Two sanitation workers working in the University have been terminated recently, without any prior notice. One of them, Urmila, happens to the current President of All India General Kamgaar Union.
New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) has spoken against the unjustified and sudden termination of two sanitation workers and said that it was unacceptable.
One of the sanitation workers who was let go is Urmila, the President of All India General Kamgaar Union. Kamgaar Union has been successfully fighting and defending the rights of the workers in the recent months.
“Rather than reversing the trend towards contractualization, the administration is now punishing those who are fighting for the rights of the most vulnerable workforce in JNU,” Atul Sood, President and Avinash Kumar, Secretary, JNUTA, said in a statement.
“We need to oppose and expose the administration that believes in taking punitive action against those who raise genuine questions and concerns that promote the welfare of the University,” they said.
Full text of JNUTA statement against termination of JNU contract workers’ Union President:
JNUTA is shocked to learn that two sanitation workers working in the University have been terminated recently, without any prior notice. One of them, Urmila, happens to the current President of All India General Kamgaar Union. Urmila has been working in JNU, as a sanitation worker, through Rakshak Securities, for a long time. JNU community has for long been concerned about the increasing contractualizaiton of work in JNU and has been seeking a reversal of this process. Rather than reversing the trend towards contractualization, the administration is now punishing those who are fighting for the rights of the most vulnerable workforce in JNU.
We understand that the Kamgaar Union has been fighting and defending the rights of the workers, and successfully so, in the recent months. This uncalled for and unjustified termination of workers and of those who fight for their rights is completely unacceptable.
JNUTA sees a pattern in the working of the JNU administration – it uses punitive methods against teachers and students to seek compliance of their unlawful and unfair administrative decisions and termination of the sanitation workers. Any voice opposing the ad hoc, arbitrary and anti-University policies of the administration is being punished and an attempt is being made to muffle their voices.
JNUTA stands in solidarity with worker and seeks immediate reversal of the order terminating the services of the two workers. We need to oppose and expose the administration that believes in taking punitive action against those who raise genuine questions and concerns that promote the welfare of the University. JNUTA stands in solidarity with workers, students and others and vows to collectively fight this attack on the freedom of expression, and right to dissent and protest.
Atul Sood
President, JNUTA
Avinash Kumar
Secretary, JNUTA