Employees from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Public Health Department are set to stage a sit-in protest outside the office of the Executive Health Officer on Tuesday, July 22. According to a FPJ report, the protest is over the long-pending promotions. The protesting staff will also go on a one-day mass leave. According to Pradip Narkar, Assistant General Secretary of the Municipal Mazdoor Union, the civic administration has delayed the promotion of over 200 employees in the Health Department for the past year. “Despite a standing policy that mandates filling vacant and anticipated vacancies annually between September 1 and August 31, the administration has failed to act. As a result, 67 posts of Sanitation Inspector, 21 of Senior Sanitation Inspector, and 149 of Junior Overseer remain unfilled—denying many senior employees their rightful promotions ahead of retirement,” said Narkar.
Frustrated by repeated delays and what they allege as administrative apathy, the employees will hold a sit-in protest starting at 10 am. Union leaders have warned that the administration will be solely responsible for any disruption or inconvenience caused due to the agitation.“These employees play a vital role in safeguarding public health,” Narkar added. “They conduct pest control, go door-to-door for health awareness campaigns, carry out malaria and dengue testing, and monitor pregnant women’s health, among other duties.”
Last week, more than 1,200 contractual employees working under the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) in the BMC’s Public Health Department staged a protest over non-payment of salaries for the past three months and denial of key benefits like maternity leave and bonuses.The workers, hired through a private contractor, gathered outside the office of the Executive Health Officer in the F-South Ward on Monday, raising slogans demanding timely pay, salary hikes, and an end to the contractual employment system.Union leaders, including Baba Kadam and Satyawan Javkar, led the demonstration. Following the protest, Executive Health Officer Dr. Daksha Shah assured action on demands under her purview and promised to raise other issues with senior officials.