Shimla Municipal Safai Karamchari Strike Ends on Day Three After Mayor’s Assurance

Shimla, May 11:
The three-day strike by safai karamcharis (sanitation workers) of the Shimla Municipal Corporation came to an end on Sunday following a constructive meeting with Mayor Surinder Chauhan. Normal cleaning and waste collection services across the city will resume from Monday, bringing relief to residents affected by the disruption.

The strike was triggered by the delay in implementing a promised 10% annual salary hike, which was scheduled to take effect from April this year. Frustrated by the inaction, sanitation workers had halted services since Friday, resulting in piles of uncollected garbage across the city.

In a meeting held at the Municipal Corporation office on Sunday, Mayor Chauhan assured the workers that their salary hike would be implemented as committed. He also pledged a positive approach toward addressing other long-standing demands and improving working conditions.

CITU state president Vijender Mehra, speaking after the meeting, said that workers have long demanded an end to the contract system and instead be brought under regular or contractual employment. Many of these workers have been serving the Corporation for 10 to 15 years but continue to receive only minimum wages without essential benefits.

Mehra also pointed out that while each worker was previously responsible for waste collection from 80 to 100 households, that number has now surged to between 250 and 280 homes, significantly increasing their workload without a proportional improvement in compensation or support.

Mayor Chauhan acknowledged the legitimacy of the workers’ concerns and said the Municipal Corporation would address the issues in a phased manner. He further assured that serious consideration would be given to the regularization process and a reassessment of workload distribution.

With the strike now called off, normal waste management operations will resume Monday, much to the relief of city residents.