meetings. For the first time, after the union was formed in the nationwide satyagraha on August 9, more than 1,300 employees participated.