IGM: Female sanitation workers accuse employer of unfair labour practices, harassment

Outsourced female sanitation workers of IGM hospital on Saturday alleged that they had been subjected to unfair labour practices and harassment by the employing agency ever since it was awarded the manpower supply tender. According to the aggrieved workers, the new agency was awarded the tender five months back and from the first month they had been grappling with multiple problems.

The situation turned volatile on Friday night when the supervisor of the private agency called the cops alleging that the sanitation workers locked him inside his room. By the time police arrived, hundreds of workers assembled in front of the hospital entrance and demonstrated against the agency and supervisors.

As soon as police unlocked the room, the supervisor ran away from the hospital and did not return. Speaking to the media persons, the sanitation workers claimed that supervisors appointed by the agency advanced indecent proposals to them and when they refused they had been denied basic employment benefits such as salary slips and Provident Fund.

“For the last five months, we have been asking for PF but neither the owner of the agency nor his supervisors had been giving any satisfactory response. Despite repeated calls, the owner did not show up for a meeting with us and the supervisors he appointed are of loose character. Two of them had advanced indecent proposals to our workers leading to protests,” an aggrieved worker said.

According to her, the workers appointed under the same agency in different blocks have already availed the benefits that they were bereft of. “The new workers appointed by the agency supervisors are getting all the benefits but we are being intentionally victimised because we did not entertain their indecent proposals,” she said.

The women workers also indulged in sloganeering in front of the hospital. The impasse persisted on Saturday as well. The workers said they had been discharging the duties without any disruption but the employing agency had been ignoring their demands.