Shimla Environment, Heritage Conservation and Beautification (SEHB) Society workers affiliated with CITU on Friday barged into the monthly House of the Shimla Municipal Corporation, demanding the reinstatement of their 41 colleagues. “The Municipal Corporation had agreed to revoke the termination of 41 workers but it didn’t do it. We are asking the corporation to fulfil its promise,” said Vijender Mehra, state CITU president. The police had to be called when they barged into the House, raising slogans.
On May 15, hundreds of SEHB society workers had gone on an indefinite strike over the corporation’s decision to abolish the annual salary hike. As a result of the strike, cleanliness and door-to-door garbage collection in the state was significantly affected, causing inconvenience to people. During this period, the corporation itself started to collect garbage from households and other parts of the city. The services of the workers were terminated when they didn’t show up for work though the corporation had imposed the Essential Services Maintenance Act.
Mehra said that their protest would continue until the termination of the services of 41 workers was revoked. Mayor Surender Chauhan, meanwhile, criticised the workers for creating a ruckus in the House. “There’s a proper way of raising issues,” he added.
