‘If service valuable, why pay so low?’: 5,000 MCD workers protest for permanent jobs, equal pay, leaves

For the last two days, more than 5,000 Delhi municipal workers have been protesting outside MCD’s Civic Centre for equal pay, medical and earned leaves, and permanent employment.

On Tuesday, MCD Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh urged the workers to call off their protests, assuring that their demands would be met. The workers, however, refused to stop the stir until they received concrete remedies to their grievances.    

Workers allege that despite an “in-principle acceptance” by the MCD in 2024 for the regularisation of services – from contractual to full-time employment – the implementation was delayed. They also claim that the MCD did not implement a 2019 Delhi High Court order that directed the civic body to pay these workers salaries equal to Food Hygiene Beldars, a group of field workers who ensure the city’s food safety standards. 

Moreover, workers claim MCD officials promised on July 22 to unify their pay and leave structures within a week but failed to do so. When the workers’ union wrote to the MCD warning of a protest on September 16, the MCD allegedly told them that they could lose their jobs if they proceeded with the strike.

“These are not demands that can be ignored; they are basic rights. Delhi has 12 MCD zones. In six NDMC zones, staff are paid Rs 27,000, plus dearness allowance and variable pay, with 15 medical leaves. While in the other six zones, workers just get Rs 17,000, and get nothing else. How can such discrimination continue?” Devanand Sharma, general secretary of the Anti-Malaria Ekta Karmachari Union (AMEKU), told Newslaundry.

Newslaundry reached out to the Director of Vigilance, MCD, Sanjay Sahay, for a comment but did not get a response. This report will be updated if a response is received. 

Meanwhile, UNI reported that the leader of opposition in the MCD House, AAP’s Ankush Narang, criticised the BJP-led authority for ignoring the workers’ demands. He met with the protesting workers on Monday and criticised Mayor Singh over his alleged failure to address the issue.

Long-standing fight for rights

The protesting MTS workers include Domestic Breeding Checkers (DBCs) and Contract Field Workers (CFWs), who have been fighting for permanent status for over 30 years. Part of MCD’s multi-tasking staff (MTS), the protesting workers’ work is vital, but not limited, to the city’s mosquito control operations, which face a vacuum amid the stir. Delhi is currently also facing rising malaria and dengue cases. 

“If the civic body had fulfilled its promises, we wouldn’t be here. Our protest is peaceful and aimed at securing our rights, not harming the public. But we cannot work without respect and security,” said Madan Pal, president of the DBC union.

Workers also demand compensatory employment for the families of deceased staff. Pawan Singh, whose father, also a CFW, died in 2014, said he had to wait five years before getting a contractual position, which offered lower wages.

“The civic body keeps telling us we are valuable. But if we are truly valuable, why are our salaries low, why are our leave rights denied, and why is our work undervalued for decades?” Sharma said. 

Initially recruited as daily-wage malaria beldars during the 1996 dengue outbreak, they were later classified as health workers in 1998, DBCs in 2000, and again in 2006. Over the years, their responsibilities expanded enormously: they now handle disease control (dengue, malaria, chikungunya, COVID-19), house tax collection, Swachh Survekshan tasks, DDA work, and various other civic duties. Despite these responsibilities, the DBCs remained contractual employees, receiving minimum wages for semi-skilled work. 

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