Thaindian News

Mumbai, Sep 20 (IANS) Employees of Mumbai’s civic body called off their strike Tuesday evening after Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan assured them to look into their demand for pay hike.

Over a lakh members of the Municipal Mazdoor Union, who are employees at Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), had gone on an indefinite strike since midnight Tuesday, demanding a salary hike as per the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations.

“On assurances by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, we have decided to call off the strike,” said Sharad Rao, the convenor of the Municipal Mazdoor Union.

“We will decide the further action on the matter in another meeting scheduled Sep 23,” he added.

Over 50 percent of employees in civic-run hospitals were absent from work as nurses, ward boys, Class-IV employees and conservancy staff joined in the agitation.

Hospital operations and emergency services were crippled across the city as over a lakh civic employees went on an indefinite strike. The absence of nurses and ward boys at municipal hospitals owing to the strike has caused hardships for patients.

Out of over 1,300 nurses in civic-body run hospitals, only 545 nurses were present on duty, while out of over 55,000 labour staff, only some 12,000 workers were present at work Tuesday, bringing the figure to only 21.5 percent of the total labour staff.

Alleging that the civic administration has failed to revise the salaries of its employees, Rao said that the administration had given its assurance on Aug 27.

The civic employees have been demanding salary hikes as per the Sixth Pay Commission along with better house rent allowance (HRA), travel allowance, basic pay, dearness allowance, working hours and grant of leave.