: Sanitation workers in Haryana on Wednesday extended their state-wide strike for four more days and announced city-level ‘jan nyaya panchayats’ from September 10 to 12, followed by a state-level meeting in Kurukshetra on September 13.
But the government has maintained that it has accepted most of the workers’ demands but immediate regularisation of thousands of contractual employees is not feasible. Meanwhile, authorities have intensified action against the protesting employees. The workers, who have been on strike since August 6 are demanding regularisation of their services, an end to the contractor system and implementation of a 17-point agreement reached with the government on May 13. The government has offered job security to contractual employees under the Haryana Contractual Employees (Security of Service) Act, 2024, until the age of 60 along with a monthly risk allowance of ₹ 2,000 and a 15 % wage increase. Also workers with more than 10 years of service have also been offered a minimum monthly remuneration of ₹ 25,560, besides dearness allowance, gratuity and maternity leave. After a September 5 deadline to resume duty, 32 workers were dismissed on September 7. The number of dismissals subsequently rose to 62, while 10 employees were suspended, according to official figures.
The union has said the agitation will continue until the government issues a written order on regularisation.
He said the Kurukshetra meeting on September 13 would decide the future course of the agitation. The union has also appealed to farmers, traders and social organisations to participate in the meetings. Naresh Shastri, state president of the Nagar Palika Karamchari Sangh, Haryana, said condolence meetings would be held on Wednesday, followed by the jan nyaya panchayats in cities and districts over the next three days.
