MCG sanitation workers warn of indefinite strike if Haryana govt does not address demands by May 10

Gurgaon: Even as Gurgaon stared at the face of a sanitation crisis, MCG’s sanitation workers on Friday warned that their strike would be extended indefinitely if the Haryana govt fails to meet their demands by May 10.

The workers, under the banner of Haryana Sarv Karamchari Sangh, continued their protest for the eighth day at the old MCG office, raising slogans against the Haryana govt for not addressing their concerns.

The president of the union’s Gurgaon unit said their demands included the reinstatement of 3,480 laid-off sanitation workers along with retrenched employees of other municipalities, councils and municipal corporations on the departmental roll; withdrawing of chargesheets and false cases filed during the recent Gurgaon strike and ending the service break of 26 sanitation worker leaders.

“In addition, payment of wages for the strike period of 2023 and resolution of 17 other demands must be looked into,” he said.

Meanwhile, garbage kept piling up along roadsides and in vacant plots across the city. On Friday, waste was seen scattered in several areas, including Civil Lines, Baliawas, Palam Vihar, sectors 9, 9A, 10, 10A, 14 and 50, and Sadar Bazar.

Mayor Raj Rani Malhotra criticised the way the protesters were conducting their agitation. “The protesting workers are disrupting sanitation works being carried out by outsourced staff too. On Thursday, the protesters punctured the tyres of waste collection vehicles taking garbage to waste collection points. Such behaviour is not acceptable,” she said.

Local authorities will convene a meeting on Saturday to make alternative arrangements for the city’s sanitation work, she added.

Councillor of Ward 25 Anup Singh said, “The union members are now resorting to hooliganism by not allowing outsourced sanitation workers to work. We are closely monitoring the situation on the ground and will come up with an alternative plan so that the problem resolves.”

Residents said that private sanitation agencies, which were already providing limited services, have further reduced operations citing a shortage of sanitation workers. “These sanitation agencies have now got an excuse for not working. They are telling us that sanitation workers are not available due to the strike. If the strike continues, we will soon have a sanitation emergency in the city,” said a resident of Sector 9A, Lalit Suraj Bhola.

In 2024, Haryana govt had declared a solid-waste exigency in Gurgaon and directed MCG to fast-track clearance of waste piles along with legacy waste at Bandhwari. The city has been struggling with waste collection and management ever since.
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