Bhubaneswar, Mar 13: Following a meeting with Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das, the sanitation workers decided to end their protest and return to work, as their demands were agreed upon on Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday, despite receiving assurance from Mayor Sulochana Das regarding a hike in pay, sanitation workers were still protesting for the third consecutive day.
Sources said, Mayor Sulochana Das called a meeting at her residence after the sanitation workers continued their protest. Positive outcomes emerged from discussions between both parties, leading to the cessation of the sanitation workers' protest.
Nevertheless, the sanitation workers’ association has issued a warning, stating that they will resume their agitation if the government fails to fulfill their demands within two days.
Explaining the reason behind their refusal to resume work despite the state government's assurance of a salary hike on Tuesday, Mayor Das clarified, “The protesting sanitation workers harbored doubts that if the code of conduct were declared, the state government might not announce their pay hike. However, they are now reassured that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will soon deliver positive news. With this assurance, they have resumed work today.”
The sanitation workers had been protesting for the past three days at Rajmahal Square, demanding a salary increase to Rs 15,000 and the appointment of dedicated personnel for waste segregation. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has requested a 15-day period to decide on waste segregation.
A spokesperson for the protesting sanitation workers stated, “We have returned to our duties today with the condition that the state government fulfills our demands within two days. If our demands are not met within the specified timeframe, we will resume our protest on the third day.”
Worth mentioning, the sanitation workers had previously protested on February 24 due to the non-fulfillment of their demands. However, discussions with the BMC on February 29 yielded no results. The state government's delay in addressing their demands prompted them to initiate an indefinite cease-work strike.
