Over 2,000 contract workers celebrate Dussehra without pay

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

A dispute between the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) administration and the contractor providing manpower has been ongoing for the past few days, and innocent contract workers are bearing the brunt of it. Despite the Dussehra festival, workers have not received their salaries for the fourth consecutive month. On Wednesday, the municipal corporation issued a notice to Maharana Agency, instructing them to personally pay the pending two months' salaries to the workers.

The municipal corporation has very few permanent staff and is heavily reliant on contractual workers, who have become the backbone of its operations. Without them, the day-to-day functioning of the civic body would likely come to a standstill. Despite multiple attempts over the years to recruit permanent employees, there has been little success, leading to a heavy dependence on contract workers over the last decade.

Currently, more than 2,500 contract employees are working through various manpower agencies and self-help groups. Around 1,800 employees previously working under Maharana Agency were reportedly transferred to Galaxy and Ashoka agencies, according to the municipal corporation.

However, many workers claim that they haven’t been paid for the past three months, and October marks the beginning of the fourth month without salary. They had hoped to be paid in time for Dussehra, but their hopes were dashed, as they had to celebrate the festival with empty pockets. To address the issue, Chief Accounts Officer Santosh Wahule sent a notice to Maharana Agency, directing that the agency pay two months’ salaries to the employees from its own funds.