Contract workers of Noida Authority continue agitation
Welcome To CitySpidey

Location

Contract workers of Noida Authority continue agitation

They have been on a strike for the past four days, demanding permanent jobs, health benefits and preference in government housing schemes. But residents are paying a heavy price for something they are not a part of.

Contract workers of Noida Authority continue agitation

Noida Authority’s contract workers have been on strike for the past four days, demanding permanent jobs, health benefits and preference in the affordable housing schemes of the government. And residents are at the receiving end.

They have also locked the gates of the Authority offices in Sectors 5, 19, 20 and 39.

About 4,200-4,600 workers have been contractually hired by private agencies for various departments of the Authority, such as sanitation, horticulture and others.

But residents are paying a heavy price for something they are not a part of. Garbage is seen pilling on roads and at dumps, and the Authority is doing nothing to ameliorate the situation.

 

The strike in progress outside Noida Authority office at Sector 5

 

Garbage collectors use push carts to collect solid waste from residential and industrial sectors in Noida, which is segregated at primary garbage-collection centres in the vicinity. They scavenge for plastic and other things of worth, and leave the rest at the yard.

Contractual sanitation workers then transport this waste from yards to designated places in assigned vehicles.

Anil Kumar, a resident in Sector 20, told City Spidey, “The workers are not coming to collect garbage from the sector, and you can see waste on the roads. Worse bit — dogs are feeding on it and scattering the garbage everywhere!” he added.

 

While workers strike residents bear the brunt

 

RS Yadav, project engineer of Noida Authority, said, “Senior officials of the administration and Noida Authority are talking to the workers. The city magistrate has also appealed to the workers to return to work, but that hasn't worked.”

Vinod Kumar Sharma, secretary of the workers’ union, told City Spidey, “The contractual workers are paid between Rs 8,000 and Rs 18,500 a month by private contractors. We have been working with the Authority for a long time, and now it’s the administration's turn to give us a permanent job.”