Contract workers at Ambedkar Smriti Vanam demand pay, pending for nine months

Even as the State government lauded the contribution of sanitation workers in keeping the city clean, around 20 contract sanitation workers deployed at the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Smriti Vanam (Memorial Park) in Vijayawada staged a demonstration on Wednesday, demanding payment pending for more than nine months.

Tying black ribbons over their eyes, the women workers protested the long delay in their wages. “We have families, rents, and school fees to pay. The government should understand our plight,” said Lakshmi (name changed). They earn ₹10,000 per month.

She added that they were subjected to verbal harassment and swearing when questioning authorities at the park about the delay. The workers also blamed their contractor for neglecting their welfare.

Initially, there were 32 housekeeping staff and eight washroom cleaners, but the number has now fallen to 22 due to unpaid wages, another worker said. “We continued working here in the hope that the pending amount would be paid one day. If we quit, what guarantee do we have that we would receive the sum owed to us?” she asked.

The women work in two shifts—from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. until the park closes—cleaning and mopping the premises. “Sometimes, when security guards are absent, we are asked to fill in,” said Lakshmi.

The workers said they approached HRD Minister N. Lokesh in May, and his office assured them that the pending wages would be paid within a week. When the payment did not materialize, they decided to go on strike. They also submitted applications to the Public Grievance Redressal System at the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation and the Collectorate on Monday.

The protest, organised by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), will continue daily until the government gives a clear assurance regarding their pending wages, the workers said.