Hundreds of contract/outsourced workers of BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board) demonstrated on 12 July 2017, demanding minimum wages for workers engaged in Sewerage Treatment Plants (STP). The demonstration was organized by the AICCTU.
The administration which had earlier disowned the workers, declaring that they would have nothing to do with ‘outsourced’ workers, was forced to accept responsibility and agree to ensure minimum wages and arrears from August 2016 onwards, to be paid in the August 2017 salary.
Comrade Balan, all-India Vice President of AICCTU, led the demonstration, came down heavily on the Karnataka government and the BWSSB administration, and called for a strike that would disturb Bengaluru’s water supply if the workers’ demands for minimum wages were not fulfilled. Comrade Shankar said this is only a beginning of waves of struggles for regularisation of all contract workers. The Chief Administrative Officer came to the spot and addressed workers on issues of minimum wages, streamlining of working hours and OT wages if worked on holidays, Bonus, Same Pay for Same Work and regularization.
