In solidarity with the massive Una upsurge and standing shoulder to shoulder with fighting sanitation workers in Delhi and in support of 2nd September All India Strike, the Safai Shramik Vikas Morcha (SSVM), affiliated to AICCTU and CPI (ML) Delhi State Committee organised a “Safai Karmchari Sankalp Karvaan”, from 10th August to 15th August, 2016. As a part of the campaign, meetings and events were organised with workers in Wazirpur, Kalyanpuri, Jahangirpuri, Narela, Dakshinpuri (Ambedkar Nagar) and Kusumpur Pahari (Vasant Kunj). The main slogan of the campaign was ‘Eradicate Dehumanising Occupations and Caste Oppression.
On 15th August, as Azaadi Kooch reached Una, the Safai Karamchaari Sankalp Karvaan also convened its final pledge taking observance at Kusumpur Pahari in South-West Delhi to vouch against dehumanizing occupations and caste based atrocities. Over the course of the last few days, similar gatherings have been mobilized in East Delhi, Narela and Ambedkar Nagar where several sanitation workers joined the campaign to fight against dehumanizing occupations and caste based atrocities.
In its concluding gathering at Kusumpur, many residents, most of whom are employed as contractual sanitation workers, came together to take the pledge – pledge to never enter another septic tank or sewer, to stop cleaning animal carcass. Comrade Anju, Vice President of AICCTU, JNU Unit in her address raised many important questions such as why only a particular people are forced to do work that should be done by machine and not by hand. Why, those who claim dire love for the cow shy away from tending to dead carcasses? She recalled the JNU contractual workers movement and how their union fought tooth and nail against the JNU administration to reject being forced to clean up dead carcasses. DUTA President Nandita Narain, also addressed the meeting extending her full support. The meeting ended with the strong resolve to make the upcoming all India general strike, scheduled for 2nd September, a thumping success.
