Sanitation workers of Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) have demanded the immediate reinstatement of all 357 retrenched sanitation workers of the complexes. Workers accused the Mandir Marg police of trying to thwart the July 12 demonstrations condemning hospital administration.
It’s been 72 days since the LHMC workers lost their jobs despite a May 31 Delhi High Court order that directed the hospital to retain the same workers even if a new contractor is hired. To condemn this continued attack on workers, the AICCTU organised a demonstration outside LHMC campus.
However, on Tuesday, the Mandir Marg police refused to let people gather outside the campus despite prior notice. Personnel from the same station that earlier brutally beat workers, threatened workers, said the AICCTU. Earlier, the union also filed a complaint against the police for assaulting a Dalit sanitation worker.
“It is indeed shameful that no action is being taken against the hospital administration that is defying a High Court order directing reinstatement, but the sanitation workers whose rights are being denied, are at the receiving end of police repression,” said AICCTU leader Sucheta De.
The protesters then moved to Jantar Mantar for the public meeting and press conference.
Speaking at the event, Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA) National Convenor Bezwada Wilson said, “Why is it so that a High Court order mandating reinstatement of the sanitation workers is being defied so openly by a central government run institution? It is the reflection of the same age old casteist mentality that denies to recognise Dalits as equal human beings.”
Similarly, senior journalist Anil Chamadia voiced solidarity with the union. He said ,”The present struggle of the sanitation workers is a very important struggle to ensure equal rights for those who have been forced into a caste ordained profession. Sanitation is the most essential work for the functioning of any institution. And it is the sanitation workers who are denied every scope of social mobility and economic rights. It is a systematic design to maintain caste determined professions and oppression.”
RAKCON Karamchari Union ex-President of Mange Ram said, “The pandemic has shown us the importance of public health infrastructure. And it is the sanitation and medical workers of these hospitals who run basic services in these hospitals. This use and throw attitude towards the sanitation workers of hospitals is thus an attack on the very core of functionality of public funded hospitals.”
Further, advocate and retrenched workers counsel Kawalpreet Kaur said, “The sanitation workers of LHMC are fighting a spectacular battle, because they are not only fighting for themselves, they are fighting for ensuring rights of all contractual workers. Denial of legal rights of the contractual workers is a norm established by all institutions. Even a Delhi High Court order doesn’t matter for the hospital administration. The present battle of the LHMC workers are thus a battle to defend legal rights of workers.”
People’s Union of Civil Liberties Vice-President ND Pancholi said, “Contractualisation is a practice that has been introduced to turn workers into slaves who have no right to speak out against injustice. Thus, your battle is against the contract Raj that reinforces casteist and classist exploitation.”
Workers condemn hospital administration’s apathy
Workers have been holding sit-in protests at the LHMC gate for more than two months. During this time, the Delhi High Court too ordered reinstatement of the workers with pending cases before it.
“The respondents will direct the said contractor to engage the petitioners on the same terms and conditions as existing today without demanding any commission or premium from them for such engagement. Consequently, till the next date the services of the petitioners shall not be terminated and they will be permitted to continue under the new contractor, if any, engaged by the respondents,” said the court order.
Despite such a clear order, workers’ services were illegally terminated and on 24 June, one sanitation worker and AICCTU activist, Nitin, was physically assaulted by the police. Sanitation workers, the core constituent of any administration’s workforce, continue to deal with the snubbing of their legal and social rights.
“When the country was going through the deadly effects of the Covid-19, it was the sanitation workers along with the health staff of hospitals, who saved people from the dangerous disease through their services. Yet, these are the workers who are being dispensed off, in complete violation of law and procedure, from different hospitals all over the country,” said the AICCTU.
It called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government to follow through on its praises showered upon workers and not ignore a High court order to reinstate sanitation workers.
Union Busting and Victimisation of Workers
In December 2017, the LHMC and Kalawati Saran Children’s hospital workers formed the Contract Karamchari Union, affiliated with the AICCTU. Over 100 workers of Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital successfully implemented legal minimum wages in 2019.
Alongside demand for resumption of work, the union demands implementation of EPF and ESI, equal pay for equal work under CLARA , 1970 and for regularisation of their services. Their struggles represent the condition of workers everywhere else, said AICCTU.
“Forced into a caste ordained profession, the sanitation workers are being systematically denied their rights. The sham contract system has made the situation worse,” said AICCTU leader Sucheta De.
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