Sanitation at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar goes for a toss as workers launch strike

Sanitation work came to a standstill at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar on Monday as contractual workers engaged for the purpose launched protests, alleging that the agency, which engaged them, is carrying out retrenchments and some of its staff are misbehaving with women workers.  

Over 700 sanitation workers staged a sit-in against the contractual agency. The agitating sanitation workers warned that they would continue their stir till action was taken against the errant staff of the agency.  

A woman sanitation worker accused the agency of trying to extort money from them. “We are paid a monthly remuneration of Rs 13,000. Even this amount is too meager to run our families. Some staff of the agency are demanding Rs 10,000 each from us. Is it possible to pay that much amount? If we fail to pay the amount, they torture us and retrench us,” she lamented.

Another employee alleged that the agency is meting out injustice to them. “We are getting only Rs 11,000 every month. If we pay Rs 10,000 to the agency, how can we run our families in Bhubaneswar when prices of essential commodities are rising every day? 

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After sanitation work was disrupted by the strike, piles of garbage and discarded articles were found lying all over the premises of the premier health institution. With piling garbage, the atmosphere is reportedly nauseating. 

However, no response from AIIMS authorities or the concerned agency has been received.